Character Education

Miranda Arnold and Kristi Finch

Character is something that everyone has. Unfortunately, a person’s character is

not always good. One aim of educators should be to instill good character qualities
in their students through modeling as well as implicitly and explicitly incorporating
character education into their curriculum. The following outlines ways to
incorporate integrity, respect, leadership, perseverance, leadership, responsibility,
forgiveness, and patriotism into a public school classroom. Since this discussion is
aimed toward students in the fourth grade, Virginia Standards of Learning for the
fourth grade are integrated throughout.
Integrity
Integrity represents a positive lifestyle for students to adopt, serving as the
foundation of an admirable character. It generates truth and honesty as the core for
an individual’s values, choices, and actions. Don Galer translates integrity into
elementary terms, connecting what we believe and our actions, “Integrity is what
we do, what we say, and what we say we do.” Integrity holds great value in the
classroom environment due to the numerous individuals, students and teachers,
coming together in one central place. The classroom provides a place where
multiple relationships and situations arise, lending many opportunities for integrity
to be exercised or neglected.

English
The teacher will read aloud The Empty Pot (Demi, 1996). The
teacher will encourage students to listen carefully and to build their
own opinion of the happenings and actions of Ping, the Emperor,
and the other children. As the teacher reads, the student will
concentrate on specific details to support his or her opinion. There
will be time for small group and whole class discussions. This
activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.1c,d: The student will
use effective oral communication skills in a variety of settings.
Seek ideas and opinions of others. Use evidence to support
opinions.

Social Studies
The teacher will explain how the concept of economy during the
early 1600’s through the American Revolution. Students will come
to understand how money and trade were intertwined into that
time period. The class will discuss possible scenarios of how
integrity may have been shown or may have been neglected in the
trading processes. This idea may be applied to present day
scenarios as well. The teacher will present a situation, such as
money found on the sidewalk or a cashier returning too much
change. Allowing a few moments for the students to ponder, the
teacher will then ask students to give an appropriate response that
demonstrates integrity. This activity fulfills the guidelines of
Virginia Studies SOL VS.4d: The student will demonstrate
knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by describing how money,
barter, and credit were used.
Science
The teacher will provide seeds and pots for each student. He or she
will present aspects of the scientific method, such as observations,
predictions, and conclusions. First as individuals, then in small
groups, the students will determine predictions of the plant. Some
predictions may include where in the room the plants will grow to
the best potential and how tall the plants will grow. This
information will be recorded for later review. Students will be
instructed how to plant the seeds and to nurture the plants as they
grow. Aside from occasional reminders, students will take personal
care of their individual plants. Over a few weeks growing period,
students will record the growth and observations of their plant.
This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.1a,e: The
student will plan and conduct investigations in which distinctions
are made among observations, conclusions, inferences, and
predictions and appropriate metric measures are used to collect,
record, and report data.

Math
The teacher will provide bean seeds as a manipulative to help the
students in their mathematical problems. He or she will incorporate
the character principle integrity by teaching the students to not
manipulate other students’ materials. The beans may be of various
colors, allowing the teacher to use the beans as a means to teach
the students probability and statistics. Each student will be given a
bag of twenty beans. The teacher asks the students to pull out 7
beans. Using the selected beans, what is the probability of the
colors selected in regards to the whole bag? Students will become
familiar with probability and statistical terms. Integrity will further
be instilled by encouraging students to not give false data from
their experiments. This activity fulfills the guidelines of
Mathematics SOL 4.19a,b: The student will predict the likelihood of
outcomes of a simple event, using the terms certain, likely, unlikely,
impossible and determine the probability of a given simple event,
using concrete materials.
Respect
Respect is a character quality that once learned will benefit students in every
aspect of their lives. It is crucial that students are taught from a young age to be
respectful of the people around them. Though they may not agree with the people
around them, they need to show value to others simply because they are human
beings. Millicent Carey McIntosh says, “The most important phase of living with a
person: the respect for that person as in individual.”

