{"id":544,"date":"2020-06-22T10:44:54","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T18:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/?p=544"},"modified":"2020-06-22T10:44:54","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T18:44:54","slug":"character-education-snapshots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/blog\/2020\/06\/22\/character-education-snapshots\/","title":{"rendered":"Character Education Snapshots"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It is the month of June, the month of leaves and roses, when pleasant sights salute the eyes, and pleasant scents the noses<\/i>. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span> \u2015<\/i> Nathaniel Parker Willis<\/span><\/p>\n

With my camera in hand, I visited the character education gardens where \u201ceverything was coming up roses\u201d and took these snapshots for my scrapbook. <\/span><\/p>\n

Snapshot 1<\/span>:<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>TEACHING CHARACTER AND CIVILITY<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCivility goes beyond being polite and courteous; it involves listening to others with an open mind, disagreeing respectfully and seeking common ground to start a conversation about differences.\u00a0 <\/span>Acting with civility requires children to be respectful, reflective and self-aware.\u00a0 <\/span>Learning the skills of perspective taking, empathy and problem-solving helps children understand that their actions and words affect individuals as well as their entire community, encouraging them to rise up and act with civility in tough situations….By teaching skills like empathy, problem-solving and perspective taking, we can help nurture civility in our children.\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Melissa Benaroya, How to Teach Civility During Divisive Times<\/i>, Committee for Children<\/i>, February 24, 2017<\/span><\/p>\n

Snapshot 2<\/b><\/span>:\u00a0 <\/span>THE OTHER SIDE OF THE REPORT CARD<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201ccitizenship\u201d side of the report card should not take second place in the \u201crace to the top.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Why?\u00a0 <\/span>The Josephsen\u2019s Institute\u2019s annual poll of teens reveals a rather high percentage of teens who cheat, steal, lie, and exhibit a \u201cpropensity toward violence\u201d including bullying.\u00a0 <\/span>Teacher polls show that teachers find students to be less respectful, more aggressive, more impulsive and impatient, and display more inappropriate language.\u00a0 <\/span>One observer of the youth culture noted that the mantra of the \u201cME\u201d generations appears to be: \u201cI Know My Rights \u2013 I Want It Now \u2013 Someone Else Is To Blame \u2013 I\u2019m A Victim.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Let us join the many schools and communities in this county who are attending to the \u201ccitizenship\u201d side of the report card by implementing programs designed to teach students democratic values, prosocial skills, emotional control and anger management, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and what it means to be a good citizen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Snapshot 3<\/b><\/span>:\u00a0 <\/span>MORAL AND CHARACTER EDUCATION: THE CONNECTION<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCharacter education has reintroduced one important aspect of moral development\u2026namely, socialization\u2014helping the young learn how to live cooperatively, caringly, and civilly.\u201d (<\/i>Paraphrasing our colleague, Professor Kevin Ryan) <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Lickona and Davidson have made the case that there are two types of character\u2014\u201cmoral character\u201d<\/i> and \u201cperformance character.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 <\/span>They write: \u201cMoral character [values\/virtues and ethics] is necessary for successful interpersonal relationships and ethical behavior.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 <\/span>The characteristics of moral character encompass such virtues as integrity, caring, respect, generosity, responsibility, cooperation, and the like.\u00a0 <\/span>The companion to moral character is \u201cperformance character \u2013 a needed characteristic for reaching one\u2019s potential in school, the workplace, or any area of endeavor.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 <\/span>Performance virtues include diligence, perseverance, ingenuity, self -discipline, grit, optimism, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Snapshot 4<\/b><\/span>:<\/b><\/span><\/span> CHARACTER EDUCATION: THE TRUE COMMON CORE<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Attending to the character development of students in our schools supports academic achievement and social-emotional skill development. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCharacter and citizenship are the critical elements of a positive school culture and climate.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>-M. Elias, (2008)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCharacter education positively influences academic achievement; and has a broad impact on a wide variety of psycho-social outcomes, including sexual behavior, problem-solving skills, relationships, and attachment to school.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/i>Berkowitz and Bier (2005)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIntegrated character education resulted in an improved school environment, increased student pro-social and moral behavior, and increased reading and math test scores.\u00a0 <\/span>In addition, schools became more caring communities, discipline referrals dropped significantly\u2014particularly in areas related to bullying behavior\u2014and test scores in moderately achieving schools increased nearly 50%.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

-Marshall, Caldwell, and Foster (2011)<\/span><\/p>\n

Snapshot 5<\/b><\/span>:<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>CHARACTER EDUCATION: SIX STANDARDS<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Standard One: Mission-Core Values-Goals<\/span><\/p>\n