It’s Not Just about Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic

 

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind federal law, schools have considered reading, writing, and arithmetic as their primary focus.  Students’ performances based on test scores are how our schools are compared and rated.  However, while reading the USA TODAY’s article concerning what schools can do, I'm reminded that our job is to educate the whole child.  This article indicated that school is about life, citizenship, and the value of being a good person.  Many school mission statements have very similar wording.  So, while it is

important for us to focus on the core areas of academics, the following broad principles for comprehensive and effective character education curriculum should be considered in any well-rounded curriculum:

 

· Promote core ethical values as the basis of good character;

· Define character comprehensively to include thinking, feeling and behavior;

· Use a comprehensive, intentional, proactive, and effective approach;

· Create a caring school community;

· Provide students with opportunities to engage in learning values;

· Provide a meaningful and challenging curriculum that helps ALL students to       

      succeed;

· Foster students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and to be good people;

· Engage school staff as professionals in a learning and moral community;

· Foster shared moral leadership and long-term support for character education;

· Engage families and community members as partners in character education;

· Evaluate the character of the school, its staff, and its students to inform the character

      education effort.

 

YES, we need to remember these are important elements of our total curriculum.  Each teacher is challenged to integrate these principles into the core academic curriculum.  The ultimate test of how high we rate is in the performance of our future generations.