Why Virtue Education?
Virtue education goes by many names. Schools may call it character education, or educating the whole child, or shared values, or learning dispositions, or community norms, or something similar. But at its core it addresses those vital elements of being human which we all must learn and which don’t come from books or whiteboards or screens.
Virtue is the bedrock of the mission statements of nearly every school – indeed, it is the reason most people become educators. Educators are people who put knowledge and care ahead of other considerations, who embrace collaboration, who demonstrate patience and curiosity and openness. They promote creative problem-solving and respect for others.
Deep learning springs from these attributes – students who regularly witness and practice virtues like patience, curiosity, and openness feel supported in taking their time to truly master a topic. Resilience and courage can help students overcome a fear of failure, and failing is a key part of deep learning. Intellectual honesty and collaboration encourage students to appreciate the work of others – and to learn from it as well. This is the kind of learning that will inspire students to imagine and build their own bright futures.
What is the “community connection?”
More than any other element of education, virtue education requires a holistic approach. It is one thing to learn about shared values in a classroom or a meeting with an advisor; it is something entirely different to see every adult in a community using those values to live their daily lives. Community is the laboratory in which students have virtuous principles demonstrated and experimented upon.
A school community with a living virtue identity provides students with more subtle understanding, expanding the toolbox they employ as they navigate the wider world: a moral compass when they face choices that test them, a reliable and clarifying lens through which they can analyze societal concerns, and more.
But a compelling and ever-present host of virtuous role models also builds students’ confidence in their own burgeoning belief systems. They learn to appreciate and embrace the good in the world, they learn that it is the strength of communities that brings about that good, and they enter the adult world eager to forge the connections that will build a strong community around them.
In a world driving young people to feel increasingly isolated, these connections matter more than ever.