Character Education
Every parent wants their child to develop positive character
traits. One way to supplement your child's character education
is to act as a filter for the movies and television shows your
child watches, and to review the books your child
reads.
The following categories are modeled after "The
Book of Virtues for Young People," an excellent book for
children in its own right, written by William Bennett. When
developing a curriculum of character education for your child,
it's helpful to review each children's book, television show,
and movie for both positive and negative examples of each of the
ten virtues outlined in "The Book of Virtues for Young People."
The stronger the message, the more it will contribute to your
child's character education.
Following are some ways in
which the virtues can manifest as character traits in children's
books, movies, and in television shows:
Self-Discipline:
A character discusses his feelings of anger rather than
impulsively striking out. Or, a character gets his chores done
before he goes out to play.
Compassion: A character
understands the pain or suffering of a friend, and steps in to
help, even when it means she can't attend the party she was
looking forward to.
Responsibility: A character admits
it was his baseball that broke the window, and offers to pay for
a replacement. Or, a character keeps her promise to babysit her
younger sister, even though she'd rather go to the movies with
her friends.
Friendship: A character stands up for her
friend in front of her peers, even though it's not popular. Or,
a character befriends the class bully in an effort to get him to
change his ways.
Work: A character approaches her job
with a positive attitude, and does her very best even when her
boss is being unfair. Or, a character makes up a game to get
through an unpleasant task, and takes pride in her work even
though it goes unnoticed.
Courage: A character is afraid
of the raging waters, but takes the risk and dives in to save
her family. Or, a character stands up for what he believes in,
even though it's unpopular.
Perseverance: A character
continues to strive to make the basketball team, even though
he's a foot shorter than the other players. Or, a family works
together to keep their home, even though the father has lost his
job and the mother is ill.
Honesty: A character admits
to himself that he isn't trying his hardest. Or, a character
talks to an adult about a friend in trouble, even though the
friend will get angry at her.
Loyalty: A character
sticks with his losing soccer team in the hope of helping them
become better, rather than joining a winning soccer team. Or, a
character stays at her friend's side during a serious illness or
hardship.
Faith: A character reaches out to God to help
him in his time of need.
When evaluating character
traits and virtues in kids' books, movies, and television shows,
also look at negative behavioral influences. Ideally, these
influences will be minimal. Consider, for example:
Violence: Does the character hurt himself, another
person, or an animal through his words or actions, and does he
act without remorse?
Profanity: Does the character use
foul language, sexual language, or take God's name in vain?
Nudity: Does the movie, television show, or book show or
describe suggestive styles of dress or partially clothed or nude
characters?
Sexual Content: Do the characters engage in
implied or overt sexual behavior, or do they engage in aberrant
sexual behavior?
Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco: Do the
characters use or abuse legal or illegal substances?
Scary Elements: Are the scenarios depicted gratuitously
frightening?
Negative Behaviors: Does the character show
disrespect to his parents? Or, does he neglect his homework? Or,
does he frighten other children?
By evaluating both the
positive character traits and negative behaviors of movies,
television shows, and books, and selecting those that reinforce
the values and virtues that are important to you, you'll go far
in developing your child's character education.