Character Building in School Essay example -- essays papers

Character Building in School In a society with a vast array of different beliefs and mediums through which these beliefs are presented, children can get lost in an overwhelming sea of influential ideas and concepts not necessarily intended for their eyes and ears. Character education is a concept that calls for teachers and school curriculums to guide students in learning what Edward F. DeRoche and Mary M. Williams (2001, p. 25) described as â€Å"core values held sacred by a democratic society.† Parents are generally considered the teachers of morals, but if values like sharing, compassion, and honesty are never enforced or addressed outside the home, these values may never be established as a stable foundation in the child’s mind. Character education’s purpose is to help children choose to be well-mannered, stable, cooperative individuals. Character education is not in every school system, but its support is growing along with the amount of research evidence increasing in its favor (Vi adero, 2003). The teaching of values in education has evolved into character education, and today there are different studies, designs, and resources for character education programs in schools to foster moral growth and citizenship in children. History of Character Education The methods and approaches to teaching values in the United States have varied over the last couple centuries. When early settlers arrived in America, village schools were established and religion, especially Christianity, was incorporated into the lessons. Religion was very important to the early settlers. After all, the primary reason for many of them leaving their homes overseas was for religious freedom. It was normal to have teachings about salvation, hon... ...r the years. Slowinski, J. (Jan/Feb 2002). What will the future of education look like? Book Report, 20(4), 18-20. Retrieved November 10, 2003, from Academic Search/Ebsco. This article describes technological advances and predicts what the future classroom and class will be like. Viadero, D. (2003, April 30). Nice work. Education Week, 22(33), 38-41. Retrieved September 24, 2003, from Academic Search Premier/Ebsco. Viadero explains how character education is making progress and showing evidence that it is effective and beneficial to school programs. Unger, G. E. (2001). Character development. Encyclopedia of American education. (Vol. 1, pp. 199-200). New York: Facts on File, Inc. This encyclopedic entry defines character education and goes on to describe the points of people in favor or character education and points of people against it.