Does morality matter? My answer would be yes. Where would this world be without morals and values? The changes of society should not make morals invalid. Although some would want you to think that with societal changes come moral changes. I say not so.
Societal norms of the 21st Century would lead you to believe that the morals of our ancestors or even our generation have changed. They have not. Dictionary.com defines morals as motivation based on ideas of right and wrong. Culture gurus would suggest that what is right and wrong is based on cultural beliefs. I would say that right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the culture. The lack of morals has led to the destruction of upstanding, productive citizens and communities.
Selling of drugs is an immoral act. Has it become a norm for people to be known drug dealers? Yes, but is it right? The answer would be no. Not only is it wrong because of the effects of drugs on the community but also illegal. The effects have filtered into the schools as young as elementary age students. We are teaching kids at a young age that it is ok to be perform immoral and illegal acts.
Should we teach morals in schools? Yes, we should. Isn't it the teachers' responsibilities (in addition to parents) to teach our kids right from wrong?
I certainly thought it was. From the time kids enter preschool, they are taught to share, take turns, not to take things that don't belong to them, say 'please' and 'thank you', wait your turn, listen politely when your classmates are talking, etc. Aren't these examples of teaching morality in school? People tend to mix up teaching morality with teaching religion in school; thus, some educators shy away from teaching morals. In public schools, students also need moral doctrines.
Unfortunately, the politics of moral education too often devolve into hapless arguments about the separation of church and state. Those ethical arguments miss the mark. Religious doctrines, philosophy and the Constitution all provide core values that can be embedded into the curriculum as readily and rigorously as social studies.
Teachers and school leaders often lack the skills or willingness to teach moral and ethical principles without proselytizing. But students can't wait for civics class to be taught civility. All teachers must manage behaviors that are conducive to learning, but school leaders must also try to develop experts who can teach, test and hold students accountable for their ethics knowledge.
In efforts to produce well-behaved students, some schools will feel satisfied with their overall "school culture" plan. School leaders will point to their behavioral strategies that certainly have an impact on student learning behavior in school. However, there's more to it. Schools should not expect dressed-up discipline policies to replace the need for students to be able to clearly articulate arguments about right and wrong. Parents and citizens not only want kids to read and write at high levels, we also want good people. Our curriculum should reflect that.
How can we teach morals to the students of the 21st century? I would suggest this is accomplished with character education. The U.S. government's website from the Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/character/brochure.html, ) defines character education as "a learning process that enables students and adults in a school community to understand, care about and act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others". As teachers, I think we are teaching these values every day or at least I hope we are. Does it have to be a formal process? I don't think so but I do not see anything wrong with it if morality is taught as a formal 'character education' class. The problem is that all educators must teach character education. The staff must also model it on a daily basis.
Every time the opportunity presents itself, educators must acknowledge undesired behavior from students. The desired behavior should be stated and/or modeled whenever possible. I have found in doing this that many of my students don’t realize the behaviors they are exhibiting. Others who are aware of their behaviors have questioned what is wrong with what they said or did that was incorrect. For instance, I have a student who has an issue with respect. He is not trying to be disrespectful but he is. He will be in a conversation and saying “yes ma’am”, “no ma’am”; however, he will blurt out with “you lying”. Although he has not done it to me, I had to step in because my skin crawled to hear a 13 year old tell this to a 30+-year-old adult or any adult. I have discussed that when he does not agree with what an adults says to respond with, “I don’t agree with that”, “that is not how it happened”, or “ that is not correct”. He actually asked me why did he have to respond this way instead of just saying she/he is lying if that is the case? We continued to discuss what is respectful and what is disrespectful. I had a better understanding of why he did not feel he was being disrespectful when we had a parent teacher conference. His mother was explaining what she felt was a disability of his. He matter of factly stated, “That’s a lie. That is what you always say and it’s a lie.” His mother began to go back and forth with him about the issue. I had to step in and remind him of our conversation about respect. His mother had no problem with him saying she was lying or that he felt comfortable with her to go back and forth as if he was talking to his peers.
Once students are accustomed to the expectations, they will perform as expected. I believe students will do what they are taught and what is enforced. If we are not enforcing what we are teaching, then what is the purpose? Parents must also be held accountable for the actions of the students. Had that mom stopped my student the first time he told an adult he/she was lying, he would not be doing it at 13 years old.