As with any other character trait that educators desire to see in their classroom,
respect needs to be modeled by the teacher. “A student never forgets an
encouraging private word, when it is given with sincere respect and admiration,”
Says William Lyon Phelps. If a teacher demands respect from his/her students, then
he/she must be willing to show respect!

English
The teacher will introduce the book The Indian in the Cupboard to
the class. The class will read the book together and individually for
homework over a period of several days, then discuss the ways the
characters showed or did not show respect to each other. Students
will be encouraged to provide adequate, specific examples from the
novel depicting respect. This activity fulfills the guidelines of
English SOL 4.1b: The student will use effective oral communication
skills in a variety of settings: contribute to group discussions.

Social Studies
The teacher will use the book The Indian in the Cupboard to
introduce British culture. This can be tied into the 4th grade Social
Studies SOLs by focusing on the earliest Virginia History when the
British originally settled and brought their culture with them. The
students then role play a scene between the settlers and the Native
Americans in two different ways: one where the two groups show
respect to the other, and the second where the two groups do not
respect each other. To demonstrate the importance of both respect
and the implementation of the Constitution, Don’t Laugh at Me
suggests having the class work together to create a classroom
constitution (Yarrow, 2000, p. 77). After this role playing activity,
students will gain a better understanding of respect for one another
in a community environment. This activity fulfills the guidelines of
Virginia Studies SOL 3g: The student will demonstrate knowledge of
the first permanent English settlement in America by describing the
interactions between the English settlers and the Powhatan people,
including the contributions of the Powhatans to the survival of the
settlers.
Science
The teacher will discuss with the students how even animals show
respect to one another as they function within their environment
and community. Within groups, the students will research and
create a poster on a symbiotic relationship between two different
animal species. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL
4.5: The student will investigate and understand how plants and
animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the
nonliving environment.

Math
The teacher will continue to emphasize the importance of respect
between two different groups of people as it relates to the Native
Americans and the early settlers in Virginia. He/she will integrate
math into this topic by introducing the different methods of trading
that could have occurred between these two groups. The students
will practice measuring different unit of measure and determining
what would be a fair, respectable trade. This activity fulfills the
guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.10b: The student will identify
equivalent measurements between units within the U.S. Customary
system (ounces and pounds) and between units within the metric
system (grams and kilograms).
Leadership
Leaders are vital components to any functional society. It is necessary for people to
set up and guide others in the right direction. Though some people’s talents are
more geared toward becoming a leader, every single person needs to be willing to
be a leader when it comes to something they believe in. Leaders are important
people, but the best ones are humble in their position. John C. Maxwell says, “A
leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” It is incredibly
important for leaders to practice what they preach and stand up for what is right.
Jim Rohn sums up leadership splendidly with these words, “The challenge of
leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not
bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not
arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”

English
The teacher will read George Washington aloud while the students
take note of key events in his life. The students will then take a
short quiz on what was read focusing on ways George Washington
showed leadership such as leading troops in the Revolutionary War
and being the first president of the United States. This activity
fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.2b: The student will make
and listen to oral presentations and reports, listen to and record
information.

Social Studies
The teacher will discuss the ways different men in Virginian history
showed leadership. The students will create a timeline of
significant events involving these men especially George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. Production of the
timelines is an opportunity for students to express their creativity
and originality. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies
SOLs 1f and 5c: The student will develop skills for historical and
geographical analysis including the ability to sequence events in
Virginia history. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the
role of Virginia in the American Revolution by identifying the
various roles played by Virginians in the Revolutionary War era,
with emphasis on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and
Patrick Henry.
Science
The teacher will explain to the class that leadership applies not only
to morality and civics, but also leading people to discovery. The
students will research key figures in the discovery and
understanding of electricity including but not limited to Benjamin
Franklin and Thomas Edison. Students will have the opportunity to
use technology during their research. This activity fulfills the
guidelines of Science SOL 4.3f: The student will investigate and
understand the characteristics of electricity. Key concepts include
historical contributions in understanding electricity.

