Running head: CREATING THE NEXT MENACE TO SOCIETY

Disregarding Character Education: Are We Creating the Next Menace to Society?
Amy M. Parsons Rasmussen
Grand Canyon University: EDU-310
October 1, 2011

President Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying, “To educate a man in the mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” Historically moral or character education happened primarily in the home with reinforcement from the church and schools. Character education in schools appears to have fallen by the wayside due largely in attempts to respect parental rights and emphasis being solely on the success on state mandated testing. Some question whether teachers today should even be involved in the character education of their students. However, to share only knowledge without any context or structure of how one should use it is not only a disservice to the student but to society as a whole. Some would argue that by taking religion out of our public schools we have also taken away the foundation for any sort of morality or character lessons. The separation of church and state is often used to imply that religion has no place in any government sponsored endeavor. The separation of church and state is not to abolish religion or morals in schools. It is simply there to make sure no one is forced to participate or be a part of a religious celebration or practice that is not of their choosing. In an effort to protect every individual’s freedom of religion, teachers and administration are forbidden to “propagate or to endorse in any way the concepts of dogmas associated with any specific religion or belief system” (Larue, n.d.) This does not disallow any student sponsored event or club. Nor does it keep individual students from expressing their views or beliefs. Where ever there are people of religious faith, you will find religion, even in our schools.
We are constantly hearing about the problems schools are facing today. Low test scores, students who cannot read at grade level, discipline, and safety issues are just a few. Teachers are dealing with a lot more in their classrooms than the task of teaching the required curriculum. Recent studies have shown that students are struggling academically due to more than a lack of effort or educational resources. One of the biggest factors is the school environment being, “tense, demanding without being supportive, myopically focused on isolated academic tasks with rare looks at the big picture or personal relevance, and all too rarely appreciative of students’ work or strengths” (Elias, DeFini, & Bergmann, 2010).
Efforts from schools to provide programs that focus on substance abuse prevention, anti-bullying, social-emotional learning, and character education have been associated with “improved school climates, increased academic achievement, and improved human relations” ( Stiff-Williams, 2010). In some schools there has even been an increase is test scores as much as 27 points (Bama & Brott, 2011). It is not enough to simply have these programs though. There needs to be overall attitude within the school from the administration down to the custodial staff that recognizes and promotes the behavior and character traits these programs endorse. Getting parents and the community involved is also essential to the success of any type of character education (Elias, et al. 2010). Allowing parents to see the yearlong goals of the school, as well as the positive recognition from the staff and community helps them to feel involved, and can side step parental concern about the purpose of these lessons and their place in a public school.
The purpose of incorporating character building lessons into the already crammed school day is to give the students a foundation of society’s expectations. The goal of any school is to produce well rounded adults to will leave their institution and thrive. Putting an emphasis back on character education will “give our young people a better chance to grow into adults who will lead productive lives and become contributors to society, rather than a drag or an endangerment” (Stiff-Williams, 2010). We as a society owe it to ourselves to give our children the tools to not only succeed in college and business, but also as people of worth and value. People no longer a menace to society, but an indispensible asset.

References
Barna, J., & Brott, P.. (2011). How Important is Personal/Social Development to Academic Achievement? The Elementary School Counselor's Perspective. Professional School Counseling, 14(3), 242-249. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from Career and Technical Education. (Document ID: 2266726571).
Elias, M., DeFini, J., & Bergmann, J.. (2010). Coordinating Social-Emotional and Character Development (SECD) Initiatives Improves School Climate and Student Learning. Middle School Journal, 42(1), 30-37. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 2174506391).
Larue, G. (n.d). Separation of Church and State: A Most Important Decision. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from, http://www.teachingaboutreligion.org/WhitePapers/ separation_church_state.htm
Stiff-Williams, H.. (2010). Widening the Lens to Teach Character Education Alongside Standards Curriculum. The Clearing House, 83(4), 115-120. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 2076353221).