School isn’t just a place for learning technical skills and subjects. As one of the first institutions that children encounter, it is also an important outlet for our children to develop character and build good moral values.
Character building must be a part of every school curriculum to ensure young children are taught about trustworthiness, fairness, caring, respect, responsibility, and citizenship.
Importance of Character Building in School
Character education plays a vital role in every person’s life, whether in school, at home, or in the community.
In schools, teachers are responsible for their student’s well-being and welfare. This is why there need to be school activities and evaluations that will build young people’s moral character, which will help them grow up to be well-rounded adults in the near future.
Through character building, students will become great leaders themselves. They will grow up to be highly effective leaders who get results done as quickly and efficiently as possible. They will also become more confident in their abilities, intelligence, and skills. This will also lead them to be able to live strong and purpose-driven lives,
They will always be in pursuit of making a difference in the world.
How to Build Students’ Character
As second parents, educators are responsible for building their students’ character while in school. This is to ensure that they are given a strong foundation that will help build them up to become great individuals who genuinely care about themselves, others, and everything around them.
Here are some tips on how to help students build character in school.
Set Behaviour Goals
This is a recommended activity in the classroom to teach students a particular character trait or skill they can develop. Behaviour goals do not need to be grand. Minor improvements in their behaviour can be made through simple actions, such as following the teacher’s instructions quickly, facing and listening to the teacher when they are talking, finishing school work immediately, using kind words when talking to classmates, and going to school on time, to name a few.
Focus on One Character Trait at a Time
This is especially helpful for Primary students because they need more time to learn something new. To ensure that they will understand and learn all the essential character traits, it would help to focus on one attribute at a time. That way, they will have more time to absorb what is taught to them. Doing so will also ensure that they can practice it for a good amount of time, helping them retain its meaning and importance faster.
Teach through Literature
Reading books that deal with problems and discussing the characters and events in the story also helps instil certain traits in young people. Observe how students react to situations and help them evaluate their emotions. Translate their realisations into actions. Practice activities that will allow them to deal with the problematic situations encountered during the reading sessions. That way, they will learn how to respond appropriately to certain situations, so they do not offend or harm others.
Be Consistent
The key to education is consistency. When teachers are consistent in teaching students about character building in a consistent manner, young people tend to follow through. This is especially important for students needing more attention and more time to absorb new lessons.
Conclusion
A person’s character is the magic ingredient – the one piece of the puzzle – that makes one whole and unique. It is something that sets you apart from the rest. Men and women with powerful characters made remarkable marks in history. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Mother Teresa, Queen Elizabeth II, and Abraham Lincoln are just some of the most notable persons who helped change the world because of their strong characters.
Whether you are a student, teacher, manager, or even someone who simply wants to do more and achieve more in life, you can do anything you set your heart and mind to if you start by building your character. At StrengthsAsia, we can help you with our range of learning and development programs, in particular, our leadership development training in Singapore and across Asia. This workshop utilises the well-established StrengthsFinder tool to encourage participants to hone their strengths and become better versions of themselves. For teachers, our teacher training workshop in Singapore can come in handy. Contact us here if you would like to find out more about StrengthsAsia.
