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October 1, 1999/21 Tishri 5760, Vol. 52, No.5
How do you teach character?
MARTY LATZ
Special to Jewish News
Pinal County youths taught character," stated a headline in the Arizona Republic last week. Above it was an imposing picture of Pinal County Juvenile Court's Presiding Judge William O'Neil, a defender of the program.
At issue was Pinal County's use of a character-based educational program in parts of its juvenile court system and in Casa Grande's summer school. The program, Character First!, is a trademarked program developed by the Illinois-based conservative Christian group Institute for Basic Life Principles.
Sounds pretty innocuous. In fact, I fully support teaching character to our kids. Yet, public teaching of character troubles me. And this program appears to represent an ever-increasing effort by some to have our public institutions teach our children how to live their lives morally. Our state legislature has even passed legislation authorizing $500,000 to be used to teach character to teenagers on welfare.
So what's the problem? It's unclear what "character" means. Webster's dictionary defines character as the "complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person," or an individual's "moral excellence and firmness." Teaching ethical traits and moral excellence sounds great, but how is that done and what system of values is being used?
O'Neil says they're teaching "honesty" and "responsibility" in Pinal County, and scrupulously staying away from religion. I support this, but the line between religious teachings and generic values may not be easy to distinguish.
Yet, there is a need for teaching character. Family units, in the past the source for such teaching, are weakening. U.S. Sen. Daniel Moynihan (D-NY) recently noted that more than 50 percent of New York's children are in single-parent homes. Of course, single parents can effectively teach these subjects. But few dispute that it's more difficult given their circumstances.
Regardless of the need there are still troubling questions. Who is developing and paying for the program and materials? Are they provided by evangelical organizations that, in other contexts, overtly attempt to convert those of other faiths?
Those questions face Gilbert, where the Town Council on Sept. 14 voted to make Gilbert a "Town with Character" and a steering committee has been formed to determine which character-education program town staff will be offered. Character First! is among the programs being considered.
Who is teaching character? What are their credentials and what are their goals? O'Neil apparently brought the program to Pinal County and recruited former Baptist minister and teacher Mark Wassenaar to run it. I don't know O'Neil's background beyond the judiciary, but he said he met Wassenaar at a Character First! presentation in Illinois.
While Wassenaar's religious background gives him credibility as a teacher and role model, it also raises some troubling questions. To me, it increases the likelihood he might explicitly bring religion into the classroom - even if the materials omit religious references.
The Arizona Civil Liberties Union has promised to look into the Pinal County matter because of its faith-based connections and its potential conflict with our constitutional separation of church and state. It should. This deserves further inquiry.
Character, ethics and morality matter a great deal, and must be taught. But where, by whom and how are important issues we must consider before allowing such subjects to be taught in public venues. We must remain vigilant and maintain the appropriate boundaries between religion and government.
Marty Latz is a Valley attorney and negotiations consultant. Send comments to mlatz@negot.com.
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