The character diploma an incentive to moral conduct and good citizenship in public school training

Preface

THE belief is here advanced that there is no more serious defect in our national life than the inadequate moral training given to children. This defect, in large measure, the result of sweeping changes in our social and industrial life, is so fundamental in its nature and so far-reaching in its effects, that it can account for much of the wayward and vicious tendency of youth, the grosser criminality of adults, the disorder and violence of industrial groups, and the selfishness, dishonesty and corruption too often manifest in business and political life.

The development of vast city populations with distinct tenement, commercial and factory zones, has operated to deprive parents of opportunity and capacity for the moral supervision of their children. So swift has been the course of these changes and so great are their effects that the Church and the Home upon which we once relied for the moral training of children, have become incompetent to discharge the task. Modern living conditions have underminded the power of these institutions as training agencies and weakened their efforts for good, as they daily are menaced by new and enlarged forces of evil. The function of the Church is to give the word of instruction. It lacks the means to convert its word into the deeds and habits of life and, because of this lack, it is inherently weak as a training force. Moral instruction to achieve its end must always be supplemented by the discipline of deed, and we have hitherto looked to the Home to supply this requirement.

The Public School, whose chief purpose it has been to promote the intellectual development of its pupils, has fared better than its sister institutions in adapting itself to the changing order. It has grown in popular favor and become the recognized chief agency by which the youth of the nation are trained to meet their future obligations and tests. During the progress of the changes referred to there has been a seeming reluctance on the part of public school educators to undertake energetic measures along the lines of direct moral training. A backward glance at the origin of our school system affords some explanation of this attitude. In those earlier days the home life of children was more natural and better safe-guarded than at present. Children were in close contact with their parents, shared with them the industries of farm and shop and the duties of the home, and parents accepted, without question, entire responsibility for their moral up-bringing. The schools were called into being as adjuncts of the Home, for the distinct purpose of giving the elements of learning and developing the intellectual faculties. Thus the maintenance of good order and moral conditions in the schools was usually merely incidental to the scholarship activities, while responsibility for moral results still remained with the Home.

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IV PREFACE

This view of the respective functions of the Home and the School, although frequently challenged, has prevailed in school practice to the present time, and along with it has developed a belief among some educators that moral training is a mysterious, obscure and difficult matter to administer and that to undertake it would require unjustifiable sacrifice of time taken from the scholarship subjects.

The conditions to which we are thus brought are neither the calculated nor miscalculated results of human design and purpose. They are rather the unpremeditated product of a civilization with whose onrush we cannot always keep pace. As matters stand today, the moral training of our youth, universally recognized as the basic condition of individual and social welfare, is ineffective and without adequate sponsor. Although the public has come to look more and more to the schools for the entire educational outcome, these institutions have not as yet fully accepted the measure of responsibility for moral training that has passed from the Home and that is but weakly borne by the Church. The influence and prestige enjoyed by our schools today, in all that relates to the welfare of the young, point unmistakably to them as the logical instrumentality for the serious duty under consideration. There is no other available competent agency. Should they decline this grave duty, moral failure is certain to ensue with speedy and fatal consequence.

■ In the ensuing chapters it is the aim to outline briefly some principles and m.ethods that have application to the broad field of training in general and to show their easy and natural application to the moral field under discussion. The imperative need of moral training and the duty of the Public Schools to impart it, are emphasized, followed by more detail of methods and suggestions relative to its successful treatment. While these measures and plans are by no means new, they are unfamiliar to the public at large and, even where known to professional educators, much misunderstanding often exists as to the reasons, motives and purposes that underlie them. They are logical in concept, experience has proved their efficacy, and they are in successful operation, not only in a number of educational institutions of high standing, but in the difficult field of military life and service where their application is the basic condition of social harmony and high technical efficiency.

