Character is something that is in all of us. Character is our beliefs, our morals, and our true self deep within us. Character how we are perceived by others and ourselves. Character is not just being shy, extroverted, or mean. Character is deeper and more defined such as wisdom, courage, zest, curiosity, and prudence. Some people believe character is constant and does not change throughout life. Character does not stay the same, but instead, it is constantly developing based on our environment. There are three main factors that play into developing our character, experiences, society, and individual people, more specifically teachers. Whether these are good or bad changes, they do occur without us realizing it. The individual person does not …show more content…
We learn lessons through life, and these lessons change our character. Experiences can affect our character either in a good or bad way. For example, a man decides one day to volunteer he time to helping the poor. He finds a soup kitchen that lets him volunteer twice a week. After volunteering for a year, the man starts to realize how fortunate he is. Through his experience of volunteering at the soup kitchen and talking to the people there, the man starts to change. He no longer complains about the leaky sink, the snoring man next door, or the job he has. Overtime he sees what he has and feels gratitude and apperception towards those things. In this case, the man’s experience at the soup kitchen has changed his character for the good. There are good changes in character, but there are many bad ones too. We all know the one person that is a grump, mean, and never has anything nice to say about anything. What if we learned that the person has gone through a hard experience? Would that change how we acted around him? You take the time one day to try and talk to him, and you learn that he has had a harsh life. He was in the Vietnam War and watch many of his pals die, lost his wife and child to a drunk driver, and he has no family or friends. The man’s experiences caused him to lose many pieces of his character. He used to be a zesty man, but the War caused him to lose his spunky self. The …show more content…
A specific group of people that affect us individually are teachers. Teachers interact with us every day, therefore they have the ability to change our character. Many teachers teach more than just logarithms, the structure of DNA, and the Battle of Wounded Knee. They teach us about morality, responsibility, leadership, and teamwork. Art teachers teach us how to appreciate the beauty around us. Lahey, a middle school English teacher herself, wrote about the importance of teaching character education in classrooms. She said, “The core virtues -- prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice -- make it into nearly every lesson we teach at our school and every facet of our daily lives on campus” (Lahey). Teachers are teaching us character every day in the classrooms, and we unconsciously soak it in and slowly over time will change our ways. There are always stories of former students talking about a teacher that taught the something important, something more than just numbers and words on page. They taught character. Teachers affect our character just as much as society. However, not everyone believes that character changes at
(#4) The British naturalist and politician John Lubbock wrote, “Your character will be what you yourself choose to make it.” Do we choose our own character traits, or is our character formed by influences beyond our control? In other words, Character is the qualities that vary in individuals.Childrens character is the most concerned these days. Adults believe that character in a child is usually developed depending of how the child was raised during childhood however, rising 9th graders, believe that they can self mold themselves a character through finding friends and making mistakes in high school.What many people fail to realize is that it all varies on the child.
A character is a person in a story that plays a particular role. Stories require characters so that it forms conflicts, tensions and resolutions. Characters also carry certain traits to make the story interesting and unique. Each character might have different attributes. Others could have similar and different qualities. Those who read many novels might notice that characters from various books are similar to each other to an extent, but are not completely the same. The old English poem, Beowulf, and Shakespeare's Macbeth contain characters with similar characteristics. Beowulf and Macbeth share similar traits, but do not have the same objective. Comparing and contrasting determine the similarities and differences of things. Comparing and contrasting is an excellent tool to determine what is right and wrong. When choosing the best car to drive, comparing and contrasting helps in the choice of the best vehicle. Macbeth and Beowulf demonstrate that a warrior's motivations matter for both soldiers and the people.
Character is often the setting stone on what a person is judged upon. For someone to have character, they must noticeably stand out, and do extraordinary tasks that a normal student would not usually do. From school activities to sports clubs, I myself carry unique characteristics that set me apart from other students.
Dr. Seuss once wrote that “today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you”, but what makes a person unique? A person’s character is what makes them who they are. It is the foundation of personality, words, and actions, and it grows with every trial in an individual’s life. Personal struggle develops character because it brings to light what a person will and will not do, allows them to find or develop talents, it creates an opportunity to alter their mindset, and the experience gained will stay with the individual forever.
Doaker- A forty seven year old, tall, patient man that has a lot of respect for others. Even though he caves into people he is still a respectable figure.
Being committed to something comes from an effort within. Being obligated is a sense of duty. Sometimes they may seem alike. In Ernest J. Gaines’s novel A Lesson Before Dying, we are introduced to a young man named Jefferson who is being put to death and a teacher named Grant Wilson. Their paths will intertwine when Grant is asked by Jefferson’s godmother to teach him to be a man. What starts off as an obligation becomes a commitment to teaching and learning what it means to be a man, a human being. With the help of strong women and a diligent reverend, a lesson truly taught. In this novel, Gaines wants the reader to understand that obligation and commitment is sometimes very difficult to define.
