Teaching Morals and Character at State University :: Teaching Education Essays

Teaching Morals and Character at put forward UniversityIntroduction Several weeks ago, there was a slight uproar on relegate U.s campus when a threatening homophobic heart was free-base scrawled on a savants personal belongings. The controversy rotated around the intentions of this message and, once it was discovered who had written the message, how that individual should be punished. Most of the dialogue on campus, both amongst the administration and the student body, concentrate on the individuals motives, the individuals actions, and the individuals punishment. Yet, I argue that such actions can not simply be attributed to the character of the individual, but also reflect the character of the institution. A some humorous, yet appalling parallel can be drawn amongst this situation and single presented by constructionist Rheta DeVries during her discussion of teaching piety in a classroom of three-year-olds where a teacher found pee on the floor of the bathroom for severa l consecutive days. DeVries wrote, The teacher did not know who was responsible, but suspected that more than one child was involved. She reckon that they were not being malicious but thought it was funny (2). In this same manner, the State U. individual who wrote a threatening, homophobic message belike did not do so out of sheer hate, or with unhealthful intentions. Nevertheless, the message offended the State U. community in the same elbow room that the urine on the bathroom floor interrupted the three-year-olds classroom. In both situations, we must ask ourselves what encouraged such actions? Why did the three-year-olds think it was authorise to urinate on the floor? Why does a State U. student think it is permissible to write such a negative message? Neither the children nor the college student would turn in committed such acts had they believed that it would not have been accepted if not by everyone, at least by the majority.This State U. student faced a semester of sus pension for his actions, but was permitted to return to give instruction the following year. However, short-lived suspension is not the only necessary action. By temporarily ridding the institution of this individual, State U. alleviated the symptoms of immorality but avoided straight off treating the problem at hand State U.s moral atmosphere. such(prenominal) a negative action, even if committed merely by one student, is a summons to the institution to re-examine its ethical environment in order to prevent inconsiderate actions before they occur, not treat them afterward the fact.