Nurturing Good Character – An Introduction

Charles Debelak
Three factors help to habituate virtue and develop good character – teaching, training, and teachers.

by Charles Debelak

This article was written for the Birchwood community by Head of School Charles Debelak and appeared in Birchwood School of Hawken’s Clipboard newsletter. Mr. Debelak’s writing provides parents with information about sound educational principles and child development issues gleaned from history, contemporary research, and his 50+ years of educating, coaching, and counseling children, young adults, and parents.

A Glossary of Terms
Good character is the aggregate of habituated virtues. In the aggregate, good character defines and describes the attitudes and behaviors, i.e. virtues, which lead to growth. Someone of good character, in good times or bad, has a mindset to grow, thrive, and flourish. Growth might be related to personal accomplishments or overcoming hardships. It might relate to one’s contributions to social circles – family, friends, colleagues. In whatever manner, good character describes a person who is in a process that leads to excellence, and that excellence elicits the respect and admiration of others.
 
The term virtue is derived from the Greek word arete, meaning excellencies. Virtues are behaviors that describe excellency in conduct, but not in the way most people think of excellent conduct. As we use the term at Birchwood, virtue does not refer to a Victorian standard of morality. That definition usually leads to arrogance and hypocrisy. Instead, virtuous behavior releases a life energy that empowers growth, thriving, and flourishing. Virtues, as behaviors of growth, are within the grasp of every human being. Additionally, every child is born with the potential to become virtuous. This potential, however, requires careful, loving attention to become an actuality.
 
The word development signifies a process that is carried out over time. It is well planned and well organized. It is consistent and continuous, carried out by responsible adults who are committed to the process. Commitment is essential because character development requires an extended period of time. History and science tell us that the most formative age for character development extends from ages five or six (the approximate age of reason), to the early teen years. The word development also implies an understanding that character growth is incremental, and each year as children mature, new strategies will be needed to meet developmental needs.
 
Three factors help to habituate virtue and develop good character – teaching, training, and teachers. Teaching virtue has two aspects. First, it inspires. Because children possess the potential for virtue, when they hear teaching about virtue, their latent aspirations spontaneously respond. Instinctively they desire to emulate the lesson they have learned. This aspect of teaching establishes a framework for virtuous growth. Second, teaching awakens “sleepy” aspirations. There is something peculiar about the human psyche. We easily forget simple truths that inspire us to grow and flourish, and just as easily we pick up vices that undermine growth. Although people know that in order to grow, they need courage, self-control, compassion or gratitude, they forget what they know to be true and instead embrace cowardice, hedonism, selfishness, and greed. Teaching virtue awakens the truth within a child’s heart and inspires a renewed commitment to virtue.
 
Training refers to the process by which virtues are habituated through practice. Training requires a comprehensive and systematic blueprint to build habits over time. The Greeks called this learning environment paedia. The paedia refers to the entire culture and environment that passes on the values and culture to a younger generation. Created by dedicated and responsible adults, it is a cohesive and systematic, character development ecosystem, in which virtuous behaviors are practiced until they are habituated. Good character is the end result.
 
Teachers of virtue are primarily those who model virtue. This model, as noted earlier, does not refer to some Victorian model of virtue, rather this model of virtue refers to someone who is growing and thriving because he or she is practicing virtue. Children learn about virtue (or vice) through adult models.
 
Children are wired to make sense of their world and to create their own place and story in the world. Whether they recognize it or not, their minds are studying the people and stories that surround them and based upon the models they see and know, children fashion their own life story, year after year, about who and what they want to be. Children model their parents, their teachers, biographical characters, and even literary characters.

From the Birchwood School of Hawken Clipboard newsletter.

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