Teaching Morals and Ethics to Children

Teaching Morals and Ethics to Children

Various studies concerned about the life of the young people shows that the aspects moral education is becoming one of the significant subjects that need to be taught in the fields to do with psychology and education.  For example, daily media reports and other forms of news fields are now filled with disheartening reports concerning an increment in the level of juvenile crimes, teen pregnancy, rape cases, the misuses as well as addiction of drugs amongst the young people, countless cases to do with abuses as well as suicide cases in the US. Although most of such cases are usually linked to other issues such as the poverty level, depression, and much more. There is likelihood that the moral decay in the society is what is playing a significant role in influencing the teenagers within the US in engaging in all the bad activities that are reported daily by the media houses.  There is a string relationship between the increasing level of unruly acts among the young people to the teaching of the moral as well as other social aspects by either the country’s education system, or the parents. However, between the use of parental guidance and education, I am of the opinion that through education systems in schools, the kids will be able to have better improvement in their morals and values.

Morals and Values

Moral refers to the right conduct, not only in the individuals’ immediate social associations such as families and friends. Instead, it extends to one’s dealings with other people such as fellow citizens as well as general people hailing from across the globe (Oladipo, 2009). Usually, the element of moral is rooted on one’s ability to own clear ideals on the elements of right and wrong, as well as the person’s ability and determination to exhibit constant reference to the explained elements that defines morality.  However, since the aspects of right or wrong tend to vary from one society to another, then morals tend to change from one region to another in regards to which society exists there. On the other hand, values encompass the basic principles that plays significant roles in sharpening individuals’ behavior (Narvaez & Bock, n.d.). The ability of a person being in possession of basic life principles is what guides them on how to related with others in the society and choose the right path within their environment. As such, moral values are the principles on which one can be able to made the decision on what is right from wrong, what is, more important or less important at particular time and so forth. As such moral values refers to the ability of an individual owning the required principles to choose the right from wrong within the society.

Theoretical Approaches Concerning Moral and Value Development in Young People

Regarding the question on who should be responsible for the development of mora and ethics among the young people, various theoretical approaches have been employed in coming up with the most ideal suggestion. The first one is the school of thought by Piaget which holds that the traits to do with moral development has something to do with distinction between the heteronymous morality in kids, as well as the aspect of autonomous morality among the older young people. This approach by Piaget is viewed on the aspects that moral development takes various stages in life, which begins with the most basic needs during the early stages of the kid, up to the formal ones when the child is in the adolescent stage (Piaget, Jean, 2013). Based on this school of thought, it is suggested that the aspect of moral value development takes the responsibility of the parents while the child is still in their young stages of life, as well as the effort of the educators when the child reaches the adolescence and becomes part of the formal guidelines at school.

Additionally, Freud’s school of thought investigates on the aps t of who should be responsible for the development of moral values and ethics among the young children in the society.  The theory by Freud analyses how aspects such as Ego, Id, as well as superego in conjunction with the various conflicts that tend to arise during the kid’s early stages of development tend to receive solution via multiple elements to do with development of oneself. According to Freud’s theory, it is the aspect of the child’s identifying with the parental figures around them during the solving the various conflicts in their early developmental years, which shapes one’s moral values during their adult period(Boag, 2014).

However, Kohlberg’s approach of peer influence, a child’s cognitive developments well as the process of the child in encountering the various moral conflicts, are what explains the significant role played by the teachers, regarding the child’s development of moral values. Kohlberg incorporates the ideology by Bandura in explaining how social situations as well a cognitive development, which is mostly attained in formal environments such a school can have significant impact on the young people’s moral values as well as ethical development. it is through the various skills and knowledge taught kit children in school that their cognitive ability on handling as well as displaying moral values undergo attainment (Naito, 2013, p. xx). This school of thought goes hand in hand with the paper’s argument that educators are the ideal people with positive as well as productive influence on the child ‘s moral values development.

Responsibility of Teachers in Development of Moral and Values, As Well As Character and Ethics in Children

Kohlberg affirms that the best way pot enables young people improve their moral values as well as ethics is through training their cognitive ability through approaches such as peer associations and formal trainings, most which are found in learning institutions.  Usually, teachers play significant role in developing as well as molding the moral values in children from as early as the pre-school period.  In most cases, teachers hold the obligation of guiding the kids towards having understanding in the aspects of moral traits as well as values.  Consequently, the educators play the role of of shaping the desirable characteristics in the young leaners in school, or within the lager social environment.  During their time in school, children have the tendency of idolizing their educators through developing close analysis on them, and trying as much a they can, to emulate the teachers’ way of like such as of developing the perfect dressing codes, walking, addressing the masses, handling conflicts and much more.  The primary form of authority that young leaners identify with, other than their parents are the teachers. Learners always approach their teachers when seeking help on how to solve academic problems, peer issues with their friends, or when they need to know more about other aspects in the world. These learners also hold high level of respect for their teachers by adhering to all the school rules, lest they get punished for going against the laid down rules.

Another way through which the teachers are the ideal educators of moral and ethical aspects to the children within the society is the inclusion of moral lessons in the school curriculum by the education system.  The role od teachers in this case is the integration of the various moral values as well as ethics in the society to the learners. The teachers have the responsibility of ensuring the learners have good understanding of what the society expects of them, in regards to moral values through making use of the real-life situations in the society (Oladipo, 2009). Though such programs, teachers tend to have significant contribution to the element of moral development amongst the young members in the society.

