"Character Education"

Sarah Carr:

When her 5-year-old lost his winter hat, he somberly apologized to his mother, saying: "I know it's my responsibility." Without Lecus asking, her 7-year-old holds doors open for other people. And her fourth-grader has become a leader on the playground, helping other kids when they struggle or fall.

Lecus does not take all the credit. Instead, she cites a new character education program at Milwaukee's Whittier Elementary School, where her children attend. With the nudging of a parent, Whittier has started making a more conscious effort to teach students values such as honesty and responsibility.

In doing so, Whittier joined what Michael Swartz, superintendent of the Jefferson School District, west of Waukesha, calls a "national movement."

Motivated by a declining sense of values in a society in which people are more likely to curse and less likely to offer their seat on the bus, schools in Wisconsin and across the country are turning the teaching of character into a formal part of the curriculum.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at January 20, 2007 6:33 AM
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