I recently watched a TED Talk by James Bridle discussing the nightmare videos that find themselves on children’s YouTube, and that our kids consume. Later that same day, I found myself in a conversation with a friend who has an adolescent son. I brought up the TED Talk and after summarizing the message, my friend surprised me with his response. I was expecting him to be alarmed and to suggest that he would either prevent his child from watching YouTube again or that he could only watch it in the presence of a parent. Instead, he told me that he believes that he cannot prevent his kid from facing the cruel realities of the world. He will be exposed to bullying, racism, sexism and he will witness and experience hurt. And then he gave me a serious look and with utter confidence explained that his biggest hope is that his child will make the right decisions and lead a life of character when faced with awful events and people. The emphasis in their household has always been and will continue to be treating people with kindness, having good judgment, leading through example, asking questions and giving full effort. Character matters in this world and character matters in the future world.
In the province of Ontario, there has been a heated debate regarding the new Premier’s decision to scrap the Health and Physical Education curriculum that was implemented in 2015 and revert back to the previous version, drafted in 1998. There are so many emotions being explored on both sides of the debate and people are taking to social media, news outlets and the streets to give strength to their voice. Some teachers are suggesting they will never revert back to the old curriculum and continue to teach the more updated version. As I read through some of the public debates, the insults thrown by both sides, the claims of ignorance and perversion and the raw emotions, I am reminded that never has it been more important to focus on character education in classrooms. Content changes over time, science evolves, our understanding of the world and of ourselves shifts but very few people would argue that the character traits our society values have changed much. When I was in elementary school, I was taught that koalas were called koala bears and that Pluto was the ninth planet in our solar system (it may still be, I hear conflicting reports!). The point is, while definitions may change over time (and by no means am I suggesting we should go back in time to older versions), we can probably all agree that we value honesty, creativity, perspective, love, kindness, gratitude, hope, and humor and that this has not changed in the past 25 years. I love Martin Seligman’s work on this topic and the attempt to challenge the idea of moral relativism when it comes to character. This concept speaks to both conservatives and liberals alike. When they cannot see eye to eye on polarizing topics, they should be able to agree that social intelligence, prudence, self-regulation, teamwork, bravery and love of learning and essential positive character traits that should be taught to the next generation, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum. And the best part is that these strengths can be cultivated – they are not set in stone from birth.
There will be many more debates in the time ahead about what to teach our future generations. My real hope is that we do not replace character with content. If you know of anyone who wants to explore their character strengths further and how to best utilize them when finding a best fit college, university or career, contact Best Fit Educational Consulting at info@guidingyourfuture.com or follow on Twitter @Educationalfit.
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