Math
The teacher will emphasize that leaders are humble and are not too
proud to take the blame for something they have done. He/she will
also explain how leaders do not quickly place blame on those
around them, which is a common occurrence in today’s world.
He/she will then introduce the "Coming Down the Escalator with “I”
Messages” from Don’t Laugh at Me (Yarrow, 2000, p.54). The
students will practice making “I” statements and role play
situations where “I” statements are used or not used. The teacher
will highlight the fact that when an "I” statement is used, a
negative outcome is less likely to ensue, while an unconstructive
situation is certain if blame is placed on others. The class can then
continue studying probabilities as they relate to mathematics as
well as social situations. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Math
SOL 4.19a: The student will predict the likelihood of outcomes of a
simple event, using the terms certain, likely, unlikely, and
impossible.
Perseverance
Perseverance is one quality that seems to be diminishing in today’s society. In the
“microwave” culture that exists today, children are habitually exposed to the “I
want it now” attitude. When something requires work, effort, and a significant
amount of time, suddenly, it is not worth pursuit. However, teachers should instill in
their students that good things are worth working for! Sometimes it is good to
invest time, energy, and even discomfort into something. Josh Billings puts it
quaintly, “Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick
to one thing till it gets there. “ Perseverance is about determining to do something
no matter what it costs. It is being willing to strive toward something that is of
worth. Newt Gingrich wisely says, “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you
get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” What an important lesson in
today’s classroom!

English
The teacher will read Brave Irene aloud to the class. The students
will identify sensory words that the author uses to support the story.
The class will discuss how Irene’s perseverance helps her to
accomplish the goal even when it is very difficult. This activity
fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.4 b,f: The student will read
and demonstrate understanding of fiction; describe how the choice
of language setting, and information contributes to the author’s
purpose; identify sensory words…

Social Studies
The teacher will connect the hardships Irene faced in Brave Irene
with the hardships the settlers at Jamestown faced. The students
will write an essay in which they in which they relate the
experience of the settlers to a situation in their own lives where
they had to persevere. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia
Studies SOL 1e and 3f: The student will develop skills for historical
and geographical analysis including the ability to make connections
between past and present. The student will demonstrate
knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by
describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the
changes that took place to ensure survival.
Science
The teacher will emphasize that perseverance means continuing
with the task at hand and working toward the goal even when there
is opposition. Then he/she will relate this concept to the laws of
motion and how opposing forces can affect motion. The student
will test different materials and their effects on the motion of a
small cart such as tile vs. carpet. This activity fulfills the guidelines
of Science SOL 4.2b,c: The student will investigate and understand
the characteristics and interaction of moving objects. Key concepts
include forces cause changes in motion, and friction is a force that
opposes motion.

Math
Studying fractions is often a difficult area of mathematics, so
perseverance is important! The teacher will provide some sort of
incentive for the students to work toward, such as a class party if
85% of the class gets over an 85% on a fractions quiz. The
students will then work hard to achieve that goal, and if they reach
the objective, they will enjoy the benefits of working hard and
persevering. Not only will students be accountable for their own
improvements, students will also learn to encourage one another
because the goal must be reached as a class. This activity fulfills
the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.9a: The student will add and
subtract with fractions having like and unlike denominators of 12 or
less, using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and paper
and pencil.
Stewardship
Taking care of what one has is an important character trait for students to learn.
Depending on the economic status of the students in the classroom, the children
within a teachers influence may not have a large amout of wealth at their disposal.
Learning to make a little go a long way and being generous with what one has are
skills that will benefit young people for their entire lives. John Wesley says, “Make
all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Another quote that hit right at the
heart of stewardship is this anonymous one, “The real measure of your wealth is
how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.”

English
The teacher will introduce the topic of stewardship by reading The
Berenstain Bears and Trouble with Money aloud to the class.
He/she will then lead a discussion about how people need to make
wise choices with their finances. The students will write a letter to
the characters in the story giving them three pieces of advice about
how they should handle money. This activity fulfills the guidelines
of English SOL 4.7b,c: The student will write effective narratives,
poems, and explanations, develop a plan for writing, and organize
writing to convey a central idea.

