What Is Character Education?

From 1998 to 2002, Jason Wilton Wetzel was director of character education for the Georgia Department of Education, introducing character education to 1,800 schools. Jason Wilton Wetzel also served as associate director for character education for the Georgia Humanities Council.

Character education is a process of teaching students to cherish the society to which they belong by learning the common values, beliefs, and attitudes important to that society. The goal of character education is to give a person a sense of ethics and justice and to inculcate a sense of belonging and citizenship.

The school setting presents an ideal environment for teaching character education since students spend most of their time there. The first step is for educators and parents alike to define what character traits should be emphasized, and integrate them into school activities. Students and educators also model these traits.

With its emphasis on attitude adjustment, character education can help students improve their level of interaction with fellow students and teachers. Character education also can positively affect academic performance, since it teaches the values of diligence and responsibility.