The outstanding feature of the proposed methods is the establishment of incentive that leads the pupil to make high endeavor toward the fulfillment of school duties and obligations. The comprehensive activities of school life constitute a real drill field of conduct, and the attitude and effort of the pupil regarding his duties in this field, as shown by the record, are the most important features of his training. They supply a far more significant and substantial basis for public esteem and school commendation than does mere success in scholarship.

Worthy conduct of a pupil is manifested by his effort to accomplish scholarship tasks, by willing compliance with the routine requirements of the school

PREFACE V

and by the practice of the familiar fundamental moral precepts and conventions of social life. It is clear that the realization of such conduct is highly favorable to scholarship progress and thereby the attainment of higher grades in school subjects may be confidently expected. Self-effort of the pupil in the development of habitual good conduct minimizes the so-called "problem of discipline," and becomes a positive uplifting force directly contributory to the moral training we seek to administer.

The necessary and sufficient incentive to these ends is the Character Diploma, to be conferred as the supreme reward of faithful and worthy school life. Such incentive is associated more nearly with moral than with intellectual motive, and its powerful and beneficent educational force would quickly be felt by parents and the public. Sympathetic response would ensue in their earnest cooperation and in a more intelligent understanding of the true purpose of the schools.

The proposals and suggestions herein made require no additional preparation on the part of teachers, no significant assignment of time, no additional expense and no change in existing courses of study.

Certain defects in the policies and methods of our schools that bear adversely upon good training are noted in Chapters X and XI.

Brief discussion of Military and Religious Training in Chapter XII indicates the basic value of moral training and its contributory support to all specal branches of training. The supreme value ascribed to moral character in group life is thus confirmed ; and the necessity of developing such character through the activities of the School is an obvious corollary.

Brooklyn, N. Y., June, 1922.

CHAPTER I. Training in General

Practical equivalence of the terms Trainingj Education and Discipline. Instruction and drill. Incentive. Supervision. Error regarding the stage when drill is effective.

CHAPTER II. Moral Training

May be designated by other equivalent terms. Different views as to moral training and its administration. Close relationship of conduct and character. Initial effort may be applied either to formation of habits or to implantation of mental concepts. Advantages of the first method. Supreme importance of drill. Moral training conforms to the principles of training in general. Is a natural function of the home. Is no more difficult than intellectual training.

CHAPTER III. Serious Need of Moral Training and the Duty of Public Schools to Administer It

Moral character a basic factor in the realization of good government and of individual happiness. Character the supreme aim of education. Moral influence of the home, decadent. Moulding power of the church is weak; its effort is limited to instruction and drill is lacking. Public schools slow in accepting the duty of moral training. Reasons for this attitude. The schools have become the logical and necessary agency for this training. Parents are justified in charging them with this responsibility.

CHAPTER IV. Basic Relation of Moral Training to All Educational Aims. Effort an Important Element of Conduct.

Conduct an ever-present continuity expressive of character. Good conduct directly beneficial to every special activity. A potent factor in group training. No conflict between moral training and any special kind of training. Conduct training relative to special training is basic, comprehensive and stands as the whole to its parts. Illustrated by military training. Effort, relative to scholarship tasks, a most important phase of the pupil's conduct. Conduct in the associative life of the school. Comprehensive scope of conduct and its basic significance and value. Processes of conduct training in public schools incomplete in the items of incentive and supervision.

CHAPTER V. Practical Conduct Training; Outline of Methods

Self-effort to good conduct induced by potent rewards. The graduation diploma distinctly a character commendation. Advantages. Improvement

VI

CONTENTS VII of methods of dealing with misconduct. Conduct records. School routine undisturbed. "Right" and "wrong" relative to fundamentals of conduct. Responsibility for good conduct rests naturally with pupils ; should not be borne wholly by teachers. "Strong" and "weak" teachers.

Instruction, a simple matter appropriate to first four school years. Drill, important; should begin in the fifth year and continue through High School. Items of drill found in actual school life. Determination of proficiency. Failure in moral conduct is failure in the supreme purpose of the school. Punishments ineffective. Gravity of so-called minor faults. Periodical appraisement of records a stimulus to endeavor. Determination of conduct grades in full accord with general practice in scholarship subjects and other matters. The numerical measure of an offence, a mere convenience of record ; never to be regarded as a penalty.

