Good character is learned. It is nurtured through meaningful activities led by role models such as parents, community leaders, and teachers. Your role as an educator requires many things from you. One, in particular, character building, has the power to transform your students in a truly meaningful way.
Here are ways to start building good character in the classroom:
- Introduce the pillars of good character in the activities you choose and the way things are run in class and school. According to the Josephson Institute of Ethics, areas of emphasis should include trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, caring, fairness, and citizenship. Other good character traits to explore include courage, diligence, and integrity.
- Be a great role model. Children model the behavior they see exhibited by the people they look up to and spend the most time with. As their teacher, you have the power to instill seeds of greatness in them. Take the time to consider the actions you take and the words that you speak. Everything you do carries considerable weight in how it shapes the character of your students.
- Make respect a priority. No matter how much people disagree, make it know that being respectful is the only acceptable way to do so. By emphasizing respect for one’s self, parents, classmates, teachers, and community officials, children see the direct correlation between respectful behavior and positive outcomes.
- Volunteer as a class. Offer to pitch in as a class. Organize a volunteer effort that involves your students. It could be something as easy as walking shelter dogs or picking up trash at the park. Whatever you decide to do so, make sure to thank your students for being part of the solution and making a difference.
You can encourage your students to be the very best they can be with the activities you choose for them to engage in during classroom hours. Keep the information listed above in mind when creating your curriculum. There are many ways to help students become good citizens. Your guidance has a lasting impression on them as they get older and are faced with different challenges in adulthood.
