“Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Philippines has spent an extraordinary amount of money on improving the academics in the classroom, changing curriculums and so the teachers have been forced to teach content, content, and more content. But disrespect, irresponsibility, and other character flaws are the bane of today’s society. Children absorb these character flaws as if through osmosis, purely by looking at those around them. In the minds of many character education supporters, it’s time for a change. It’s time to focus on the study of Character Education. Integration of it to other subjects can really make a difference, because Character education emphasizes responsibility and respect, both of which are necessary for classroom success. After all, if students don’t take responsibility for their schoolwork or for handing in their homework on time, and if they are unable to act respectfully towards the teacher and towards other students, they will likely struggle to stay afloat in the classroom.
In addition, students in a character education program learn how to manage their own feelings and deal with them appropriately. That’s so important. Some kids come from difficult home environments. If they can’t deal with those feelings once they get to school, their learning is going to be limited, no matter how smart they are.
Not only does character education give students the tools to work well in the classroom environment, it can also give them the tools they will need to understand the actual content they are learning.
As a teacher, I agree with Martin Luther King Jr. and Perles assessments, we should not teach content of the subject alone but teach students about essential life skills and values.
We can only say that there is true education if there is a change not only to the students’ learning but also to their characters. Let them learn about Character Education so that they will succeed not only in classroom but also in life.
By: SALVACION F. DAGDAG | Teacher III | Mariveles National High School (Cabcaben) | Mariveles, Bataan