CHAPTER VI. Instruction for First Four Grades; Details and Suggestions

Should have place on official program. Subject-matter drawn from fundamentals of conduct. Suggested topics for the grades. Instruction informal. Topics should be discussed at parents' meetings, should be kept continually before pupils and should be made a feature in Report to Parents. Remarks on the scheduled topics.

CHAPTER VII. Drill for Higher Grades; Details of Training

Self-effort and responsible drill should begin with fifth school year. Pupil's school life a field of real duty. The value of school records lies in their use as a basis for rewards. Conduct records should be put to use as basis for conduct rewards. The marking system and numerical scales. Numerical grades for school purposes approximate only, but their value well-recognized. Their easy application to conduct records. Conduct faults and their degrees of gravity. Itemized schedule of faults with numerical equivalents. Determination of satisfactory conduct. Forfeiture of advancement, and of the character diploma.

CHAPTER VIII. Procedure and Comment Relative to Conduct Records

Assignment of fault units wholly independent of punitive action. The conduct record provides adequately for the treatment of so-called minor faults. Treatment of repeated, wilful or serious offences. Reports to parents. Authority of the principal in disciplinary matters unimpaired. Promptitude and publicity relative to conduct records desirable. Just grading based on estimated value of items of good conduct, impracticable. Character diploma essential to the realization of the highest educational aims. Suggested forms for diplomas.

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CHAPTER IX. Advantages of the Proposed Methods

Keeps the attention of educators, pupils, parents and the public-at-large centered on the importance of character. Inspires the cooperation of the home. Improves scholarship. Develops sound Americanism. Makes clear the purpose of public schools. Contributes strongly to national preparedness. Supports the cause of religion. Gives early indication of wrong tendencies in children, and strengthens parental and community control over them. Is superior to scout training. Eliminates the "problem of discipline." Neutralizes destructive radicalism. Prepares for the enlarged freedom of college life. The diploma is a valuable character testimonial.

CHAPTER X. Exaltation of Scholarship Over Character, a Serious Defect in Public School Administration.

Leads to serious error in the minds of pupils with disintegrating consequences to the nation. Re-adjustment a pressing necessity. Review of organization and present methods, showing error. Mental attitude of teachers affected by the error. In the broad field of human life, moral character a more intense need than intellectuality.

CHAPTER XI. Discipline Methods in Public Schools Incomplete

Discipline merely contributory to the scholarship aim. The word discipline has application in its restricted meaning only. "Discipline" as a "problem." So-called minor offences involve wrong to others, and indulgent treatment is a grave error. Weakness of artificial drills. Misconception as to responsibility of pupil while "in school." Pupil is "in life" while in school, as truly as after leaving school. Misconception as to real purpose of the schools. Some consequences of defective school methods.

CHAPTER XII. Basic Value of Moral Conduct Illustrated By : {a) Military Training, (b) Religious Training.

The moral basis, the common ground upon which to establish harmonious social life. Military training: importance of the moral element. Religious training: as it relates to our duties to each other, indistinguishable from moral training. Religious training to realize its aim must be vitalized by deed.

CHAPTER I. Training in General

THE word training, as applied to children and youth, is well understood as designating the act or process by which we endeavor to impart to them ability, skill or mastery along chosen lines of conduct or accomplishment. There are other words, however, in common use, of equal clarity that signify the same thing. Among these are the words education and discipline. In their liberal meaning the words training, education and discipline are synonymous in their application to the task of developing the young along physical, mental or moral lines. Thus, if our aim is to bestow knowledge and command of English, we may speak of the matter as education in English, discipline in English, or training in English. In a similar manner these words may be applied to other items relative to the bringing up of children. If, in what follows, the word training appears oftener than either of the others, it should be attributed to unpremeditated tendency and not to any preference derived from its meaning. The broad meaning of the word education has become obscured by the tendency to limit it to the instruction and knowledge derived from the scholarship courses in school and college, and the word discipline has suffered in a similar way by its restricted application to the corrective measures and penalties attached to wrong conduct and delinquencies.

