Essay on Teaching Morals in Public Schools - 1128 Words

A fellow citizen is irked by the kids who tramp down the grass as they cut across the lawn of her familys new home. She gets even more steamed when she fears chastising those teenage trespassers, because trouble may ensue. She also fumes over a kid punching loaves of bread in the supermarket and over his mother spewing expletives when a stranger suggests he stop (Healy). Something has gone very wrong to cause such a poor appearance in the character of todays youth. Teaching morals in public school could only result in the betterment of our society. American public schools started walking away from their moral educators about a generation ago, around the 1960s. They feared possibilities of being accused of imposing religion or†¦show more content†¦They respected adults and acknowledged the rules, though they might not always follow them (Smith). Philosophies and behaviors deteriorated in the 1960s, and havent improved since. The words of the National Defense Education Act induced this change. International competition was to be waged in terms of brainpower and technical expertise. In the schools, this meant an emphasis on cognitive development and intellectual achievement. The old content of the curriculum was stripped of moral justifications, and the separation between the public and private realms that became common currency in American society was obviously increasing. In this division the discussion of religion and morals was termed personal and relegated to the private realm (Grant). Some problems are present in reference to the current situation between public schools and teaching morals. There is so much fear in society that religion will be forced on students, that the teaching of morals to students in public schools is practically forbidden. However, in his introduction to the Book of Virtues , William Bennett writes that moral education involves explicit instruction, exhortation, and training. Moral education must provide training in good habits (Herbert). Most liberals have tended to dismiss the call for moral education as a reiteration of nineteenth-century morality, complete with appeals forShow MoreRelated Teaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools Essay903 Words   |  4 PagesTeaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools The question of whether or not schools should teach ethics and morals is misleading, because ethics and morals are two different things. Websters Dictionary defines ethics as a particular system of principles and rules concerning duty, whether true or false, and morals as motivation based on ideas of right and wrong. As I take it, ethics implies a set of basic rules to abide by, whereas morals strictly set down what to believe, and what not toRead MoreEssay on Teaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools1108 Words   |  5 PagesTeaching Morals and Ethics in Public Schools I find myself disagreeing with Kozol and his statement that schools should be an institution where morals can be taught and developed. It is my belief that schools should not be held responsible for instilling morals and ethics into the minds of Americas children. Of course, it is true that schools should instill and reinforce morals that are part of our everyday existence. Those of the Golden Rule, as well as the wrongs of death and destructionRead MoreThe Teacher As Role Models1659 Words   |  7 PagesAs an educator you get faced with the task everyday whether or not it is your responsibility to teach moral values and to develop good character traits in students in your classroom. What people do not realize is that teaching is much more than just the information in the textbooks and for that reason, I do believe that it is the educator’s job to teach moral values and to develop good character traits in students. As an educator, you have to be able to teach the whole studen t, you have to be willingRead MoreBible Study in Public Education Essay1019 Words   |  5 PagesIt has long been debated whether teaching the Bible in public education would improve our educational system or just help the Christians enlist more members into their religion. Since 1962, the Supreme Court has continued to uphold the ban on all religious practices in public education, including teaching the Bible in classrooms. There are some who believe that this removal of a moral education has lead to a deterioration of the behavior among our students, while others use the protection of theRead MoreEssay on Public Schools Should Teach Morals and Ethics700 Words   |  3 PagesPublic Schools Should Teach Morals and Ethics Jonathon Kozol writes, Public schools in the U.S. do not exist to educate an ethical human being†¦Schools do exist to educate defeated, unprovocative, well-balanced human beings†¦. This statement is certainly true, but should public schools be required to teach students ethics and morality? I would argue that an education devoid of ethics and morals is detrimental to our society. Scholar Joao Coutinho writes in the Harvard Educational Review, EducationRead MoreTeaching Education During The Nineteenth Century944 Words   |  4 Pagesabsence from school suggested in the letters written is common amongst children in rural areas, the experience of the Brown children (as children from an upper class) was significantly different from that of working class children who were often required to work on the family farms or businesses. While attendance was often irregular, because of the conditions discussed above, students were expected to attend their designated school. One letter w ritten by an official from the Department of Public InstructionRead MoreEssay on Teaching Our Children Common Courtesy and Etiquette556 Words   |  3 Pagesteachers already have their hands full with America’s failing education system, teaching etiquette may be very beneficial. Moreover, parents no longer instruct their children on common courtesy, perhaps because they have not learned it themselves, which hinders an entire generation from their full potential for success. As stated by Edward Owens, â€Å"civility is a language of sorts, its better learned young†. Schools are children’s second home. These days with both parents working, and grandparentsRead MoreA Code Of Ethics For Teachers1334 Words   |  6 PagesPrior to and During Student Teaching Aliesha R. Phillips The University of Southern Mississippi Ethics falls under a broad definition that can be defined in many ways: â€Å"The term ethics is defined as the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation; 2a) a set of moral principles; 2b) the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group 2c) a guiding philosophy; 2d) a consciousness of moral importance; 3) a set of moral issues or aspects† (Merriam-WebsterRead MoreTeaching Values And Moral Values880 Words   |  4 PagesTeaching values is important. Values allow children to make ethical decisions, they teach them personal responsibility, and values promote moral integrity. Honesty, respect, responsibility, and love are just a few of the important values children should be taught. These values shape them into well-rounded individuals and help point the way of thinking and acting appropriately. Values define an individual’s behavior, ethical or unethical, and that’s why teaching children values is important. EthicalRead More Separation of Church and State Essay examples988 Words   |  4 Pagesthe struggle between church and state is also present. Teaching religion in the public school system is wrong and biased. It would be impossible to incorporate the religious beliefs of all students into one curriculum and segregating students into religiously based curriculum groups would be unjust and discriminatory. Furthermore, the public schools are teaching our children to be accepting of all belief systems, not just Christian teachings: â€Å"What the federal courts have done since