Authors develop characters’ personalities in order to add depth to their story and allow readers to feel more connected to the characters. Beyond this, characterization also allows authors to develop the themes of their stories in a more clear manner. A prime example of this would be in the poem Judith, where the author contrasts Judith and Holofernes’ personalities in order to develop the major themes of heroism and having faith in God.
U.S. Department of Education. (2011). Character education…our shared responsibility. Retrieved August 22, 2011 from http://www2.ed.gov.
A tragic character is someone who experiences misfortune in courtesy of poor judgment, fate or a conflicted personality. In the tragedy, Antigone, there is a heavy debate over whether Antigone or Creon is the tragic character. Creon can be classified as the tragic character of the play because he has been affected the most due to his decision of sentencing Antigone to death. For instance, a fight emerges between the king and his son, Haimon, as a result of his harsh punishment. Also, he lets his pride get in the way which triggers the suicide of Haimon and his wife, Eurydice. By the end of the tragedy, Creon is forced to live through the painful death of his family, thus being the tragic character because he suffered the most.
In today’s schools I think the method of teaching character is not addressed appropriately. I do not believe the way that schools I have attended and observed are teaching character in a manner that will promote a lasting impact on the students. What I have experienced is exactly what Berkowitz says not to do when teaching character; posters, worksheets, and morning definitions by students of what character means to them. Practically in the high school I attended they painted a wall about character. The students are not going to change or learn how to show character by these methods. I think it is important for today’s teachers and future teachers to realize how to promote character to students so that the students can carry it with them their whole lives. Berkowitz suggests a few techniques to do when trying to create students with positive character. Some of the ideas include building stong heathy relationships and being a positive role model for students. My critique of Berkowitz’s work about character is that I fully agree with his thoughts. Being a student who graduated high school from a National School of Character I believe that the school systems do have the idea of how to create a school full of positive character is not being addressed appropriately. I hope that administration staff and educators within the school districts get a hold of Berkowitz’s work to enhance their character education
Leadership has been studied and defined since the beginning of times. Throughout history, the leadership theory was characterized by the idea of leaders being great men who were brave and sources of authority and Justice (Marsiglia). However, leadership theories have changed over time and new ones have been developed. Similarly, in today’s time, a leader’s leadership style is defined as the way a leader approaches action towards followers to accomplish a mission. Despite the fact that leadership styles are vital, it is concluded that the essence of leadership is actually an individual’s personality and what provides the motivation, purpose, and direction to lead efficiently towards accomplishments. Personality types are known to be important in leadership because they help a leader develop followers accordingly, make valuable and timely decisions, and have a different perspective to accomplish a job. Personality shapes leadership and therefore also leadership styles. Without personality, there would be no leadership styles. Personality types provides the base for leadership development, style, and the foundations for qualities needed for any leadership position.
Character education has been defined in many ways and through the review of research literature; many of the definitions amongst them share mutual premises. In John Hoge’s research study about character and citizenship education and the social studies, he defined character education as, “any conscious or overt effort to influence the development of desirable individual qualities or traits” (Hoge, 2002). The schools that were included in a study conducted by Paul Dovre in 2007 were deemed to be National Schools of Character. According to his research, they “exemplified Character Education Pa...
One can say, "Character education is as old as education itself." There is some truth into that statement as teaching character extends into prehistory itself. In Western philosophy, early Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle believed that happiness requires virtue; hence a person who wanted to be happy needed “virtuous amounts of character”. Socrates identifies happiness with pleasure and explains “various virtues as instrumental means to pleasure.” Plato on the other hand expands on Socrates’ theo...
Teachers serve as the guiding force in a student’s life. They are responsible for molding a student’s personality and shaping his/her mental orientation. Teachers deeply impact our lives and direct the course of our future. One cannot deny the influence of teachers in one’s life. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that, till a certain age, out life revolves around our teachers. They are our constant companions, until we grow old enough to come out of their shadow and move ahead on our own.
It was not until the 1840s when character education became a priority focus within the classroom. Horace Mann was an American politician and education reformer who is known as the ‘father of public school.’ Mann said that the key to good society is “best expressed in these few and simple words: ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it’(ppt).” Reflecting on Mann’s quote, I believe he was sharing his belief that public school could have a positive social and moral effect on students beyond the academic benefit they receive from the classroom and that he felt it was worthy of being intentionally taught. When Horace Mann passed away in the 1850s, John Dewey took that notion even deeper than Mann and emphasized the impact of character and moral education on the current society as well as the society of the future. Dewey believed that the school should create an environment similar to a community center in the sense of giving students an awareness regarding how their choices and behavior affect