In Search of Character Education

By David B. Wangaard, Ed.D.

Searching for character education in U.S. schools can be both challenging and rewarding. One fifth-grade teacher was recently observed facilitating an exemplary character-education lesson in her language-arts class. Her students were discussing the essays they completed after reading Romeo and Juliet. The students analyzed the character traits demonstrated by main actors in this famous Shakespeare play. After this analysis, the students went on to work in small teams to compose their own ending to the play with the goal of solving the actors’ dilemma and preserving life. They were deeply engaged in great literature and writing and reflecting about positive character. Discussing the inclusion of character within the lesson, the teacher commented: “We don’t integrate character into our academic program. We integrate academic lessons into our character program.”

Comprehensive approaches to teach character or virtue are not always this easily recognized. A practical requirement includes an appreciation for the importance of character, or as Dr. Thomas Lickona notes, “A love of the good.”

How is character, “the good,” or virtue defined and why should we should love it? Borrowing a definition from Ryan and Bohlin,¹ virtue is seen as a motivating force that enables us to do our work better and “serves as both a means and an end of human happiness.” Virtue and character thus define the behaviors that help individuals and communities live successfully.

Loving virtue and character as an end goal of public education is a radical reform concept for contemporary society. A love of the good would require us to go beyond the use of posters and rewards systems as the primary means to teach character. With virtue or positive character as an “end” goal, character education would supercede and assist in the goal of obtaining high-test scores in our schools.

The clear identification of character goals is a well-recognized principle that helps raise standards for students and schools. It is easy to identify schools that have selected character education as an end goal. These schools include character education prominently in their mission statement, curricular goals, and policies.

We are at a pivotal time in history for public education and the American culture. This dialogue is a call to action to recruit adults and students to create local networks for character education. Motivated by a love of the good, character-education networks would encourage broad integration of character goals into the life of schools and communities.

Northeast residents have a great opportunity to build their network on May 2 during Connecticut’s Assets-Based Character Education Conference. Register for Connecticut’s event (see ad in this newsletter) or other regional/national conferences (www.character.org)  to help advance a love of the good and positive character in schools across the country.

¹Ryan, K. & Bohlin, K. E. (1999). Building Character in Schools. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.