Character education by the book

Instructor, July-August, 1995 by Claudia Logan

Two teachers tell you how they use literature to explore universal values.

If someone were to ask you whether you include character education in your curriculum, you might pause before answering. But if you were asked whether you address issues of respect, honesty, loyalty, and tolerance with your students, your response would most likely be yes, as these are fundamental values that everyone can agree are essential for a classroom to flourish.

In this article you'll meet two teachers who saw the need to explore these basic values more explicitly in their teaching, and harnessed the power of literature and discussion to help their students grapple with difficult questions about friendship, courage, and fairness. One of these teachers, Jean Johnson, describes her move toward character education this way: "Given the mixed messages kids are getting from television and movies, and increasing social problems around us, you have to enter your classroom prepared to address big issues."

Through these teachers' stories, you'll gain useful strategies to help you explore character development in your classroom. You'll see that while one teacher developed her own program and another uses one created by a nonprofit organization, the essence of their approaches is strikingly similar.

BUILDING TRUST

At East Hills International Studies Academy, a public magnet school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reading/language arts teacher Penny Levy works with third and fourth graders using the Heartwood Program, a trade-book-based curriculum designed around seven universal values: courage, loyalty, justice, respect, hope, honesty and love (see page 78 for more information about the Heartwood Program).

From the first day of school, Penny wants her students to feel they can put themselves on the line during discussions. She creates an atmosphere of trust by spending a lot of time reading aloud, guiding book discussions, and modeling good listening.

Jean Johnson, who teaches first grade at the Advent School in Boston, selects books to address the same values as Penny does, though she doesn't use a structured program. She, too, wants her students to feel respected during discussions. She encourages them to preface their responses without putting down the speaker, such as, "I thought what you said about the girl and her grandmother was really interesting. I have something else to add" or "I see something different in this story."

GUIDING THE DISCUSSION

Penny sees her role as that of a neutral facilitator. Here is a glimpse of a discussion about Fire on the Mountain, the story of Alemayu, an Ethiopian shepherd boy who wins a bet with a rich man, but is cheated out of his prize.

"I think the rich man showed disrespect when he didn't believe Alemayu knew about fire, but Alemayu and his sister showed hope by believing they could get up the mountain," says one of Penny's third graders.

"I think Alemayu was honest when he was scared on the mountain, but he had the courage to get up there," says another.

As part of the Heartwood approach, the children are naming specific attributes they see in a character, using a vocabulary, they all share. This helps children identify behaviors in characters - and in life - that express these traits. In time, children apply what they've learned to their own choices.

CHARTING CONVERSATIONS

When Jean leads a discussion, she likes to use charts at certain points to frame children's comments and to build connections between literature and kids' lives. After discussing Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes and Brave Irene by William Steig, Jean invites students to list on a big chart all the things they have done that showed courage.

"I swung really high," says one girl, motioning with her hands.

"I climbed this really big fence near our house," adds a boy. Children added tree climbing, swimming in deep water, and taking a turn on a scary ride at a park. Then Jean switches direction. "Those are all situations where you were brave about something that you did that was physical," she says, running an index finger down the list. "Can you think of a situation at home or somewhere else where you were brave but where you didn't have to do something physical like climb a tree?"

Children mention not being afraid of the dark or meeting a dog for the first time. When their ideas fill the chart, Jean redirects her class to consider more "feeling situations" and asks the class if they could think of a time in which someone had to be brave with a person or a group.

A student mentions Tomie dePaola's Oliver Button Is a Sissy, a story about a boy who isn't afraid to play with dolls. Soon the children are comparing notes on whether boys and girls really can do all the same things. Jean lets the conversation flow.

"Girls can't luge race," said one boy.

"That's not true," responds one girl hotly. "Girls can luge race. But maybe not in the Olympics," she adds in an uncertain voice.

All eyes turn to Jean. She thinks a moment before saying,"One day the pipes in my house blew up and I had to call a plumber. Our regular plumber couldn't come, but he said he would send over a terrific plumber. When I answered the door there was a woman there. I had never met a female plumber before. At first I was surprised, but then I thought it was great." Jean pauses for emphasis, then adds, "Sometimes it's hard to believe something if we haven't seen it."