Morality To Our Children In Schools example essay topic

403 words
The question of teaching morality in schools is vital to our educational system. Children today are becoming less and less cooperative in the classroom. Teachers today are taking measures unheard of in our parents time, such as learning self-defense techniques. However, a key question is whether or not lack of morality is the root of this problem. Some would argue that it is, and it is the schools responsibility to teach young children morality. However, I disagree.

Morality is the internalized belief of what is right and what is wrong. Whether or not we behave according to our morality is a separate issue from what we think is right or wrong. For example, a student may believe that it is morally wrong to cheat on a test; however, under certain circumstances, that same student may in fact cheat. Thus, before we even start to consider if it is right to try to teach morality to our children in schools, we have to have a better understanding of moral thought versus moral behavior. We also need to understand the difference in social norms.

For example, most cultures would argue that murder is morally wrong. However, social norms are determined by society, and it may differ from one culture to another. Belching at the dinner table may be considered inappropriate in some cultures, and a mark of adulthood in others. Thus, in order to argue that moral thought or condition should be taught, we should be clear on what would or would not be considered a moral issue. If we can agree what a moral issue is, can we then develop techniques that would be appropriate to instill those believes in children. For example, suppose we assume that it is morally appropriate to share.

Most people would agree that pro social beh a vi or such as sharing is good for our children to practice. However, what techniques would best instill this behavior in our children? Preaching and modeling sharing might lead our children to think that sharing is good; however, what effect does that have on overt behavior? Teachers do not have the same influence on children as parents and peers, and thus, trying to teach morality in the schools is both a waste of time and energy that could best be spent elsewhere.