The processes of all effective training involve a combination of knowing and doing, designated in practice as instruction and drill. Of these two elements drill is the formative, effective factor. "We learn by doing," is a maxim that stands rooted in eternal truth. Instruction merely points the way, but drill carries us to the goal. Knowledge of any kind that has not passed beyond the mental domain may have potentiality, but its effective power awaits manifestation. Not only does practice promote facility, but it reacts directly upon the mind, stimulating its processes, revealing limitations, and giving clear definition to whatever was vague and uncertain.

While instruction should naturally precede drill and is often indispensable, yet success in all kinds of training is vastly more depedent upon what the subject does that upon what he knows. In the training of animals, we attain useful and wonderful results by the mere repetition of acts unattended by any intelligent knowledge on their part of the meaning of our words. In infancy and early childhood we learn many difficult and necessary processes of life almost wholly from simple imitation and repetition. To balance the body, to walk, talk, use various implements, etc., are acquirements gained with but little aid from the spoken word of parent or instructor. The same truth is recognized in our scholarship subjects where competency depends far less upon the knowledge of rules and processes than upon repeated effort and drill that lead to improvement, confidence and mastery. It is the drill that clarifies and fixes knowledge in the mind of the pupil. Reliable, serviceable knowledge of the rules of grammar and composition is attained only by practical exercises in these subjects. The same is true of all the processes of mathematics. What progress would be made in the teaching of these subjects if, after abundant instruction in their principles, rules and conventions, we required no drill but merely recommended and urged their practice? Illustrations can be found in the laboratory, the workshop, athletic fields and, in fact, from any department of life. Neither the artisan nor the professional man can claim competency until thought, vision and ideas have found expression in the deed that gives them substance. Who would trust himself to the hands of one whose complete knowledge of surgery acquired from books, lectures and observation is unquestioned, but who has never performed an operation?

"Every one that heareth my words and doeth them," says the Greatest of Teachers, "is like a man who laid a foundation upon the rock." The entire lesson of the parable turns upon the difference between doing and not doing. Words of truth that are not made vital by deed are of passing value only.

Another feature of good training is the matter of incentive so largely contributory to success. Where the subject himself perceives clearly the advantages, satisfactions or pleasures that are the direct end of his efforts, we have natural incentives that often are sufficient to accomplish the desired result. Willing effort is exerted ; correction, instruction and advice are welcomed and progress is rapid.

Where the benefits of the desired training are not clearly perceived or appreciated, but are remote and unattractive to the learner, effort is stimulated by some intermediate incentive that makes the desired appeal. Such auxiliary incentives, or rewards, are familiar to us in the form of parental approbation, public honors, official testimonials, special privileges and the like. In the usual training of children, both in the home and the school, such intermediate incentive through reward is usually necessary and is in common use. It is impossible for the lisping child to appreciate knowledge of the alphabet, and for the young scholar to know the value of arithmetical tables and processes. Few pupils, indeed, who enter high school take up their Latin or Algebra from inherent love of the subject or from keen realization of its ultimate benefits. The entire school course is taken by the majority of children simply as a part of life's necessary routine until, in the later years of adolescence, they may discover more significant motives. They are encouraged to effort by the commendation of parents, teachers and friends, by pride of successful competition, by special prizes, by public promotion from grade to grade, and by diplomas whose value is attested by the applause and congratulation of the community.

Still another element of training is to be noted whose omission would very often entail failure. This is the interested Supervision of the teacher. Faults should be indicated, corrective suggestion and instruction supplied.

