Values, Character, and Composition- Davis1

VALUES, CHARACTER, AND COMPOSITION- DAVIS1

Teaching Values and Character through Composition

Deborah Davis

Liberty University

Abstract

“Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7, King James Version). In the classroom, educators face the routine challenge of dealing with humanity. In the secondary school classroom, the troubles of home and society are pushing in on the students while their raging hormones are pushing out for expression. Every classroom is teaching character; every educator is teaching values. One example is within the English composition classroom. A simple five-paragraph essay with a research component can teach honor, courage, and commitment.

Keywords: Teaching Character; Curriculum; Values Education

Teaching Values and Character through Composition

Over the centuries, many young men and women learned that the term “maggot” was an endearment used as a disciplinary tool. Progression from “maggot” to “scum” was progress and that progress was earned through push-up after push-up. In the classroom of today’s adolescents, the critical values of honor, courage, and commitment are desperately needed, yet educators must teach them without the benefit of calling names, forcing push-ups, or getting in the face of that young person. More is the pity perhaps.

Values Education

Back in the day, the McGuffey readers taught values along with letters. Students learned not only Reading, Writing, and ‘Rithmetic” but Respect. . .“virtues as honesty, generosity, thrift, hard work, courage, patriotism, reverence, and respect” (Smagorinsky, Boggs, Jakubiak, & Wilson, 2010, p. 3). Somewhere along the way, the American school system determined that these values did not recognize and appreciate the individuality of the students. Consequently, they were pushed aside. However, the social consequences of those actions are seen in places like Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland. Places where respect takes a back seat to gang mentality and the sweeping anger of a people who have lost their footing. Perhaps they need more push-ups. Perhaps not. Still, “Education in character development continues to be the pivotal point in the repairing of one aspect of our society” (Brown, 2013, p. 80).

Terms

Honor, courage, and commitment are key. These three terms are foundational for an upright and moral lifestyle. They need to be taught, learned, and internalized.

The Oxford English Dictionary (2015) says “Honor” is “Quality of character entitling a person to great respect; nobility of mind or spirit; honourableness, uprightness; a fine sense of, and strict adherence to, what is considered to be morally right or just.” The determination of what is “morally right” may be a bit amorphous, but even those who are not of the Judeo-Christian heritage will generally acknowledge the Ten Commandments as a good starting point.

“Courage” is “That quality of mind which shows itself in facing danger without fear or shrinking; bravery, boldness, valour.” Courage is not hubris. It is not the fearless actions of one who knows no fear. Courage is facing fear and moving forward. It can be overcoming phobia, reaching beyond the comfort zone, or pushing through physical or emotional or social pain. It is the ability to do the right thing when those around are doing wrong. One may be reminded that a surfer must turn his back to the wave to be lifted beyond the deep, and so a person must sometimes turn his back to the wave of human action to be lifted beyond the depths of deprivation. It is not easy. It is not meant to be easy.

“Commitment” is “An absolute moral choice of a course of action; hence, the state of being involved in political or social questions, or in furthering a particular doctrine or cause, esp. in one's literary or artistic expression; moral seriousness or social responsibility in artistic productions.” The social norm of today’s American society is more towards tolerance than toward absolutism. Standing firm and moving in a positive direction requires responsibility. It can be commitment toward a personal goal or to a societal goal, but it requires firmness. Something much of today’s youth is sorely lacking.

Assignment

Moore (2012) purports, “it is critical to establish the expectations and rules for proper classroom behavior” (p. 144). The assignment should aid in that in every aspect. A typical high school English composition course should have an assignment that resonates the following requirements. Using a minimum of three scholarly references, compile a minimum of five paragraphs that explore an approved topic of social interest about which reasonable people may differ. The paper should be in a current format of either the Modern Language Association (MLA), or the American Psychiatric Association (APA). During the next nine weeks, the following interim assignments are scheduled: approval of topic and thesis, research notes, outline, rough draft-one, rough draft-two, final draft. Due dates will be given for each assignment along with more specific elements. There will be no grace for lateness. Late assignments will receive a grade of zero for that portion of the assignment.

Unfortunately, far too few students are given such an assignment, and fewer still are held to the set standards for appropriate grammar and composition. Many students graduate high school without knowing how to complete an assignments such as this, and consequently fail at their collegiate level assignments. Students need to have honor in themselves and their products. They need the courage to step into greater challenges. It takes commitment to succeed in the classroom and outside.

Honor

“On my honor, I will do my best . . .” begins the Oath of the Boy Scouts of America. Youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and others, place a premium on honor. Schools have adopted “honor code” statements within the context of their handbooks. Yet, American society seems to place a higher premium on being tolerant than being morally right or just. Within the writing of a simple research paper, the value of honor is conveyed largely through the importance of an understanding of plagiarism. Any work – thought, construct, or words, that is derived from another’s specific work needs to be accordingly accredited.

Kavaldo (2010) advises educators that “academic honesty must be inextricable from coursework, not some kind of addendum to it” (p. 59). Whether it is called honor or integrity, this value of truthful representation is critical to students learning process as they, hopefully, mature into ethical adults. Within the assignment, three reasons for repeated documentation are given: 1) to locate resources for further study; 2) to direct the reader to further information on the topic; and 3) to provide evidence of careful research and proof or original work. The research notes facet allows the educator to review the sources and documentation of the student’s search. This phase also allows for specific education as to citation methods and directs students back to their sources.

