Why Public Education Needs to Move Beyond ABC's and 123's.
August 2003
By: Danette Bettelyoun
Children growing up in the world today need to be taught the basic skills that will help them become more productive in society as they reach adulthood. By ignoring the need for character education in today's youth, we are as a society are doing a big disservice to the children and ourselves. If children are taught morals and values then they may not resort to violence and other destructive measures when faced with problems they must handle. "Statistics show a 94% increase from 1983 to 1993 of children and teens in the US who have died from gunfire." (Ikemoto) If those statistics don't scream Its Time For A Change, then the report by Christian Science Monitor stating "In 1993 more preschoolers than policeman or US Soldiers shot in the line of duty were killed by guns," (Ikemoto) should be enough incentive to make changes in ourselves and in our communities.
Children are not born with the knowledge they'll need to survive in this world. When parents fail to provide their children with the guidance and knowledge they'll need, then society needs to step in and ensure those children can acquire the skills and knowledge needed throughout their lifetime. Character Education means more than manners or what fork to use. It's about self-respect, empathy, compassion, trust, gratitude and respect for others. (Moral) As children reach school age they are faced with new problems and situations they have never experienced before. With the right tools and caring guidance these experiences don't have to be negative or end in the death of another child.
Values and proper behavior should be implemented in public schools from grade school through high school so children can focus on learning the curriculum. If there were a set of standards in place throughout the US and all public schools, then different cultures and beliefs would be able to coexist in a learning environment. Having respect for others is a noble quality that seems to diminish with each new generation of children. If a child knows what will not be tolerated in class and proceeds to act out the forbidden behavior, then he is removed from the classroom where he cannot cause any more disruptions. Discipline is about helping children achieve self control and correcting behaviors. A stable and happy adult would have experienced while growing up: encouragement, guidance, compliments, and instructions for life. (Appropriate Discipline: Setting Limits with Young Children)
Thomas Jefferson wrote that the need for education is "Too raise the mass of the people to the high ground of moral responsibility necessary for their own safety and orderly government." (Ryan) Children need to be taught many skills and values so they may take their place in the real world when they become adults. Being held accountable for listening in class, and doing required homework will instill needed discipline in them.
A set standard for classroom behavior would be stricter than what would be set for playground behavior but it would follow the same guidelines on how to treat each other and include accountability for their words and actions. Teaching sportsmanship shows that playing the game can be just as fun as winning the game. Teaching children to embrace what they face and make the best out of less than favorable situations will go a long way as they mature and grow.
Socrates stated, "The mission of education is to help people become both smart and good." (Ryan) With that in mind, being smart and good implies having the knowledge of what is expected and the sense to use it. Manners are a method by which we navigate through life. (Scruton) Whether we are eating in a restaurant or standing in a checkout line we utilize our manners. Manners include good listening and speaking skills whether face to face or over the telephone; they can be implemented in a classroom or in a lunchroom but they have to be taught. Manners are not something we are born with. They are taught to us as a tool that we can fine-tune for each occasion we find ourselves in.
When children have little control over their emotions or the proper resources on hand to implement solutions that will benefit them profoundly in the future, they resort to name calling, and picking on children smaller or less aggressive than them. These solutions that children acquire on their own do not go away. They carry these aggressions forward into their future and ultimately handle problems as adults in the same manner. This results in increased domestic violence, child abuse, alcohol consumption or wasting away in a sea of drugs. Some people receive help in the form of anger management workshops. I think its safe to say if adults in our society need to be taught how to handle anger and our other emotions that can send us spiraling out of control, then our children need to have the same anger management skills while they are still young enough to be able to utilize them in constructive ways.
When problems children are faced with are ignored, a much bigger problem is created in the long run. The business community especially has a huge stake in the character development of our children as future employees who possess positive character, moral and work ethics. (Dr. Lickona) We can base what's needed in public schools and in children's education by what works in the business world. Anymore it seems children are left up to their own devices and then expected to conform to some adult way of thinking magically at the age of 18. The past has shown this is not a method that is working out well.
No more can we as a society stand to the side and shake our heads at the shape of the world today and at the youth that will be responsible for maintaining this world as we get older and depart it. We need to take action now and give these children a fighting chance. We can lay the foundation for them and give them the tools and knowledge they need to approach situations in a mature, constructive, non-violent way.
Children will not respond to a lecture on what is expected of them; they need to be active participants in the shaping of their future. With that in mind, children need to appreciate the world they live in, take part in community activities that will foster a sense of pride and belonging in them. This can be done by keeping them in school and extra hour or two at the end of the school day to clean their school and prepare it for the next morning. This simple task could be implemented easily enough and could very well instill a sense of personal responsibility in our children. What would be the point of defacing the school with trash and graffiti, when they have to be the ones to clean it up later? Schools could take an active part in the time children spend away from school by organizing school wide community projects. Children would benefit from simple tasks like keeping area parks clear of litter and debris, visiting nursing homes and hospice care centers to lend their free time to someone who rarely gets visitors or volunteering time to area animal shelters to help care for and interact with the animals at the shelter.
If children are shown the needs of the world they may realize most are much bigger than them or their own existence. Then we might have begun to change the cycle that has plagued this world for so long. We might actually conquer crime before it starts, giving American children a honest start at a full enriching life. By establishing routines for children now while they are young we are preparing them for life as an adult When we fail to teach the children more than their ABC's and 123's, we fail to teach them everything they will need in order to survive in a world that requires so much energy and flexibility to survive.
As an ongoing addition to character education we need to provide the children with the information they will need to successfully take their place in the workplace with a job they'll love, doing something that fits their personality so that they may experience a rewarding existence. In addition, to addressing their job hunting, resume writing and interview skills, we need to address career counseling and job training workshops. Workshops will afford the children the opportunity to explore the cornucopia of occupations out there and give them a sense of what they enjoy doing so that they may acquire the knowledge and skills they need to attain the job of their dreams. If we have to go back to cooking our own dinner each night because we have raised generations of people too smart and ambitious to flip burgers at McDonald's, then I say we have done an outstanding job rearing our children.