TRAINING IN GENERAL and encouragement given. Without this supervision it is manifest that faults would develop unperceived, and their repetition soon lead to detrimental habits difficult to overcome. In order that both teacher and pupil may have good basis for estimating progress, means are often devised for measuring or, at least, comparing results. The periodical tests and the various marking systems, familiar to us as school methods, are examples of the principle of supervision. Imperfect as these marks admittedly are as absolute measures of proficiency, their usefulness is well recognized. The practice of such supervision is also convincing evidence to the learner of the value ascribed by his elders to the subject in hand. Without such evidence incentive would be weakened and effort would languish.

These four salient features of good training methods, — Instruction, Drill, Incentive, and Supervision, — ^are of wide application in the general field of education. While the value of each is fully recognized, preeminent, as an effective factor, is the item of drill.

Group training under systematic, approved methods has the advantage of interest, mass psychology and the stimulus of competition to produce results in the aggregate beyond the reach of individual effort by parents or special tutors.

The error is sometimes made of believing that interest and appreciation must be induced in the mind of the pupil before there can be progress and benefit from his drill. Such belief is disproved by experience. It often happens that taste, appreciation and interest develop as a result of proficiency and skill acquired from practice that was at first distasteful and rendered reluctantly. Incidents of this nature are met with in Music and in such scholarship subjects as Algebra, Latin and Geometry. Body and mind react freely upon each other and development may originate from either proficiency or interest. Habits of action acquired through drill mould mental attitudes and influence the emotions. When interest and proficiency actively incite each other, progress is most rapid.

CHAPTER II. Moral Training

'O mould our youth into conformity with the highest ideals of right living, to engender in children love and appreciation of the time-honored virtues, to make these virtues manifest in their habitual conduct and thereby to fortify our citizenship with goodness and justice, may be accepted in a broad way as indicating the most serious duty that devolves upon parents and teachers.

Various descriptive terms, such as moral training, character education, etc., are in current use to designate the process of fulfilling this duty. In the previous chapter we have noted the equivalent meanings of the words training, education and discipline as applied to the task of bringing up children. It may now be further said that we find practical equivalence of meanings in such words as moral, conduct, character, citizenship, etc., when used adjectively to denote the kind of training or education that may be under consideration. It is submitted that almost any combination of these terms, such as moral training, character training, character education or moral discipline, satisfactorily expresses the nature of the duty to be performed. Whatever our choice in the association of these terms, deeply characteristic of our aim in each case is the development in the individual of what we understand by the word goodness. In citizenship training, for example, we seek to develop good citizens. Good citizens are, first of all, good men and women. However high we may rate knowledge of civics and of the detailed methods of political government, the individual possessing it is no asset to the State if the qualities that constitute goodness are lacking. The good conduct we seek to develop in conduct training is none other than the habitual modes of life of a good m.an. In character education the good character we would cultivate is discerned and recognized by the moral standards set by good men and women. Thus these terms embody complete harmony of purpose. The development of good men and women, who habitually do what is right, is their common aim, and such development is the definite purpose embodied in and conveyed by the familiar term moral training. The fact is that the duty itself that confronts us is so obvious and so urgent that refinement in the choice of terms to designate it is inconsequential. Controversy over these words turns upon phrasing rather than substance and is suggestive of pedantry. It is to the more fundamental sections of the mind that the aim of moral training is directed. The field of cultivation underlies the intellectual domain and our task is largely the direction and control of primary forces, motives and emotions. These elements are the unseen springs of human conduct and their sound condition and normal functioning are the chief requisites of good character. Good conduct, the expression of good character, is recognized by

MORAL TRAINING its habitual exemplification of time-tested standards that display preeminently such basic virtues as truthfulness, loyalty, obedience, self-control, honor to parents, courage, patience, endurance, etc.

