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Character
Education - Respect
by
W. J. Conover, secondary teacher
Character
education respect is not my way of saying that we should respect character
education. It is my way of getting your attention, of taking poetic license to
make you re-read. Character education must include respect, for it is one of the
first character traits that society notices. Respect is a trait that quickly sets
us apart as people who have character. So let's take a few minutes to consider
it.
Character
education respect, to continue my little ploy, is a trait that deals with
the way we view others. We view them as being worthy or unworthy of a degree of
honor. The amount of respect we offer will vary from one individual to the next,
depending on the degree to which we think that person ought to be honored. But
if we honor them to no degree, we show no respect. |
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Respect
comes down to the basic golden rule of doing to others as we would want them to
do to us. It is a matter of treating others the way we want to be treated. This
is perhaps the easiest way to present respect to children and teens. Do we want
people to be considerate of us? Then we should be considerate of them. Do we want
others to refrain from embarrassing us, ridiculing us, or hurting our feelings?
There are many questions we can ask to test our respect. Character
education respect will help younger people show appropriate honor to older
people; to authority figures such as police officers, teachers, and parents. It
will cause all of us to respect individual differences with which we were born.
We must beware, however, that we do not teach others to accept that which is wrong.
We show respect to those of a different ethnic background, but we do not respect
criminal activity. We respect government leaders, but we do not show them honor
in areas where they display a lack of integrity or other wrong.
Respect
and honor means to make splendid in the eyes of others. Look for the beauty in
each person. Look for the uniqueness. Seek out the hidden gifts. Play up what
you see that is good. Oh, and while you are teaching others, consider the respect
due to your spouse; the respect that avoids husband bashing or wife bashing before
others. | |
