Character education: How schools spark children’s passion to ‘do good’
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As parents, our children’s well-being and success are among our highest priorities, and, of course, the foundation for their success starts with developing their character.
But what does “character” actually mean? According to Thomas Lickona, a developmental psychologist and professor of education at the State University of New York at Cortland, character is defined as, “knowing the good, desiring the good, and doing the good.”
So how do children know to “do good?” Some people say this is intrinsic, but the majority of people believe this can also be learned, not only at home, but also at school.
One example of a school supporting children’s positive character development is Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (YCIS), where the school builds students’ character through its unique culture. Through the school’s customized Character Education Program, as well as co-curricular activities that focus on serving others, YCIS students know, desire, and do good for the school community and beyond.
Knowing the good
The most effective way to teach children about character is through real world examples and models. According to the Character Education Partnership from the US, “When teachers bring to the forefront the character dimension of the curriculum, they enhance the relevance of the subject matter for students’ natural interests … and in the process, they increase student engagement and achievement.”
At YCIS, character education is implemented into the core curriculum in Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary. By combining elements from leading models from the US and the UK, character education is a part of daily school life for students.
Jana van Zyl, Character Education coordinator at YCIS’s Hongqiao campus, explains, “Through our Character Education Program, the children are taught many different character qualities, such as compassion, creativity, and love. When teaching these qualities, we use practical examples and feature children from all over the world who have made a difference as real life examples.”
In addition to daily and weekly character education lessons in class, the school holds weekly assemblies for children to learn more about what character means, and how it can be applied in practical ways. Parents are also informed about the scope of these lessons and are provided with tips about how to further discuss and support this learning at home.
Desiring the good
In addition to building an understanding of what good character means, it’s also important that students have opportunities to translate these personal traits into actions that benefit others.
When schools are able to provide students with avenues to help others, these experiences help to cement positive behavior into children’s minds and hearts. For example, Kindergarten and Primary students at YCIS are recognized when they put lessons into action. Through YCIS’s “Helping Hands” program at the Hongqiao campus, students learn what it means to be responsible, respectful, positive, safe, and a leader.
Throughout the year, students work toward receiving “High Fives” in class for displaying a Helping Hands trait, frequently as a result of helping fellow classmates. High Fives earns students bronze, silver, and gold awards, and ultimately, students who earn gold awards attend a special “Golden Tea” with the campus co-principals, where they discuss together how they earned their “Helping Hands”.
Community service and charity also plays a big role in character development. Oftentimes, these experiences are grounding and give students perspective about how they can make a difference. YCIS provides numerous opportunities for students to get involved in charities on and off campus. Through the school’s Seeds of Hope (SOH) charity, students raise money through events such as concerts and carnival days to help build Primary schools for children in rural China. Beyond fundraising, students can voluntarily participate in school trips to visit and interact with the children whom they have helped.
Lorenzo, a Year 10 student at the Century Park campus, participated in a SOH trip this school year. He remarks, “The Seeds of Hope trip to Xiuning was one of the most remarkable school trips ever. This trip will remain with me for the rest of my life.”
Doing good
The ultimate goal of a strong character education program is inspiring students to act from within. At YCIS, many students create service projects from their own initiative, bringing good to campus. In one recent instance, Reiren, a Year 12 student at the Gubei campus, had been very active volunteering her translating services in Japanese and Chinese for a Japanese animal rescue group. Excited by the work she has done off campus, she is now planning an on-campus pet adoption day to take place in May.
At the Hongqiao campus, three Primary students acted on their own behalf this school year and held their own “fundraiser” in their compound, selling items they no longer needed. They then brought donated the money they raised to YCIS’s SOH charity.
When schools have a strong character education program, this can also guide students toward a vocation. Karyn, a Year 13 student at YCIS’s Century Park campus says, “The passion I have developed for charity at YCIS has helped me to decide to pursue Law at university because I want to be able to provide a voice for the disenfranchised and to be able to help people in need on a bigger scale. I hope that the passion for helping others that was cultivated during my time at YCIS will help spur me forward to finding more ways to help others.”
Children learn a great many things at school, but one of the most valuable lessons they can take away is an understanding of and appreciation for positive character values, helping to reinforce and enact the principles parents instill at home.
This knowledge and passion to “do good” helps provide these future leaders with the foundation necessary for personal success.
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