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What Defines Character? Six Pillars & the Role of Education
- 1. What is character? Six Pillars of Character
- 2. Character is the defining qualification of the ruling class. Plato
- 3. Is Character Education the responsibility of the School System?
- 4. Moral instruction as important as academic instruction
- 5. • Began with Puritanical values • McGuffey Reader • The New England Primer
- 7. 19th Century
- 8. Horace Mann • Board of Education • Common school movement • Publically funded education
- 9. Schools were becoming more secular
- 11. John Dewey • Progressivism • Natural tendency toward justice & goodness • Reasoning of moral decisions
- 13. • World Wars • The Great Depression • Women in the workforce • Children returning to an empty house after school
- 15. 1960s
- 16. United States Crime Rates – 1960 to 2005 Year
- 18. Partnerships in Character Education Program passed by Congress in 1994
- 19. 2001
- 20. Who is responsible for teaching… Character Fairness Responsibility
Editor's Notes
- What is Character? The English word character comes from the Greek word charassein, which means “to engrave.” From that root evolved the meaning of character as a distinctive mark or sign, and from there grew our current idea of character as “an individual’s pattern of behavior…his moral constitution” (Ryan, 5).
- From the beginning of recorded history, societies in every culture have recognized the importance of building moral character. Character was considered an essential component to order and justice within public life. Plato, held up character as the defining qualification of the ruling class.
- How important is it then for character development to be part of today’s school curriculum? Should moral instruction be the responsibility of the schools? To answer these questions, we must first examine the history of character education in the American School System.
- Concern over character development is not new. For its first 300 years, the American School System was as concerned with moral instruction as it was with academic instruction. During the colonial period, obedience, honesty, industry and piety were at the root of education.
- In those days, religion played a large role in institutional instruction. Puritanical values were woven into school texts and lessons. Early textbooks like the McGuffey Reader and the New England Primer were full of Puritan values. Bible verses were commonly used to teach children to read.{Picture from The New England Primer}
- With the rise of the common school in the 18th century, more emphasis was placed on moral development as it was thought that good character was essential to a strong government and a healthy society. Although the task of moral instruction was primarily placed with parents and churches, schools were now expected to assist with the moral instruction of its youth. (Hunter 41)
- As the Common School System expanded in the early 19th century ideas about moral instruction began to shift away from family and churches. The duty of developing character became more of a secular issue for the state sponsored public schools where the vast majority of American children were now spending their day.
- In 1837, Horace Mann was appointed secretary of the newly created board of education in Massachusetts. This was a turning point for the American school system. Horace Mann was instrumental in the Common School Movement, and advocated that every child receive a publically funded education.
- Horace Mann was determined to create a system of effective, secular, universal education in the United States. He understood the need to integrate character development into the school day. He once said that moral education is a primal necessity and he believed that moral instruction and academic instruction were both essential elements of the school day.
- By the late 19th century, the Protestant values, once so prevalent in school curriculums, were beginning to fade. They were being replaced by values like industry, hard work, loyalty, thrift, self reliance and individualism. These lessons reflected the lifestyle of the emerging middle class.
- At the turn of the 20th century, Progressivism was taking the issue of character development in a different direction. Led by John Dewey, Progressive school reformers began to promote further changes in moral pedagogy. Dewey believed that children possessed a natural tendency toward goodness and he called upon schools to teach children to reason about moral decisions.
- The Progressive movement reinvigorated the commitment to moral education in schools. During this period, programs for character education and citizenship training became common in classrooms all across the nation. However….America was about to face some of it’s biggest challenges.
- At the startof the 20th century, the United States was involved in two World Wars. These wars along with the depression affected American viewpoints in several areas. The growing need for industry along with the desire for additional household income created a new tolerance for women in the workforce. Children were now returning to empty homes after school.
- By the 1950’s, the American school system had several other matters upon which to focus. Integration had become a major issue. The Russians winning the race into space also caused a shift in instructional philosophy. Character development was now taking a back seat to the more pressing issues of the day.
- The 60s brought new challenges for the public school system. The assassination of President Kennedy, the Vietnam War and the sexual revolution were all events that dramatically reshaped American culture. Americans felt disillusioned and no longer trusted the government.Our value system was changing.The educational system was changing too.
- With this shift in social values, crime began to rise. From 1960 through the early 1990s crime rates in the United States rose dramatically. The public became concerned over the apparent moral decline. During the 1980s proponents of traditional and progressive education began a dialogue on the importance of character.
- This reemergence of character education has led to the creation of several organizations focused on bringing moral instruction back into the classroom. The Character Counts coalition, the Character Education Partnership and the Institute for Excellence & Ethics all sprang up in the early 1990s.
- Recognizing the importance of character development, Congress authorized the Partnerships in Character Education Program in 1994. This program provides grant money to states which incorporate character development programs into their curriculum. Moral instruction was now reentering the classroom.
- The United States Government again acknowledged the need for moral instruction in the classroom in 2001 when it expanded its support for character development through the No Child Left Behind Act. In fact, the Department of Education has explicitly stated that promoting strong character and citizenship among the nation's youth is one of its primary goals.
- Throughout history it has been thought that individual character is critical to a healthy society. So who is responsible for instilling good character in our youth? In this busy, secular world, who should take the lead in this essential task? Should the responsibility of character education fall to the schools?