Summary
of ABC’s of Character
From "A is for Attentiveness" to "Z is for
Zeal," ABC’s of Character is a beautifully illustrated
book of amusing, whimsical poetry that people of all ages will enjoy
reading. Learning about character with a trip through the alphabet
takes on a new meaning as each letter represents a virtue that is
defined, illustrated, and applied to everyday situations. Classic
examples of character traits such as bravery, forgiveness, kindness,
and perseverance show the value of having these qualities in our
lives.
-The very values that are the glue holding society together are
being eroded. Tremendous decline last 30 years. Accelerated last
10 years.
-Busy schedules, changing home and family roles, waning of traditional
institutions (e.g. Sunday school), and poor modeling converge to
weaken the foundation upon which solid character is built for a
lifetime.
-Lack of moral ethics has led to Columbine, corporate corruption,
shoplifting actors, abusive athletes, rising gang membership, etc.
-Children are encouraged to adopt an adult culture at an ever-increasing
younger age and the window of positive influence (pre-K through
elementary) shrinks rapidly.
-Parents know that positive values and character traits are critical
to their child’s development, but they cannot find the tools to
develop these in their own kids.
-Children have expanding accessibility to negative messages through
the Internet, TV, music, etc. According to USA Today, October 30,
2002, 73% of parents are concerned about negative messages in the
media. A full 90% of parents think TV messages are getting worse
for kids.
-Parents think they are doing an inadequate job of teaching values
to their children – USA Today October 30, 2002. |
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-A 2001 State of Families Project (Family Service,
Omaha, Nebraska, 2001) reports that one of the greatest problems
facing families today is the stress of all members of the family
being overscheduled, with no time for each other.
-Character education is an issue because many
youngsters in the schools show by their behavior that they have
not learned basic values that govern the relationships of people
in all societies. Why have they not learned such values? The most
often cited explanation is weakness in the family structure today.
Parents should be first teachers and models of such values, but
some are not.
-The number of students cheating in high schools has risen from
61% in 1992 to 74% ten years later. (USA Today, November 20, 2002
quoting a study from the Josephson Institute of Ethics)
-In California, the California Safe School Assessment Project
reports that 88% of crimes against students are committed by other
students.
-More than one in three students say they do not feel safe at
school. *
-43% of high school and 37% of middle school boys believe it is
okay to hit or threaten a person who makes them angry. Nearly
one in five of the girls agree. *
-69% of high school and 27% of middle school boys said they could
get drugs if they wanted to.*
*Josephson Institute of Ethics. “The Ethics of American Youth:
Violence and Substance Abuse: Press Release”. |
