A Breath of Fresh A.I.R. BY PATRICK QUINN

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1 A Breath of Fresh A.I.R. BY PATRICK QUINN Theodore Roosevelt said, To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1976). In a day when an Alabama Judge has been fired from the State Supreme Court for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from his courthouse, every Christian school classroom should have a copy of the time-honored moral code hanging on the wall. In a time when public school educators are walking the First Amendment tight rope to teach moral values without allowing the tiniest shred of Christianity into the mix, Christian school educators need to refocus on biblical character development in the lives of their students. Should schools teach moral values? If so, whose values should be taught? Decades of pluralism and political correctness have paralyzed the public schools in this important facet of learning. Their attitude towards values education has changed dramatically in recent years. The escalation of serious moral problems in America including greed, dishonesty, violence, drug abuse, and suicide has created a new consensus about the need for moral instruction. The pendulum is swinging back from the romantic idea that all societal values are oppressive, admitted Bill Honig, Superintendent of Public Instruction in California. But educators went along with all this craziness, so we ve ended up with students who are ethically illiterate (Fiske, 1986). Educating for Character The concept that smart and good are not the same is as old as human history. Since ancient times, schools have educated for character as well as intellect, decency as well as literacy, and virtue as well as knowledge. In the early days of America, this unique blend of classical academic excellence and Christian ethics was woven into the curriculum of the colonial one-room schoolhouse. Our Founding Fathers believed that moral education and personal character development were essential for the success of an American Republic. In a government by the people, minimal goodness to ensure respect for the right of individuals and regard for the law was never considered optional. The goal of Christian character was infused into public school curriculum in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries without apology. Tales of honesty, patriotism, and hard work found in the McGuffey Reader might seem corny to modern readers, but they provided teachers with the moral ammunition to make America a political and economic superpower one student at a time. Decline of Moral Education Moral education declined in the twentieth century for a variety of reasons. Darwinism taught that life, including moral values, was constantly evolving and not absolute. Einstein s theory of relativity, although intended to explain the relationship

2 between matter and energy, encouraged many to think that morality was relative. Logical positivism separated facts and values. Real truths became only those things which could be scientifically demonstrated. Everything else was classified as emotion or opinion. Personalism entered the classroom in the 1960s spawning a new educational selfishness that created the monster of values clarification. Character education, viewed as old-fashioned and unimportant, finally crumbled under the weight of psuedointellectualism. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (Rom. 1:22). The results have been almost fifty years of vandalism, cheating, disrespect for authority, and sexual promiscuity. Moral Value Defined What is a moral value? A moral value tells a student what to do based on an absolute system of right and wrong. No matter how hard curriculum coordinators try, they cannot divorce morality from the holy, eternal, perfect Word of God. Paul Vitz s controversial book Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Textbooks, reported numerous examples of religion being excluded from textbooks. One elementary history book contained thirty pages on the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving without a single mention of God or Christianity (1986). The Declaration of Independence, part of the moral superstructure of the U.S. Constitution, stated that government cannot take away basic rights because they come from God. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness... (1776). George Washington stressed the intimate connection between Christianity and basic values when he said, Both reason and experience forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle (1796). John Adams took the importance of Christian moral values a step further. We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled from morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people (Adams, 1789). Character Development Moral values in action become character. Aristotle defined character as the life of right conduct right conduct in relation to other persons and in relation to oneself. (Palmour, 1986). According to Thomas Lickona, character is moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral behavior. Good character consists of knowing the good, desiring the good, and doing the good habits of the mind, habits of the heart, and habits of action (1991). Today s Christian educator can teach and model the entire spectrum of moral values and good character with no fear of reprimand or litigation for making the obvious connection to Bible truths. A new commitment to targeted values built into the curriculum will help teachers strengthen their students vertical (to God) and horizontal

3 (to others) relationships. A focus on three specific character qualities will provide a breath of fresh A.I.R. as a springboard to further development. Accountability 18:9). He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster (Prov. The primary reason for the existence of a school is the work of learning. Accountability gives schoolwork a sense of moral importance. An administrator should understand that when students are not doing their work, it is not only bad education, it is bad moral education. When accountability does not pervade the academic culture of a school, the main purpose is corrupted. As a result, students will develop bad moral habits like laziness and irresponsibility. Many of the following characteristics from a research study on what makes an effective school hinge on the principle of accountability (MS Department of Education, 1990). 1. Vigorous leadership from the principal to develop high academic standards. 2. An atmosphere of caring for the student body. 3. Clear goals for academic achievement and classroom behavior. 4. An emphasis on fair and consistent discipline. 5. Teachers with high expectations. 6. High energy learning time. 7. Regular, monitored homework. 8. Frequent evaluations of student progress. 9. Recognition of student success. Teach students to value the opportunity to learn. The lesson of accountability produces meaningful long-term excellence often at the painful price of sacrificing immediate gratification. Integrity A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver or gold (Prov. 22:1). It is important that students not see moral integrity as something remote or abstract. Students who learn to slide by, cut corners, or beat the system will become manipulative, dishonest adults. Integrity demands difficult choices. It is not easy to choose what is best and right between two extremes. Teaching strategies and curriculum should give students daily opportunities to choose well. The inner strength they build through perseverance, responsibility, and diligence will blossom into moral maturity.

4 Integrity is achieved when students know the good, love the good, and do the good. It is necessary for teachers to help students wrestle with what is good in life. Helen Keller wrote, Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes real happiness. It is not obtained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose (Ryan-Bohlin, 1998). Respect The Bible says, In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge (Prov. 14:26). Respect is the fourth R for any school aspiring to achieve more than just academic success. Respect means showing regard for the worth of someone or something. It takes three major forms: respect for oneself, respect for other people, and respect for all forms of life and the environment that sustains them (Lickona, 1991). Respect for self safeguards against self-destructive behaviors like drug abuse and suicide. Respect for others can be most simply stated by the Golden Rule Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. A proper grasp of respect generates other facets of character growth like a student s attitude toward property and authority. Responsibility is also a natural byproduct of respect. Respect tells an individual what not to do. Responsibility gives guidelines on what should be done. Conclusion In the final analysis, morality is learned through relationships. The Christian educator has almost unlimited opportunities as caregiver, model, and mentor to help shape the young lives God has placed in his or her classroom. In his book, Teacher and Child, Hiam Ginott confessed, I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom... As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal (Ginott, 1976). Make sure the Ten Commandments are hanging on your classroom wall and make sure your students have learned more than and 1492 when they walk out the door. Patrick Quinn teaches history at Marquette Manor Baptist Academy in Downers Grove, Illinois. References

5 Adams, J. to Benjamin Rush (October 25, 1789) The moral crisis: Lessons from the founding, The World and I (September, 1987), pp Declaration of Independence, Fiske, E. B. (1986, September 15). U.S. schools put new stress on teaching moral values. The New York Times. p. B8. Ginott, H.G. (1976). Teacher and child. New York: Avon. p. 13. Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for character. New York: Bantam Books. p. 46 & 51. Palmour, J. (1986). On moral character: A practical guide to Aristotle s virtues and vices. Washington DC: The Archon Institute for Leadership Development. Ryan, K & Bohlin, K. (1998). Building character in schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. p. 46. The Annals of History. (1976). Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago. Vitz, P. (1986). Censorship: Evidence of bias in our children s textbooks. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Books. pp Washington s Farewell Address, What works: Research about teaching and learning (MS Department of Education) 1990.