Fairness Doesn’t Always Seem Fair
Fairness is a character trait. Character education teachers teach fairness. Parents teach fairness. Many religious leaders and club leaders teach fairness, but did you know that fairness is often misunderstood? Children yell, “That isn’t fair!” Teens sound off about unfairness, too, but do young people really understand fairness? Give the
Perseverance – Not Just for Ants, Rams, and Snails
Perseverance is a character trait – a character trait of ants, rams, and snails? Did you ever watch an ant carry a large cookie crumb to some far away nest? Maybe you commented on the ant’s heavy load, but did you think about her perseverance? Did you ever see a
Teach Responsibility? Who Cares?
Responsibility is a moral value. Responsibility is a family value. It is one of the high moral values we call character traits. But who cares? We all should care! Parents should care enough to teach responsibility to children. Teachers should care enough to teach responsibility to students. Employers should care
Teaching Respect for Others No Matter Who or What
Teaching respect for others, no matter who they are or what they do, is a challenge for character education teachers as well as parents. Respect others, people say, but what others? Most people say you should respect your elders. Most people say you should respect your parents and teachers. Some
Punctuality Tips and Strategies
Punctuality tips and strategies can increase the ease and speed with which we build this important character trait. Most adults understand the basic meaning of punctuality. We know that punctual people meet obligations or complete necessary tasks before a previously named time. Punctuality involves more than that, however, and only
Demand the Best Character Education!
The best character education program requires not the biggest, most popular program, but effective application of absolute values for absolute results. Those who are serious about character building know instinctively that such things as size and popularity are neither requirements nor quality indicators – yet some programs act as though
Character Is Painfully Honest
Character is painfully honest, as I was reminded this week when reading the “apology” of Michael Vick, suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback who plead guilty to a federal dog-fighting conspiracy charge. Do I mean Vick was painfully honest? Not at all. Let’s look at the facts. As do most celebrities charged
Honesty in Government
Mr. Barack Obama, Democratic presidential candidate, released an ad this week in which he says that government needs honesty. Well – not quite. Mr. Obama said the country needs honesty when it comes to talking about Social Security. Honesty, claims Mr. Obama, is the only way to fix the system.
Character or Tolerance – Choose!
The air waves are filled these days with talk of tolerance. We are urged to tolerate this lifestyle or that religion, or this or that idea. In the rampant cultural Marxism that is political correctness, we are being told that everything and everyone must be tolerated. Correction. We are being
Teaching Tolerance
As we began the new year last week, I had occasion to read several things on the Internet about teaching tolerance to children and teenagers. Most educators and those teaching character lean toward teaching tolerance as acceptance – of nearly everything. The exercise of tolerance, educators and coaches tell us,
