Character Education (Related articles)

ArticlesRecommended ReadingRelated links
Educational systems today are focused on raising standards of academic achievement. However, as we consider the world in which we live, we understand the importance of helping students to learn much more than the subjects they study. Appropriate environments, activities, the arts, and service projects can help students to learn responsibility, compassion, integrity, civility, leadership and cooperation. These and other elements of healthy, well-developed character can be learned by example and opportunities to exercise them, as discussed by the authors of articles in this area.
Articles
The Heart of a Teacher: Identity and Integrity in Teaching Parker J. PalmerCharacter education is connected primarily with the integrity of the teacher.
Roadmaps For Life, Notes From The Journey Midge Bowman Ms. Bowman shares her thoughts on moral education and challenges us to make acts of kindness and love a living thing within the school community.
Education by Intention, Not Default: How Independent Schools and Families Create Respectful Learning Cultures Ellen Taussig Education takes place within the culture of a society, which is reflected in schools and households. But does our society have a culture? This article explains how one independent school creates a microculture congruent with that of the families whose children it serves.
Understanding Good and Evil in Children's Literature Dr. Renee FullerFuller maintains that it is no accident that stories of good and evil appear in all cultures -- they are essential to the mental health of young children.
From Outside In: How Out-of-School Programs Enrich Student Learning Nancy BaconThe Director of Educational Programs at the World Affairs Council of Seattle defines key elements of citizenship today and then explains how out-of-school programs connected with in-school curriculum support education for citizenship.
Making the Most of "Teachable Moments" Steven Carr Reuben, Ph.D. Parents and teachers can find many ways to teach ethical behavior to children by recognizing the "teachable moments" that crop up every day.
Giraffes and Bats: A Giraffe Field Report The Giraffe Project

Recommended Reading
Bibliography
Moral Questions in the Classroom: How to Get Kids to Think Deeply About Real Life and Their Schoolwork Katharine G. Simon
The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Compassion and Character at School Rachael Kessler
The Courage to Teach Parker Palmer
Teacher: The One Who Made a Difference Marc Edmundson
Tuned In and Fired Up: How Teaching Can Inspire Real Learning in the Classroom Sam M. Intrator
Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time Paul Rogat Loeb
Character Begins at Home: Family Tools for Teaching Character and Value Karen D. Olsen and Sue Pearson
A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life Parker Palmer
Related links
Character Education Manifesto Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
Boston University's Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
The Character Education Partnership