Courage

May and Luth (2011) posit that “Ethical conduct is the hallmark of excellence” (p. 2011). While their work revolves around engineering and science study, this simple truth should infuse all academia. It is hard to do the right thing – it is even harder in the secondary school environment. The influence of peers and parents can be overwhelming to the adolescent. Further, “individuals often face aversive consequences if they choose to act in a positive moral manner to correct an injustice or an unethical action” (May & Luth, 2011, p. 551). In the writing assignment, the requirement to find a topic of social interest about which reasonable people may differ can be staggering. It is too broad and students tend to fall into the category of wanting a safe topic within their own knowledge base, or of having the desire to review so many topics that the choice itself is overwhelming.

The wise teacher will encourage students to challenge themselves. Students should pick a topic that they either do not know well and desire to learn, or that they have strong feelings about and are willing to argue against. The courage to address a topic of unknown realms can be daunting. Students today are overwhelmed by input. Kovaldo (2010) talks about the days before Google could provide every answer within seconds. It was harder to research– harder to plagiarize. For some reason, these difficulties made it easier to have academic integrity. When students learn to have the courage of academic integrity in the classroom, it will “foster professional integrity in their work” (May & Luth, 2011, p. 566). “Students must engage in discussing controversial issues in the social studies classroom to develop the skills—critical thinking, acquiring knowledge about controversial public issues, and articulating views without insulting others” (Moore, 2012, p. 145). To do so takes courage.

Commitment

“Timely feedback is as essential to learning as it is to providing learner-valued interactions” (Ley & Gannon-Cook, 2014, p. 27). Students will not value their own work if teachers do not value it. If we, as educators, expect students to make the needed commitment to provide timely assignments, we must make the needed commitment to give prompt and thorough feedback. This model of timeliness is a crucial element of commitment. In the given assignment, students are clearly advised that “there will be no grace for lateness.” Students are expected to commit themselves to the task. “The expectations of instructors and students shape the learning environment” (Zimmerman, Schmidt, Becker, Peterson, Nyland, & Surdick, 2014, p. 3).

Certainly the movie Stand and Deliver was not the first place with the statement “students will rise to the level of expectations” but there is much truth in that statement. By establishing strict guidelines and requirements for students, with broad areas and options in other aspects of the assignments, student learn to discipline themselves and make the commitment to provide the highest standard of work. Whether to schoolwork, to commercial work, to relationships, or to their faith, commitment is a value that our your desperately need.

Conclusion

Honor – worthy of praise – rid of baser instincts – it is a value to strive towards for it provides a clean slate on which the Lord may write. “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use,andprepared unto every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21, King James Version). The clean slate can be written upon with the Master’s hand, and through the direction given, the student will find courage. Upon learning of the Lord’s great power in freeing the Israelites from Pharoah, Rahab comments, “And as soon as we had heardthese things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, heisGod in heaven above, and in earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). Courage comes from the sure and certain knowledge that the Lord God is God. That is something on which our students can firmly stand as the commit themselves to the goal. We must remember, “And whatsoever ye do, doitheartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23). Whether teaching a class, taking a class, guiding a student, or having lunch with a friend, our commitment to the Lord must be an active part of everything – and we must teach this to our children.

We who have taken upon the mantle of educators have a mighty task. We must “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons” (Deuteronomy 4:9). Stiff-Williams (2010) says it well: “By developing the capacity for thoughtful decision making through everyday, standards-based instruction, we 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” (p. 120).

References

Brown, E. (2013). No child left behind and the teaching of character education. ABNF Journal, 24(3), 77-82.

“commitment, n.” OED Online. April 2015. Oxford University Press. 26 April 2015 <

“courage, n.” OED Online. April 2015. Oxford University Press. 26 April 2015 <

“honor, n.” OED Online. April 2015. Oxford University Press. 26 April 2015 <

Kavadlo, J. (2010). Preventing plagiarism, promoting honor: Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love online discussions. Currents In Teaching & Learning, 2(2), 54-63.

Ley, K., & Gannon-Cook, R. (2014). Learner-valued interactions. Quarterly Review Of Distance Education, 15(1), 23-32.

May, D. R., & Luth, M. T. (2013). The effectiveness of ethics education: a quasi-experimental field study. Science And Engineering Ethics, 19(2), 545-568. doi:10.1007/s11948-011-9349-0

Moore, J. (2012). A challenge for social studies educators: Increasing civility in schools and society by modeling civic virtues. Social Studies, 103(4), 140-148. doi:10.1080/00377996.2011.596860

Smagorinsky, P., Boggs, G. L., Jakubiak, C., & Wilson, A. A. (2010). The implied character curriculum in vocational and nonvocational English classes: Designing social futures for working class students and their teachers. Journal Of Research In Character Education, 8(2), 1-23.

Stiff-Williams, H. R. (2010). Widening the lens to teach character education alongside standards curriculum. Clearing House, 83(4), 115-120.

Zimmerman, T., Schmidt, L., Becker, J., Peterson, J., Nyland, R., & Surdick, R. (2014). Narrowing the gap between students and instructors: A study of expectations. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, 7(1), 1-18.

Choose a subject area and topic that might be taught in a grade level of your choice. Identify character qualities or values/virtues that could be taught in conjunction with that topic. Explain and defend your choices for the qualities and suggest at least three activities that could be used to foster an understanding in your students for those values, qualities or virtues. Finally, explain how the implied curriculum within the classroom or school might affect that instruction.You must have a minimum of 3-5 pages and incorporate at least five APA citations.