There has been much confusion and uncertainty in the minds of educators regarding moral training itself and the ways by which it may be effectively administered. Many teachers hold that moral character can be conferred only by indirect means, such as the influence of good example or the moral element inseparable from the good teaching of the usual scholarship subjects, etc. Others find the solution in a code of ethics to be learned as a book lesson or memorized ; after which it is hoped that the appeal will have been so convincing that the learner will make it the guide of his life. Some absolve themselves of all responsibility by declaring it to be a duty that concerns parents only. A few uphold the fatalistic theory that some children "catch it," as they do the measles, while others unfortunately escape it. Many methods for direct character training, having elements of merit, have been tried, but none has gained wide favor or been generally adopted. We will endeavor to show that much of the difficulty and mystery that becloud the matter may be removed by a consideration of the close relationship between conduct and character.

Conduct and character act and react upon each other in conformity with the well known interactions of body and mind, of which they are respectively phases and modes. They are as closely unified as are the totalities of body and mind in our human makeup. We may regard character as a state of mind, and conduct as the bodily response to this state. Or, we may conceive of conduct as a course of action, and character as the ensuing impress upon the mind. They are thus reciprocal consequents. Every act makes its mental impress. All psychologists teach that repeated acts or habits deepen the mental patterns and fix character. No less true is it that the impulses of fixed character yield uniformity of conduct.

Character training is, essentially, a matter inseparable from conduct. Good habits are, at once, the construction material of character and the evidence of character already acquired. Willing compliance with regulations established for no other purpose than the common good soon begets the habit of asking the questions relative to any contemplated action, "Is it right or wrong?" "To do or not to do?" "Shall I or shall I not?" A mind sensitive to these promptings is embryonic moral character, and every right decision is an advance step in moral training.

Such close relationship of conduct and character shows that in moral training we may logically apply direct effort to the establishment of good habits, assured that in so doing we are moulding character; or, we may impart recognized moral precepts and good suggestion to the mind, knowing that, when practiced, good conduct will result. Both methods have value; they conflict in no way with each other and may be used in combination.

It is then reasonable and natural to ask if these two methods are equally effective in practice. Brief consideration will clearly indicate that the first method, that in which efiort is applied directly to conduct, is decidedly superior to the other. In reaching this conclusion we observe that the body and its phases of conduct are openly subject to sense perception. The evidence of our eyes and ears is usually trustworthy. We thus know when the pupil follows an indicated line of conduct and when he fails to follow it. In each case we know the nature of the mental impress that is made; and when he is encouraged to self-control and led willingly into good conduct we know that good habits are forming and good character is developing. On the other hand, mind and character are beyond the reach of our senses. We may confer knowledge, commend precepts, and by both direct and indirect suggestion endeavor to implant good character by effort made directly upon the mind; but we have no immediate knowledge of the impress made. Our seed is sown in the dark and often at random. We cannot see the mental reactions and we are uncertain of the result. Moreover, there is often a considerable interval of time between the instruction thus given and the opportunity to apply it, and during such interval the impress fades.

When attention is given primarily to conduct, the pupil is kept alert and sensitive to the concepts of right and wrong. The word of advice or the corrective action can be applied at the very time his conduct shows the need. It is the doing that makes instruction effective, and instruction, or other mental stimulus, that is not discharged by deed is of little benefit.

No doubt a carefully adjusted combination of the two methods would give the best result. Entirely apart, however, from the preceding considerations, but fully confirming them, we have the testimony of long experience in all kinds of training, corroborated by abundant current practice, that an ounce of drill is worth a pound of instruction.

Thus it is the element of drill, or doing, under wise and sympathetic supervision, that is all-important. Children of school age, as a rule, need but little instruction in the commonplace elementary matters of right and wrong. Some knowledge, at least, of these things is imparted by the home and through juvenile association. The knowledge of right conduct, as distinguished from wrong, extant today in persons ten years of age and over, if put in operation, would pacify the world over night. Children of this age and upward, whether in the home, on the street, or in school are, in general, conscious of their improper conduct in damaging property, in disrespect to parents and elders, in disobedience to recognized authority, in the violation of school regulations, and the like. It is not the word of knowledge that is lacking, but the self-contained power to transmute the word into deed. To cultivate this power until moral response is habitual is the real task in moral training.