"The consequence can be that children are not challenged.
That's important to Sabbeth, because he's concerned that people tend to underestimate children. Students say they appreciate the fact that he doesn't talk down to them. The basic premise is to use current events, historical events, and children's life events, and place them in a program of ethical theory." "It's about teaching them the skills to work through these dilemmas. It's not about lack of knowledge," Sabbeth says. Sabbeth's curriculum apart is the degree to which his conversations with children take on an adult tone. Whatever form it takes, character education springs from the idea that, as Cherry Hills teacher John Mollicone puts it, "there's more to education than making sure these kids know the three R's. Some of these programs rely primarily on motivational posters and slogans, while others use children's stories to engage students in discussions about discerning right from wrong. It's seen as an important tool as teachers try to enlist students in efforts to reduce bullying, drug abuse, sexual harassment, and the presence of weapons in schools.
He has since instructed some 500 elementary school classes here in the Denver area.Ĭharacter education in some form is mandated or at least encouraged in the vast majority of states. Leading the exercise is volunteer Michael Sabbeth, a lawyer who developed his own curriculum more than a decade ago.
The questions electrify the classroom, and one by one, students offer measured observations to help resolve these perennial ethical quandaries.Įach week, fifth-graders at Cherry Hills Elementary School spend an hour learning to apply moral reasoning not just to hypothetical situations, but to problems they are more likely to confront, such as racism or peer pressure. Is it immoral to steal to save someone's life? Or to not try to save someone from drowning?
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