Consequently, it is the teachers who plays major role in enabling the young people develop the element of moral valued individuals in the society.  Here, the teachers are the ones that usually carry out the direct teaching of the right from wrong aspects to the young people while in the classroom environment. During such occasions, the educators enable the learners to have the ability of identifying positive aspects from the negative ones, and being able to accept the mistakes and make the initiative of achieving them as an individual.  Additionally, it is the teachers who hold the obligation of ensuring the learners realize the importance of values such as honesty, self-dedication as well as other forms of right characters by an individual while relating with other people within the society (Oladipo, 2009). Actual as well as fictional examples are usually employed in teaching ofc moral aspects to the learners for them to be able to understand the consequences that they stand to encounter if they chose to have desirable moral values in the society, or choose to exhibit wrong characters.

Additionally, the fact that it is the teachers, whom children tend to spend most of their time with, while in school, as compared to the parents at home, leaves the educators with the obligation of instilling moral values in the lives of the young people (Sellgren, 2014). Most of families in the United States and other regions in the world tend to be made of working parents who leaves to work early in the morning and only returns in the evening whole exhausted. Even if these parents will not be tired, they usually have limited fee time with their children where they can educate them various moral values, or even provides opportunity for their kids to witness and follow how they carry themselves around in relation to moral values. Mostly, such parents spend the little time preparing dinner, laundry, or getting for the next day at work, thus leaving little or no time for their children. The fact that the only adult figures that such children have is that of their teachers in learning institutions, it is the role of the educators to fill the adulthood gap left by the respective parents of the affected children, and take the mantel of guiding and helping them develop into morally upright individuals in the society.  As such, any form of success as well as failure associated with the goal of building a morally stable citizenry primary depends on the significant roles played by educators in teaching eh moral values to children while at their respective learning institutions.

However, the achievement of a morally upright society greatly depends on the various methods that undergo formulation, evaluation, as well as execution of ethics by the teachers in school, regarding moral development of children.

Promoting Character and Ethical Development in School

The execution of the various character and ethical aspects in the lives of the young people into morally valuable individuals in the society calls for four ethical goals that must be achieved by teachers.  These ethical goals entail setting up well-structured environments that promotes the ideal ethical institution amongst the learners, teaching with the objective of achieving ethical expertise, promoting strong links with the surrounding community with the aim of building collaborative, as well as democratic citizenship as well as fostering regulations in learners, well as other members within the community.

The first approach of promoting character as well as ethical aspects in children by the educators is by teaching with the aim of achieving ethical expertise.  This process involves the teachers coming up with various gals that learners need to achieve at the end of the goal, in relationship to becoming morally valuable individuals in the society. The first step in achieving this step is through immersion. Here, the educators have the responsibility of ensuring the discipline to do with moral values becomes part and parcel of the learners through teaching them. The second step is through developing the aspect of developing attention to facts and skills where learners should have various skills to decide the right from wrong when associating with others within the society.  The next step in teaching expertise is practice of procedures where students are taught multiple steps to develop and exhibit good morals and characters. Finally, learners should be taught how to apply the various forms of ethics in different contexts within the society. This aspect enables the young members of the society to be versatile in applying the element of moral values any region or society across the globe (Narvaez & Bock, n.d.).

The next approach that educators can employ in promoting character and ethics in young learners in school is through setting up- well-structured environments such as coming up with caring classrooms as well as school community that can boost good character and ethical formation among students.  These goals can undergo achievement through coming up with elements such as having opportunities in which learners can learn to support others, offering various trainings in social skills, and fostering discipline in students through promoting a sense of citizenship in school environment. Additionally, educators can come up with the plan of promoting student interaction and collaboration by coming up with activities like open discussions on moral issues in class (Narvaez & Bock, n.d.).

Another method for ensuring good characterization and ethical development in students is by the educators fostering strong links to the local society with the goal of promoting collaborative, as well as democratic citizenship. teachers should keep in mind that the primary goa of teaching moral values and ethics in schools is to have an excellent life within the community. As such, learning institutions should come up with various approaches of working hand in hand with the surrounding communities in finding answers to basic questions like how to promote peaceful coexistence within the community, ways of developing desirable characters within the community, as well as methods through which individuals can use in helping each other’s growth. A such, teachers should keep in mind that every individual has an active ecological context they live in and promote, and thigh which the rest of the society tends to build their ethical skills (Sari, 2013). As such, learners should be remined that any positive character and ethical change states from the personal foundation.

Finally, educators should promote the idea of fostering self-regulation both in learners, and other community members. Students and other members in the community should be reminded that it is the responsibility of every virtuous person to be aware of their behaviors, and be ready to make possible changes.  Additionally, people should be reminded that once developed, positive character sand ethics should be maintained through choosing appropriate people and environments (Narvaez & Bock, n.d.).  Through the introduction as well as executions of the four approaches, positive characters and ethics are promoted by the teachers into their young learners.

Summarily, the recent times have witnessed the deterioration of moral values among the American young people, as exhibited though high cases of teen pregnancies, drug abuse and addiction, robbery, and suicide. These menaces have resulted in debates on who has failed in teaching the young society about the moral values. Is it the parents, religion or the teachers? This work is an analysis of how the school has the capability of incorporating the values that are taught in homes, religion point bas well as the society in general. As such, teachers remain the appropriate group to instill positive moral values, as well as character and ethics in the young people.

 

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