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The Role of Public Schools in developing good citizens

There is a tendency among some to think in terms of schools are supposed to produce product. This product is defined as persons who possess knowledge and skills necessary to take their place in the economic and social order of things. In this thinking, schools are a kind of production organization that produces a product. Product quality is defined by "its" () the student's ability to perform certain pre-assigned tasks at specific levels of competence.

This unfortunate trend leads us to believe in schools as a kind of production organization that produces a product. Product quality is defined by "their" (the student) before their ability to perform certain tasks assigned to specific levels of competence.

Since we need a sufficient number of people with scientific skills, technology and business to maintain our competitiveness in the world, the logic that follows is the work of our educational system to produce individual (the product) that have the necessary skills to meet these staffing needs.

While competition in math, language, science, history, music, art, and other issues are highly desirable qualities are not the only ones, even the most important qualities of good citizenship.

Benjamin Franklin stated that the ability to govern the passions, despite the temptation, to be fair in their own relationships and temperate in their own pleasures, were the qualities of much real benefit to a person to be "master of all arts and sciences in the world besides.

We know how to teach languages, mathematics and other subjects. But how to teach children to govern their passions and be good neighbors and citizens? How do you teach to be fair in their dealings, to be moderate in their pleasures, to act cautiously in its affairs, and to keep themselves with strength in adversity?

How to teach these concepts in a public school? Where is the opportunity? How Where do you get the time or resources? How does character education in our curriculum in place?

Most important the quality of good citizenship, especially in a free society is the ability of responsible self-government. This means that not only should we teach young people the virtues as honesty, respect, and responsibility, but also temperance, self-control and self-sufficiency.

Good citizenship is more determined by the desires of our knowledge, let one of the ability of a character. But how can a teacher properly influence a child's wishes and help shape their character, without violating the concerns of parents or legal requirements for public schools? How can this be done within the constraints of time, resources and opportunities available to the teacher?

Benjamin Franklin replied to this question some two hundred and seventy-seven years ago. His response? Teaching to read the holy book of nature.

The following excerpt from Benjamin Franklin's the Art of Virtue provides valuable understanding of the importance of character based learning and the key to creating lessons based on the actual character.

In the summer of 1730 the Pennsylvania Gazette, published two dialogues written by Benjamin Franklin entitled Dialogues on Virtue and pleasure. The dialogue is a conversation between Horace, a lover of pleasure, and Philocles, a philosopher wise. In the first dialogue, Horatio admits that indiscriminate persecution Philocles your pleasure has caused a lot of problems. Philocles admiring freedom 'of Similar concerns, Horacio want to know your secret. Near the end of the conversation, explained Philocles Horacio:

Philocles: The head of the faculty in man is his reason, his highest good, or what may be justly called his good, is a reasonable action. By reasonable actions that we understand those actions which are of conservation of the human species, and naturally tend to produce real and unmixed happiness, and these actions, by way of distinction, we call morally good actions.

Horatio: You speak very clearly, Philocles, but that no difficulty can stay in my mind, please tell me what is the real difference between good and natural evil and moral good and evil.

Philocles: The difference is only in this: natural good and evil are pleasure and pain, moral good and evil are pleasure or pain produced with the intention and design, it is the only intention that makes the agent morally good or bad.

Horace: But can not a man with a very good intention to do something wrong?

Philocles: Yes, but then errs in its view, although the design is good. If the error is inevitable, or such like, all things considered, could not avoid, is not guilty, but if there was a lack of diligence in forming judgments about the nature of the actions human, immoral and guilty.

Horacio: I think, then, to please ourselves with reason, or to do good to others morally, we must be very care of our views.

Philocles: No more worries, so that real happiness or good of man is the right action, and action correct, can not occur without the right to view, it is necessary that we, above all else in this world, be careful that our own opinions of things, according the nature of things. The foundation of all virtue and happiness is thinking correctly. He who sees an action is right, that is, naturally, tends to good and not because of this trend, only a moral man, and he alone is capable of this constant, enduring and invariable good which has been the subject of this conversation.

Horatio: How, philosophical guide my dear, I will be able to know and determine without doubt what is right and wrong in life?

Philocles: as easy as distinguishing a circle of a square, or the light from darkness. Look, Horace, in the holy book of nature, reading, nature, and seeing the relationship than other men standing for you, and you to them, and you will immediately see what constitutes human happiness, and therefore what is right.

Four Points from the dialog above:

The true good of man consists in right action.

Right of action can not occur without the right to view

Law opinions are opinions that according to the nature of things, and the

Right view can not be obtained without right thinking

While there are those that can irritate the notion of "right opinion" or even "right thinking", especially when embraced by someone who has different opinions than themselves, is doubtful that anyone could argue that all opinions are equally valid or equally beneficial.

If we teach young people to form aa 'opinions right "we have to provide training and tools to help them learn how to" think properly ", which is helping them learn to think for themselves themselves. Therefore, an essential ingredient of learning-based nature is to help develop thinking skills necessary to look at the sacred book of nature and understand what they are seeing.

This is also a valuable clue in the preparation of lessons based on character. If we can make them understand the nature an act or thought, if your natural tendency is to enhance or harm the human condition, you are well on the way to help them make correct decisions.

Nothing could be more natural than to help young people learn to read the holy book of nature while teaching them that while teaching them about language and meaning of words, or while teaching science and the operations of nature or history and experiences of the human race, or mathematics in which they learn the principles of symmetry, structure and order.

The need exists, the opportunity is there and the only question that remains is, "Are we to the task? "Surely that is when we consider not only the future welfare of children to teach, but also the kind of world we leave them.

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To learn more about implementing character based learning strategies in teaching character education lessons visit about Character Based Learning and Teaching Character Education

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