Focus on Education: Ethics or The Way We Should Act Part II, By: Anthony Pellegrino

Parents should be the primary moral educators. The reality of parental responsibility is that with the breakdown of the family, ethical learning is not occurring for many children. Also with two working parents, most children and parents have little time together to talk let alone discuss ethical behavior.

If the home is failing than the school will have to assume the duty of teaching the meaning and value of the following: Honor, Honesty, Truthfulness, Kindness, (3enerosity, Helpfulness, Courage, Convictions, Justice, Respect, Freedom, and Equality?

If a child learns the value of honoring his parents, then he is more likely to develop obedience to his parents. If a child learns the value of truth, then he is more likely to cultivate the value of honesty. Being respecfful is better than disrespectful. Being just is better than unjust. Being a friend is better than being concerned only with self. Honesty is better than dishonesty.

Whose values are we going to teach? My immediate reply is that we should teach Core Ethical Values that are common to all successful civilizations and major religions. Core Ethical Values affirm our human dignity. They promote the good of the individual and the common good while protecting our human rights. They define our responsibilities in a democracy. Core Ethical Values are recognized by all civilized people, and are taught by all enlightened creeds. Not to teach children these Core Ethical Values is a grave moral failure.

Many of our youth have never been exposed to values and virtues in life. We adults have robbed them of learning about the difference between right and wrong; good or bad. We have deluded ourselves and turned our backs on them for seemingly “justifiable reasons.” And for that we are now seeing the actions of hollow, emotionless, lost and frustrated youths. Their senseless acts of hurting and killing each other are pleas for help. When are we going to hear their pleas?

Even though we feed our children proper food for good nutrition, many of them make their own decisions to eat junk food or any other food they prefer. However they have been educated in the proper nutritional value of food. In the classroom we encourage students to learn basic facts. We expose them to proper educational values.
But the final decision is up to them to accept and use the facts.

So it should be in the teaching of ethical values and virtues. The young should be taught a panoramic background of why certain decisions are better than others. The final decisions they make will give them a frame of reference. But to have no frame of reference for decision making except an instinctive reaction based on self gratification results in the sad reactions we see our children making today.

I know that there will be objections but does any one have a better solution? The government nor more money can regulate or inculcate values in youth. But parents and the school can. Values are taught and caught, not instinctive.

I implore you to write letters, call or visit the Commissioner of Education and the members of the Board of Education demanding that the PSS begin with the next school year to teach ethics, values and virtues. Your loud vibrant voices are the catalyst needed to bring back our children to a state of loving and caring human beings.
We may not be able to help all the troubled youth, but what if we help your son or daughter? Teaching ethics is an idea whose time has come again!

Those who have special opportunities to influence a moral society have an obligation to do so. Let’s risk it. Act Now!