0.1 Character education: a critical analysis; robert tatman, stacey  (Page 13/16)

Berreth and Scherer (1993) noted that for students to be effective and moral persons, the one psychological trait a person needs is self-control – the ability to control their impulses. “A moral person is somebody who, when he or she feels an impulse, can defer responding long enough to pass judgment about the appropriateness of that action” (p. 14). Berreth et al. (1993) included Amitai Etzioni’s quote that, “Education is character formation” (p. 14).

Elkind and Sweet (2004) suggested the following general goals for any character education program: (a) Structure a coherent and comprehensive character education effort; (b) Engage students in activities that make them think critically about moral and ethical questions; (c) Inspire students to become committed to moral and ethical actions; and, Give students ample opportunities to practice moral and ethical behavior (p. 17). Another goal of school character education programs is to make students good citizens. For Rivers (2004), “Character education is citizen education” (p. 258). The goal of such education is global in nature where citizenship virtues are applied to all aspects of civic and national life. Noting that Benjamin Franklin understood the American Revolution as an “opportunity to apply virtue to politics” (Rivers, 2004, p. 258), Rivers (2004) claimed that, “This is also the view in the later tradition of John Dewey and other American pragmatists who saw democracy as more than just a container for competing interests, but as a means for the general improvement of mankind” (Rivers, 2004, p. 258).

According to Elias (2006), parents and communities want young people to be fully literate, understand mathematics and science, possess problem-solving abilities, take responsibility for their personal health and well-being, develop effective social relationships, be caring individuals, understand how their society works, and develop good character and make sound moral decisions. Referring to these goals in a collective sense as the education of the whole child, Elias (2006) noted that children need all of these elements in balance, and, “Since balance is necessary, efforts that elevate some factors at the expense of others are doomed to failure” (p. 5).

Goals for faculty

Reetz and Jacobs (1999) found that, “the most frequently mentioned form of instruction regarding moral and character education among faculty was through modeling” (p. 211). As the primary agent responsible for the managerial oversight of teaching faculty, one goal building-level principals should possess is the awareness of the skill level and degree of motivation their current faculty or faculty recruits have in the character education area. In order to aid school administrators:

Teacher preparation programs need to make sure their students have opportunities to form and reflect on their own values and are well-equipped to work with their own students to help them form the character and morals they need to be contributing members of the world community. (Reetz&Jacobs, 1999, p. 212)