Social Studies
The teacher will discuss how the original inhabitants of Virginia, the
First Americans, were good stewards of the land and its resources.
Within groups, the students will research a certain aspect of life for
the First Americans (Food, clothing, or shelter) and how they used
the available resources to make sure their needs were met. They
will then write a paragraph about how their findings. This activity
fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOLs 1h and 2e: The
student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis
including the ability to evaluate and discuss issues orally and in
writing. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the geography
and early inhabitants of Virginia by describing how American
Indians (First Americans) adapted to the climate and their
environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter.
Science
The teacher will explain how stewardship does not only apply to
money, but also to our environment. He/she will discuss the natural
resources that Virginia has and how the inhabitants of the area are
responsible to take care of these. The students will participate in a
stewardship project in which they will collect products to be
recycled (Petrick, 2003). The money earned will be put toward
something for the class or for a local charity or community group.
The “Take It to the Community: Creating a Community Action
Project” activity in Don’t Laugh at Me (Yarrow, 2000, p. 40) is used
to provide ideas for incorporating the community into classroom
activities. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.8:
The student will investigate and understand important Virginia
natural resources.

Math
The teacher will create a system for keeping track of the products
collected for recycling and the money earned from the project. The
students will create charts and graphs of the results and decide
which product brought in the most profit. This activity fulfills the
guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.20: The student will collect,
organize, and display data in line and bar graphs with scale
increments of one or greater than one and use the display to
interpret results, draw conclusions, and make predictions.
Forgiveness
Growing up, children are continually being demanded to forgive their childhood
friend or their brother or sister. Forgiveness is more than a forced action though or
a casual, meaningless “I’m sorry”. It is essential that students understand
forgiveness must be an intentional action or a choice that dismisses wrong doings
by another individual. By granting forgiveness, the student must release bitterness
and grudges. Although ideally forgiveness is a two-way street, emphasis needs to
show students that forgiveness is not dependant on the other party’s actions or
willingness to forgive.

English
The teacher will introduce the book The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe (Lewis, 1950). This book will be read as a class during
lesson time and portions will also be assigned as homework.
Throughout the reading, the students will develop an understanding
of how the characters had to practice forgiveness towards one
another in order to work as a unified team striving to conquer the
next task or challenge. Students will recognize turning points and
minor events in the text. As an alternative activity, possibly even
as an additional assignment for gifted students, Essentials of
Children’s Literature suggests allowing “students to write a
different ending to the story read” (Brown, 2005, p. 267). This
activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.4d: The student will
read and demonstrate comprehension of fiction. Identify major
events and supporting details.

Social Studies
The teacher will incorporate the ideal of forgiveness into the social
studies subject area by revealing a conflicting perspective on
forgiveness. Although not a direct “I forgive you,” students will
realize that advancements have been made in the past through
compromise and moving forward despite past differences. The
class will study the contributions of individuals, groups, and
documents that supported the growth of our country from 1900 to
present day. Students can relate this idea to the novel by stating
how forgiveness allowed the children to succeed in their new
kingdom. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL
VS.9: The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth
century Virginia by describing the economic and social transition
from a rural, agricultural society to a more urban, industrialized
society, including the reasons people came to Virginia from other
states and countries, identifying the social and political events in
Virginia linked to desegregation and Massive Resistance and their
relationship to national history, and identifying the political, social,
and/or economic contributions made by Maggie Walker, Harry F.
Byrd, Sr., Arthur R Ashe, Jr., and L. Douglas Wilder.
Science
The teacher will use the parallel between forgiveness and
bitterness to convey force and friction. He or she will relate
forgiveness to force as scientifically, force changes the direction of
an object. To show the contrary, bitterness will stand for friction
since friction works against motion just as bitterness conflicts with
effective progress. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science
SOL 4.2b,c: The student will investigate and understand
characteristics and interaction of moving objects. Key concepts
include forces cause changes in motion and friction is a force that
opposes motion.

