http://rationalexpressions.blogspot.ca/2012/06/helping-kids-become-better-people.html
So how CAN you make kids become better people? Unfortunately in today's society, the subjectivity of what is "good" makes teaching morals in curriculum very hard. I find Michael Pershan's post very inspiring as it gives me hope that somewhere, someone is actually giving importance to the character of students rather than just their academics and athletics. Pershan mentions that he is trying to help his students become "other" than today's societal norms of being selfish. That is a noble thing to do as a teacher. In a way, all teachers are the role models of nobility. We hear it too often, but how do you actually teach it as part of the curriculum? As an animator (not the type that draws, but the type that facilitates) I have been working running the Junior Youth Empowerment Program, whose aim is just that: to empower junior youth (~12 ~14 year olds) to make their own lives and the lives of their fellow community members, young and old, better. I have found that the goals/topics discussed, though specific, are very personable to each member of the group and each person can grow with respect to their own capabilities. The questions that Pershan asks to determine the measurability of the kid's improvement are hard to answer because, not only as teachers, but as any human being we cannot question or measure another human being's ethics and morality. From my experience what is necessary is the involvement of the students in discussions that help broaden their scope of what it means to be a good person. The assessment and specific goals can be determined by each individual and kept as a journal or portfolio. Each human being has a certain amount of "goodness" but there is always room for improvement. Therefore it is best to let each individual determine where and in what for that improvement and its measurement might take place.
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