May-June 2021

New NHEG Heights Magazine Educational | May - June Group 2021
www.NewHeightsEducation.org
on time, but the night before it was due, your dad wanted
you to go to a baseball game.”
“ John, when you welcomed the new student and offered to
CHILDREN AND TELEVISION
show him around, you were being friendly and helpful.”
By Leah Davies, M.Ed.
What would you do? (Trustworthy)
Also, encourage students to notice virtuous behavior in each
other. They can give verbal feedback or write down what happened
and place it in a “Good Character Box” to be read later.
Have a bulletin board celebrating character traits displayed by
students.
11. Involve children in making classroom rules. Make expecta
tions clear and follow through with meaningful consequences.
12. When disputes arise, help students arrive at an agreeable
solution. Follow these steps:
Children learn not only through real life experience, but vicariously
through media exposure which defines our culture and shapes our
norms. Exposure to television programming profoundly affects how
children view their world. Adults who care about children developing
7. Provide opportunities for dramatizing situations that help students
• Stop, cool down
positive life skills need to be aware of the various messages and ideals
understand the perspectives of others and develop empathy. For
• Ask, “What is the problem?”
being conveyed to children.
http://www.kellybear.com
example: A boy dropped his lunch tray, or a girl missed catching
• Each one answers and listens
As early as 1984, the American Academy of Pediatrics cautioned
BUILDING CHARACTER IN STUDENTS
the ball. Put the students in the situation. Then help them identify
• Brainstorm possible solutions
adults concerning the potential of television viewing to promote
the child’s feeling and guide them toward responding with kind
• Agree on a plan
violence, obesity, sexual activity, drug use, and ethnic stereotyping.
By Leah Davies, M.Ed.
ness.
• Try it
The Academy’s Policy Statement in 1995 confirmed that frequent
• If it does not work, agree to try something else
viewers become desensitized to violence and believe that violence is a
8. Study autobiographies of outstanding persons such as Mother Te
Most educators agree that assisting students in building moral character
is a worthwhile goal. Some of the virtues stressed in schools
13. Demonstrate communication skills. Be consistent and send justifiable response to problems, and that television viewing is related
resa, Gandhi, Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Jackie Robinson, Ben
clear messages. Listen respectfully to student’s ideas and to obesity and lower academic performance.
jamin Franklin, Johnny Appleseed, Harriet Tubman, Thomas
today include:
answer their questions.
According to the Academy, by age eighteen the average American
Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Graham Bell, Martin Luther
compassion, courtesy, cooperation, responsibility, fairness, tolerance,
self-control, courage, knowledge, citizenship, perseverance,
14. Set high but reasonable academic standards for yourself and teenager will have spent more time watching television than learning
in the classroom. In addition, they will have seen an estimated
King, Jr., Winston Churchill, Jane Addams, John Glenn, the Wright
your students. Be respectful and honest in your relationships
brothers, or others the children discover in their own communi
helpfulness, honesty,and respectfulness (toward self, others, authority,
property and the environment)
and academic work. Be prepared to inspire learning through 360,000 advertisements that are often misleading and exploitive.
ties.
your knowledge and enthusiasm.
Ask the students what character traits each exhibited and which
How can educators instill these character traits in students?
15. Consider children’s ages and abilities when you make assign The following are some negative messages being transmitted to children
via television programming and commercials:
ones they had in common. Have them list their own strengths, or
1. In your role as an educator, think about individuals who have influenced
your life. Make a list of the values they possessed that
ments. Teach tenacity by requiring the completion of work and
the virtues they have observed in other students.
honesty by holding the students accountable for doing their Character
9. Ask each student to pretend to be a reporter and interview an old
inspired you. Write down any additional beliefs. Decide which
own lessons.
Be selfish, not generous or cooperative
er person. Together compose a list of questions to ask. For exam
core virtues guide your actions.
16. Show your humility by acknowledging your mistakes. Yet
Be insensitive rather than empathic
ple:
2. Meet with school staff. As a group, develop a list of virtues that
demonstrate perseverance.
Show contempt rather than respect for adults
“What was life like when you were a child?”
everyone can support. Elicit their commitment to model these
17. Remember what Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great Expect instant gratification instead of being patient
“Who was the most important person in your life?”
character traits and to reinforce them in students. You may
things, only small things with great love.” Share your time, Value things instead of relationships with others
“What made him/her special to you?”
want to display the list and/or accentuate one value each week
talents and belongings. Encourage your students to volunteer Violence/Fear
“Can you tell about a special holiday memory?”
or month.
at school and/or in their community. Facilitate altruistic proj Be aggressive rather than using self-control
“Where were you during the war?”
3. Strive to create an impartial, accepting school community that
ects like clothing collections, food donations, cleaning up litter, Use violence instead of negotiating a solution
“What values do you live by?”
cares for all children regardless of differences.
or other beneficial activities.
Feel anxious and fearful, not safe and secure
“When you think about your life, what makes you the most
4. Model the ethical beliefs you want to cultivate in your students
18. Recruit and involve parent and community leaders as support
proud?”
and identify your commendable actions. For example,
ers in the character-building efforts through programs, news Moral/Sexual
“Is there anything you would have done differently?”
“When I do what I say I will do, I am being dependable.”
letters, or other methods.
Use profanity instead of decent language
Have each student draw a picture and/or write a report about the
“I am being fair when I treat each of you the same.”
19. Partner with parents to monitor children’s exposure to media Be abusive rather than caring
person interviewed. Compile the papers in a book.
“When the principal asked me why I was late yesterday, I
and materials that can undermine virtuous behavior and
Be promiscuous, not chaste
10. Provide age-appropriate opportunities for children to develop deci
told the truth even though it was hard to admit that I had
promote early sexual involvement, violence, drug use, and
sion making skills regarding moral judgments. For example:
overslept.
other detrimental behaviors.
Drugs/Health
“You promised to help your grandma clean her apartment, but
5. Read, discuss and act out stories that teach commendable
20. Remind parents that they are their children’s role models. If Use drugs without regard to risks instead of saying no to harmful
at the last minute you are invited to go to the movies with a
character traits. Have the children draw pictures, make up
children are to develop positive character traits, the adults in substances
friend.”
games, songs and/or their own stories about characters who
their lives must live the values they hold dear, as well as em Eat junk food, not healthy food
“You broke your aunt’s favorite vase. But since it was on a high
made ethical choices. As a class project, design and produce a
phasize the importance of building caring relationships rather Take pills to feel better rather than taking responsibility to be fit
shelf, maybe she won’t notice that it is gone.”
mural which depicts character-building virtues.
than accumulating things.
Through constant, unsupervised media exposure children are being
What would you do? (Truthfulness)
6. Challenge students to demonstrate noteworthy character traits.
socialized to be self-centered, unthinking, dissatisfied, impulsive,
Reinforce the positive actions by noticing and commenting. For
“You have an important part in a group project with three other
example,
students. You told them it would be done
disrespectful, sexualized, violent, scared and alienated.
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