THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607260428
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 88 lines
With overwhelming community support, the School Board voted Thursday to require that city teachers in the coming school year teach students about choosing right from wrong and instill such character traits as honesty, respect and responsibility.
The character education program, which still must be developed, will be built around 16 character traits decided by a 34-member committee of parents, students, educators and community leaders.
While the idea of teaching values in public schools has been controversial around the country, the local plan has stirred scant opposition.
One person spoke against schools teaching the moral values at a public airing of the 16 traits in May. In June, 91 percent of 1,669 parents and educators who responded to a school survey said they supported the committee's recommendations. Of those respondents, 1,202 were parents and 239 were teachers.
The key, said officials, was the school district's approach: to seek consensus on values that were shared by a broad segment of the community.
``These are universal traits that cut across various religious and ethnic groups and the diversity of the community,'' said committee member Gloria Hagans, senior coordinator of social studies for Norfolk schools.
Hagans said the board's endorsement will ``institutionalize character education as an essential mission of our schools.''
School Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. said the program won't move into the schools until mid-year, probably January. The next step, he said, is for educators, with help from parents, to decide how to integrate teaching of the traits into the existing curriculum.
Initial efforts will focus on elementary schools, Nichols said.
``I don't see this as being a new course or class or curriculum,'' Nichols said. ``I see it as something that teachers reflect in their everyday teaching and in the way the class functions. It would be hard, for example, for a teacher to teach about tolerance and then to be intolerant with the children.''
``It's one of those things that pays dividends in the long run with better student behavior,'' he said.
Committee member Fran Dugan, principal of Campostella Elementary School, said the plan shouldn't create more work for teachers. Ideally, she said, teachers will naturally work lessons about character and values into everyday instruction.
``We all should live through these values and therefore communicate them to the children,'' Dugan said. ``It should pervade the climate.''
The School Board began discussing the idea last summer as a way to reduce student misconduct. In a growing trend, school districts nationwide are embracing character education, partly in response to a perceived breakdown in family, civic and religious bonds.
Locally, the Portsmouth School Board last month approved a plan to begin a districtwide character education program emphasizing nine traits beginning the second semester of the 1996-97 year.
A co-chair of the Norfolk committee, School Board member Anna Dodson, said: ``I think the main significance is to reinforce those values and traits parents have started at the home.''
In some cases, however, committee members said children haven't learned manners or others of the 16 traits that will be taught, including tolerance, compassion, work ethic and integrity.
``I think it will have a positive effect. Clearly there is a consensus in the city and the region that character education is needed,'' said committee member B.J. Stancel, president of the Park Place Civic League. ``We have been moving toward a time where there was no respect toward authority and maybe this will help bring some of that back.''
Added committee member Beryl Love, director of the Tidewater Boy Scouts: ``It's timely and necessary and it can only help.'' ILLUSTRATION: [16 CHARACTER TRAITS]
Respect
Honesty
Responsibility
Work ethic
Courage
Self-discipline
Tolerance
Compassion
Citizenship
Manners
Perseverance
Integrity
Altruism/Kindness
Trustworthiness
Hospitality
Patience
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK SCHOOL BOARD NORFOLK SCHOOLS by CNB