Does morality matter? My answer would be yes. Where would this world be without morals and values? The changes of society should not make morals invalid. Although some would want you to think that with societal changes come moral changes. I say not so.
Societal norms of the 21st Century would lead you to believe that the morals of our ancestors or even our generation have changed. They have not. Dictionary.com defines morals as motivation based on ideas of right and wrong. Culture gurus would suggest that what is right and wrong is based on cultural beliefs. I would say that right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of the culture. The lack of morals has led to the destruction of upstanding, productive citizens and communities.
Selling of drugs is an immoral act. Has it become a norm for people to be known drug dealers? Yes, but is it right? The answer would be no. Not only is it wrong because of the effects of drugs on the community but also illegal. The effects have filtered into the schools as young as elementary age students. We are teaching kids at a young age that it is ok to be perform immoral and illegal acts.
Should we teach morals in schools? Yes, we should. Isn't it the teachers' responsibilities (in addition to parents) to teach our kids right from wrong? 
I certainly thought it was. From the time kids enter preschool, they are taught to share, take turns, not to take things that don't belong to them, say 'please' and 'thank you', wait your turn, listen politely when your classmates are talking, etc. Aren't these examples of teaching morality in school? People tend to mix up teaching morality with teaching religion in school; thus, some educators shy away from teaching morals. In public schools, students also need moral doctrines.
Unfortunately, the politics of moral education too often devolve into hapless arguments about the separation of church and state. Those ethical arguments miss the mark. Religious doctrines, philosophy and the Constitution all provide core values that can be embedded into the curriculum as readily and rigorously as social studies.
Teachers and school leaders often lack the skills or willingness to teach moral and ethical principles without proselytizing. But students can't wait for civics class to be taught civility. All teachers must manage behaviors that are conducive to learning, but school leaders must also try to develop experts who can teach, test and hold students accountable for their ethics knowledge.
In efforts to produce well-behaved students, some schools will feel satisfied with their overall "school culture" plan. School leaders will point to their behavioral strategies that certainly have an impact on student learning behavior in school. However, there's more to it. Schools should not expect dressed-up discipline policies to replace the need for students to be able to clearly articulate arguments about right and wrong. Parents and citizens not only want kids to read and write at high levels, we also want good people. Our curriculum should reflect that.
How can we teach morals to the students of the 21st century? I would suggest this is accomplished with character education. The U.S. government's website from the Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/character/brochure.html, ) defines character education as "a learning process that enables students and adults in a school community to understand, care about and act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others". As teachers, I think we are teaching these values every day or at least I hope we are. Does it have to be a formal process? I don't think so but I do not see anything wrong with it if morality is taught as a formal 'character education' class. The problem is that all educators must teach character education. The staff must also model it on a daily basis.
Every time the opportunity presents itself, educators must acknowledge undesired behavior from students. The desired behavior should be stated and/or modeled whenever possible. I have found in doing this that many of my students don’t realize the behaviors they are exhibiting. Others who are aware of their behaviors have questioned what is wrong with what they said or did that was incorrect. For instance, I have a student who has an issue with respect. He is not trying to be disrespectful but he is. He will be in a conversation and saying “yes ma’am”, “no ma’am”; however, he will blurt out with “you lying”. Although he has not done it to me, I had to step in because my skin crawled to hear a 13 year old tell this to a 30+-year-old adult or any adult. I have discussed that when he does not agree with what an adults says to respond with, “I don’t agree with that”, “that is not how it happened”, or “ that is not correct”. He actually asked me why did he have to respond this way instead of just saying she/he is lying if that is the case? We continued to discuss what is respectful and what is disrespectful. I had a better understanding of why he did not feel he was being disrespectful when we had a parent teacher conference. His mother was explaining what she felt was a disability of his. He matter of factly stated, “That’s a lie. That is what you always say and it’s a lie.” His mother began to go back and forth with him about the issue. I had to step in and remind him of our conversation about respect. His mother had no problem with him saying she was lying or that he felt comfortable with her to go back and forth as if he was talking to his peers.
Once students are accustomed to the expectations, they will perform as expected. I believe students will do what they are taught and what is enforced. If we are not enforcing what we are teaching, then what is the purpose? Parents must also be held accountable for the actions of the students. Had that mom stopped my student the first time he told an adult he/she was lying, he would not be doing it at 13 years old.
Nice piece Ahmesha
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