The Power and Promise of
Eductaing for Character
By
Deb Austin Brown
Character Education Teacher & Trainer, St.
Albans, WV
(Author of "Lessons From The Rocking Chair:
Timeless Stories for Teaching Character")
The Power of One! Never
underestimate the power of one caring
adult in the life of a child. That caring
and interest carries a child a long way in
developing a life of character. One year with a
teacher of character can act as a catalyst for
change in the life of any student. Remember, in
our soaring technological lives, the most
important element in teaching is still the
human element. And just as one
caring teacher can influence the life of a child,
so can one teacher who is committed to the
character message, influence the direction of a
school!
The Power of Potential! Using
the traits of good character as the focus for all
you do, help your students establish good
attitudes, habits, and work ethic that will
contribute to the development of his true
potential. I believe that there is greatness
in all children. A foundation of good character
habits will transcend the classroom to every area
of a child’s life. What a wonderful thing it
is when a child’s good work ethic
becomes his good life ethic!
The Power of Wisdom! I
was raised on wisdom, and I still remember
the stories and lessons that were part of
my own childhood. Each day in the classroom I
have my students repeat little axioms of wisdom
such as: "Don’t do what’s easy,
do what’s right!" We repeat them
when we are lining up for recess, when we are
washing our hands for lunch, and when we are
packing our bookbags at the end of the school
day. These character-building moments take no
time out of our daily schedules, yet are powerful
ways of helping students internalize the message.
By repeating the wisdom five or
six times each day, 180 days each school
year, my young students commit the
messages to memory. The repetition of these
lessons gives them a moral rope to hang on
to during the decision-times of childhood... and
beyond!
The Power of Metaphors! The
use of metaphors is powerful in helping children
to understand real-life character messages. One
of my favorites illustrates the working of
a good conscience: Your conscience is like a
little triangle in your heart. When you do bad
things, the triangle rotates and the corners hurt
you a lot. After many bad decisions, the corners
have worn off. When the triangles turns, it
doesn’t hurt anymore. Children can see the
power of that little triangle poking them back to
the reality of their actions…and the
devastating results when the warnings are
ignored!
The Power of Feeling! There
is nothing so powerful in reinforcing good
character as that feeling you get in your
heart from doing the right thing! Once
a student experiences the feeling, you know that
the message has been internalized. This
newly-found intrinsic motivation helps the child
go beyond learning the character message... to
actually living it!
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