| Character Education: Whose Job Is It? While | | | | incorporate elements of character education through |
| elementary and middle school teachers often work | | | | their regular curriculum. Character education can |
| with students on critical but non-academic issues of | | | | contribute to a psychologically healthy classroom |
| Character and Values education, such as getting along, | | | | environment as well as increased achievement among |
| behaving appropriately, being respectful, honesty, | | | | students. It can also set the stage for mutual respect in |
| cooperating, and so forth, high school teachers have a | | | | the classroom. This respect can reduce the amount of |
| tendency not to work on these issues. | | | | time usually spent on disciplinary issues, and focus the |
| According to Dr. Andrew Milson in the Journal of | | | | class time back on learning the curriculum. |
| Research in Character Education (Vol. 1, Number | | | | When teachers get practical information on how to |
| 2,2003), many elementary school teachers feel that | | | | incorporate character education into what they already |
| values and character based teaching should be | | | | do, they can become more confident about following |
| combined along with subject-oriented teaching and | | | | through and reaping the benefits of character |
| learning. High school teachers on the other hand, tend | | | | education. |
| not to have a strong sense of self-efficacy in relation | | | | Hal Urban, a successful teacher in a multiethnic public |
| to teaching character education. They often feel that | | | | school for 35 years shares the importance of |
| they don't know how to "do" character education and | | | | character education at home and in the classroom. He |
| if they did try it, they feel they probably would not | | | | begins his presentation by quoting Dr. Martin Luther |
| have a real impact on their students. | | | | King, Jr. "Intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus |
| Milson (2003) cites studies which indicate that high | | | | character - that is the goal of true education." |
| school teachers who have only had character | | | | Urban states, "The best news of all is that we now |
| education pedagogy during their pre-service training, or | | | | have solid research to prove that schools with an |
| who only have university-delivered character education | | | | effective character education program promote higher |
| training, feel less confident about being able to teach | | | | academic standards. Yes, this even means higher |
| character development. In contrast, teachers who | | | | scores on standardized tests. The reason is simple: an |
| have attended conferences or had staff development | | | | environment of mutual respect results in a better place |
| sessions on character education express a greater | | | | for teachers to teach and a better place for students |
| sense of confidence about being able to teach these | | | | to learn." |
| critical skills to their students. | | | | Utilizing an integrated character education program that |
| It makes sense, then, that schools and districts attempt | | | | emphasizes modeling and incorporating character |
| to provide sessions on character education in the form | | | | education throughout the day is the best way to teach |
| of staff development, in particular focusing on | | | | the students the value of character. Just as important |
| strategies and programs that address issues that | | | | is a support system for teachers that included staff |
| teachers are currently experiencing in their classrooms, | | | | development training and sessions that focus on |
| rather than theory or abstract ideas. | | | | specific implementation strategies, demonstrating how |
| Teachers can also benefit from learning how to | | | | character traits can be integrated into the curriculum. |