Felicia Respucia
Character Counts in Education
I. Building character and cultivating values in our youth demands teaching these principals to the youths that flood public classrooms. Public schools can incorporate ethics and values in subjects such as reading in language arts, history, and science. It is important for public schools to incorporate character education as a part of the curriculum and standards of our education system.
II. Abstract. The focus of this research is character education. This research paper will define character education, discuss the statistics that support its proposed implementation in public schools, the consequences of teaching ethics in public schools, and the ethics curriculum, provide example lesson plans, and solutions to opposing views.
III. Definition. Character education goes further according to Character Education Partnership [CEP], (2008), which has defined character education as caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect for self and others–along with supportive performance values such as diligence, a strong worth ethic, and perseverance form the basis of good character.
IV. The statistics about the youth of the United States of America and the CNMI are alarming. The violence among teenagers is increasing along with teenage substances abuse, sexual promiscuity, and crime.
V. When students learn diversity, tolerance, and anger-management there is significant decrease in violence in youths. An independent evaluation of the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, found that of those participating in the program, 64 percent of teachers reported less physical violence and 75 percent reported an increase in student cooperation.
VI. Lesson plans can be as simple as asking children to compose illustrated stories on character counts.
VII. Many individuals oppose character education on the premise that teacher would inflict their religious view or ideology on students.
VIII. Character education philosophy is...