“Intelligence plus character. That is the goal of true education.”
Martin Luther King
Characters for a Better World
This blog focuses on the importance of character/virtues and value-based education as the first and most critical pillar of the Theory of Change for a Better World. As the title says, it’s about educating the characters we need. Good societies need good people, but what is good? I’ll begin with a brief discussion about why character and values-based education is important, and why developing it is the key building block for a better world. There has been and continues to be outstanding work being done by organizations focused on Character education. I will mention a few of these, but you will find a complete list in my Resource Library.
My focus will be on the importance character plays in creating a better world. Our Theory of Change starts with the end in mind (i.e. a world without war, oppression, exclusion, poverty, and a sustainable and thriving environment). Solving these will take a world community of caring and trusting people. People with strong morals, character, who strive to be virtuous are the ‘characters we need.’
Developing character is a foundational component of a just world. It becomes the basis for who we as a world community choose to be, how we choose to act, and how we develop going forward. Placing a high value on character will have a broad impact on so many other aspect of our world. Hence, I will continually draw connections to Character education in relation to our utopia and the interrelationship between each of the four pillars:
- Character and Values
- Holistic and Lifelong Learning
- Local and Global Citizenship
- Shared and Servant Leadership
Character Education has had a Long and Interesting History
Character education has had a long and interesting journey historically. In Western philosophy, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle devoted much attention to virtues and moral character. This, of course, had a large influence on the development of western philosophy and subsequently western education. It has been a topic that has been debated and discussed for centuries and will continue to be debated and discussed. I think what is most important to take away from the substantial attention this has been given is the important role good character plays in our world, and as pointed out in a previous blog Good People, Better World, it is fundamental to creating a better world. Character education is indeed the most important pillar because without people focused on what is good and right, we lose our direction. More so, the moral compass we each have needs to be developed as I will point out, throughout life. This becomes especially important as our world shrinks, and we become increasingly connected as one global community.
Of late, character education/virtue education is getting a more attention. Is this a reaction to what has recently happened in the world, and the example of some of the deplorable characters we have experienced at the highest levels on society of late? The last few years, especially in the period of COVID pandemic has brought out the best and worst in many ways, but our moral compass always points us in the right direction, and the education community is usually at the center of leading the way.
In writing this, I researched the organizations and efforts that promote character education. I was pleased to see so many organizations that focus on character education. In addition, the number of universities that offer some form of character education program was impressive. I’ve included many in my Recourse Library. Those of you who are interested in this topic and believe in its importance will likely share my pleasure in the amount of work that is being done.
Holistic Learning and Character Education
Character education works best when integrated as part of a holistic education program which addresses, the cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of learning. Infusing character into a holistic program means that the learner is faced with a comprehensive set of circumstances and situations where they can develop completely. In our increasingly complex world, acting ethically, doing what is right and good, is something we are faced with on multiple fronts. The development of the whole person grounded through an education that incorporates values, ethics, an understanding of virtues and strong character will help our children navigate with a moral compass pointed in the right direction.
Character Education throughout Life
It’s good news that there is growing attention toward including character and values education in our schools and universities. This will have a major impact on the development of these young people, and let’s not forget the impact it has on their teachers and parents as well. They too play a critical role in creating a better world.
We will no doubt argue about the best methodology and best traits to focus on, but what is more important is that we agree it is needed. This is where I would like to see the biggest step forward because if only a small percentage of schools and universities around the world make character education a key part of their curriculum, we’ll still be left with millions of young people growing up without any type of learning about good character and virtues. Hence, there needs to be a much broader recognition and subsequent implementation of character education throughout the learning community. If we can achieve that, then we will have put in place something that will have at least assured us that we’ve put our young people on the right path.
BUT THEN WHAT?
On the one hand, it is very encouraging that character education is getting the attention within the primary, secondary and tertiary education community. However, it is very disappointing that there is little attention, if any, beyond this point. Do we assume that the character education one receives in schools will carry us through life? Certainly, it is important to have that foundation, but it’s not enough. It needs to be reinforced throughout life and in our daily lives. It is rarely discussed, on how we provide character education beyond our school days. What that means is that we assume that if we provide character education through college, this will assure us that these individuals will act with good character the rest of their lives. I think we know that this is not the case, and unfortunately there are so many cases that prove this point.
So, one of the biggest challenges we have in front of us is how do we keep our “character” skills sharp. I would challenge you to do a search on adult character education. Unless you’re a teacher, you will be largely out of luck.
The Business of Developing Character
Places that can impact adult learning in Character Education are businesses. There is absolutely no question that many businesses themselves need to do some self-reflection in this area, and with that they can be training employees on what it means to do the good and right thing. Of course, it goes well beyond training, education, and human resource brochures. Modeling, or what used to be called, “walk the talk,” is crucial.
As we look along the continuum of lifelong learning, businesses and the working world at large are in an outstanding position to contribute to our learning journey, and a focus on character within all organizations would go a long way in building a culture around good character. And let’s not forget that most of these employees go home to children, families and friends. The potential character support system that could evolve is something to seriously consider.
Beyond business, there is a massive gap for adult character education. Is there simply no demand or no interest from adults? I don’t think that’s the case. Of course, there are books one can read, but more formal training would allow a person to discuss, practice and delve even deeper into a field that has been around since Aristotle and the like.
It’s clear that learning, throughout life, needs to be infused with Character Education. All the knowledge in the world can be made better if guided by principles such as honesty, integrity, and respect. As Character.org put it “Character is goodness-in-action.” Taking all that we learn, cognitively, socially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically and instilling it with virtue is a primary part of creating a better world . . . for all.
CONCLUSION
Our journey along the 4 Pillars of our Theory of Change takes its first and most important step with taking good character and incorporating it into the learning process which is holistic and lifelong. If we begin with an acknowledgement of the importance of Character Education for each person, and embed that in our learning throughout life, we can then assure ourselves that we are developing citizens and leaders for a better world.
In my next blog, I will continue the focus on Character Education and the Characters we Need and discuss how this relates to the next pillars: Citizenship and Leadership. For now, just imagine a world of citizens and leaders who value and exhibit good character. A utopia you’re thinking, right? Absolutely, and it can happen. We just need more people like you and me.