Character education in many primary schools bores children. It affects them the way Freshman History affected my college friends and me. We vowed that no one could make history more boring than our professor made it. On special occasions, however, the professor changed gears. He employed a teaching method that turned insipid to thrilling in an instant. That same method can convert character education into a subject that excites young children. In fact, character education teachers can make young children beg for more by using regularly the method our college professor saved for special occasions.

Teachers can readily transform today’s blah into tomorrow’s bling.

Today’s Blah

Character education lesson plans often begin with our college history professor’s regular, blah teaching method.

The teacher talks. In this case, the teacher talks about character education. Teachers grab free character education lesson plans wherever they can find them, and follow instructions such as these found on the Internet:

· Talk about how respect sounds.

· Talk to students about how respect looks.

· Talk about respectful facial expressions

· Talk to them about tone of voice that shows respect.

· Talk to students about respectful body language.

Character education teachers talk, and talk, and talk. While they talk, young children react as we did regularly in college history class. They assume bored positions, wishing the subject didn’t exist.

Most young children, like many college Freshmen, have not yet developed the skills needed to learn by the talking-teacher method. They did not learn to walk by having Mother talk to them about how walking looks. They did not learn to talk by having Father explain about how talking sounds. Talking did not potty train them either. Yet, character education lesson plans urge the teacher to talk – and talk – and talk.

» Read more: Character Education That Excites Young Children