Math
The teacher will assign an activity that involves geometry and art.
Each student will draw a picture representing a scene of
forgiveness between the characters from The Lion, the Witch, and
the Wardrobe (Lewis). This will not be a regular drawing though.
The student will be required to include geometrical concepts into
their drawing, which may consist of points, lines, angles, and so
forth. The teacher will give examples on the board. One example
may be a house that is made with right angles. Students will
present their drawing to the class making reference to their use of
geometry in their picture. These pictures will then be displayed
throughout the classroom. This activity fulfills the guidelines of
Mathematics SOL 4.15a: The student will identify and draw
representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles,
using a straightedge or ruler.
Responsibility
Abigail Van Buren portrayed an understanding of children and responsibility, “If you
want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their
shoulders.” Responsibility is a learned trait where students grow and develop
qualities that enable a self-lead, productive life. It is vital for a teacher to give the
students responsibility in the classroom as it gives them something to take pride in
and be accountable for, even if sometimes that means taking the blame for a
mistake or error.

English
The teacher will read Shiloh aloud to the class throughout a period
of time (Naylor, 2000). After the completion of the book, the
student will be given a topic or prompt to write a short essay on.
The prompt will encourage students to explain their journey
through a given responsibility. This activity will benefit the students
in their writing processes, as well as guiding them to apply
responsibility in their own life. Instead of being given a prompt
suggesting responsibility, the student may also choose to write
their essay on a pet, plant, or other object they are held responsible
of at home. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.7d:
The student will write effective narratives, poems, and
explanations. Write several related paragraphs on the same topic.

Social Studies
The teacher will encourage students to contemplate the cause and
effect of Marty’s decision to take responsibility for the dog, Shiloh.
The student will clarify what the positive and negative
consequences were of Marty’s decision. The class will realize that
responsibility may not always be easy, but it is always worth the
effort. Identifying cause and effect relationships can be reinforced
by simply discussing scenarios, where the students will need to
make a decision whether or not to take responsibility for their
actions. In More Good Ideas to Help Young People Develop Good
Character, a chart is given to help students visualize the cause and
effect relationship (Nish, 2004). After reading a scenario, the
teacher will seek student feedback. He or she will list the
suggested choices given by the students. As a class, they will
brainstorm what the possible outcomes of those choices will be.
They will then balance the options and make a conclusion based
upon the best, possible outcome demonstrating responsibility. This
activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.1b: The
student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis
including the ability to determine cause and effect relationships.
Science
The teacher will introduce a plant growing activity that enables the
students to take responsibility for their own plant just as Marty took
responsibility for the care and growth of Shiloh. Throughout the
lesson, the student will gain knowledge in plant structures and
growing processes. Students can later evaluate their plant growth
and conclude what actions could have been improved to increase
growth. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL Science
4.4: The student will investigate and understand basic plant
anatomy and life processes. Key concepts include the structures of
typical plants (leaves, stems, roots, and flowers), processes and
structures involved with reproduction (pollination, stamen, pistil,
sepal, embryo, spore, and seed), photosynthesis (sunlight,
chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sugar), and
dormancy.

Math
The teacher will demonstrate the use of measuring devices to the
class using metric and U.S. customary units. As the students’
plants grow, they will be responsible for recording data. The data
will consist of the measurements as the plants grow in different
units such as inches, feet, and other such units. The student will
practice measurement estimation before using the actual
measuring devices, as well as converting the measurements
between metric and U.S. standards. This activity fulfills the
guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.11a,b: The student will estimate
and measure length, using actual measuring devices, and describe
the results in both metric and U.S. Customary units, including part
of an inch (1/2, ¼, and 1/8), inches, feet, yards, millimeters,
centimeters, and meters and identify equivalent measurements
between units within the U.S. Customary system (inches and feet;
feet and yards; inches and yards) and between units within the
metric system (millimeters and centimeters; centimeters and
meters; and millimeters and meters).
Patriotism
Patriotism is another principle trait that reflects a person’s character. It models an
attitude that is appreciative of the nation in which one is born. Living in America,
the students should understand, respect, and portray pride in the liberties that the
United States of America entails. These are liberties and rights that some countries
are not guaranteed and should therefore be held in high esteem, just as many of
our fore fathers had. Patriotism also stems in the recognition of the hard work and
sacrifices of those that came before this generation. Appreciation of this nation can
be displayed in various ways, which will be discovered throughout the subject
integration.

English
The teacher will introduce patriotism through the non-fiction,
picture book about Patrick Henry, titled, Where Was Patrick Henry
on the 29th of May? (Fritz, 1997). This short book will be read by the
students in small groups. Students will discuss in their small groups
the progressions of Henry’s life and how he displayed patriotism.
The group will brainstorm what it means to be patriotic and
conclude by creating a formal, written definition. To help establish
their definition, groups may use other sources such as dictionaries
and thesaurus. Students may not reproduce any of the definitions
found, but may reestablish the ideas in their own, creative
manners. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.3c,d:
The student will read fiction and nonfiction with fluency and
accuracy. Use knowledge of words origins; synonyms, antonyms,
and homonyms; and multiple meanings of words. Use word-
reference materials, including the glossary, dictionary, and
thesaurus.

Social Studies
The teacher will emphasize the role of Patrick Henry in the
American Revolution. The central idea to be passed on is how
Patrick Henry’s patriotism led him to his “Give me liberty or give me
death” speech, which he is popularly known for. Although this
statement sounds extreme, Henry was demonstrating the
immeasurable need for America’s liberty and the firm stand he was
willing to take to achieve this liberty. This short book, Where was
Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?, on the historical life of Patrick
Henry will help create an understanding of the effects he had on
America’s liberty (Fritz). Students will draw conclusions on how
Patrick Henry has influenced the way Americans live today. This
activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.1e: The
student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis
including the ability to make connections between past and
present. It also fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.5b:
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in
the American Revolution by identifying the various roles played by
Virginians in the Revolutionary War era, with emphasis on George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.
Science
The teacher will integrate patriotism into the science concentration
by relating the student’s pride for Virginia to the concern for
Virginia’s natural resources. The teacher will touch base on
Virginia’s resources including water, plants and animals, and other
such factors. The connection between patriotism and natural
resources will be made by explaining that people who are prideful
of their nation will exercise their pride by taking care of their
environment and being diligent with the natural resources. This
activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL Science 4.8: The
student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural
resources. Key concepts include watershed and water resources,
animals and plants, minerals, rocks, ores, and energy sources, and
forests, soil, and land.

Math
The teacher will teach a lesson concerning fractions with
denominators less than twelve. The “partitioning figures” activity
from Learning Mathematics in Elementary and Middle Schools will
integrate both the concept of fractions, as well as the character
principle of patriotism (Cathcart, 2006). Students will trace a
decent size heart on durable paper and then cut the star out. After
a lesson on fractions, students will be instructed to cut the star into
equal portions according to the fraction dictated by the teacher.
The star will portray patriotism as it represents the stars on the
American flag. This activity can be done numerous ways with
various shapes and fractions. This activity fulfills the guidelines of
Mathematics SOL 4.2: The student will identify, model, and
compare rational numbers (fractions and mixed numbers), using
concrete objects and pictures, represent equivalent fractions, and
relate fractions to decimals, using concrete objects.
Conclusion
The eight character traits consisting of integrity, respect, leadership, perseverance,
leadership, responsibility, forgiveness, and patriotism were found to be most
prominent in classroom education. By integrating these principles into a fourth
grade curriculum, students are placed in an environment where they will most
definitely observe and ideally practice these traits. It is vital that the educator
demonstrates these eight character traits as an example to the students. In time,
students will foster an appreciation of this character education as they each build
their own positive characters. This list of character traits is not finite; the list
continues. From the implementation of these specific eight principles, students will
eventually expand their character by instilling other traits that stem from the ones
mentioned above.
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