What happens when you don’t tell the truth? What are the consequences? How does it affect your life?
Fourth-graders at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic School in Delray Beach pondered these questions while reading the Newberry Honor-winning novel On My Honor. The story centers on a boy named Joel whose friend drowns while they are swimming in a dangerous river.
During the discussion, students were asked to weigh in on Joel’s decision to hide the truth about the drowning.
“Lying makes it worse,” one student chimed in.
Another student said: “You don’t value your friends until they’re gone.”
Students at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic School were discussing Marion Bauer’s book because it is one of many that focuses on the development of character. At St. Vincent, the school’s theme, Build a Better World by Building a Better You, is taught throughout the school: in classroom projects, curriculum and activities.
“We are under construction,” said Vikki Delgado, principal at St. Vincent. “Sometimes we fail, but we get up and try again.”
Students at the school are involved in their communities, whether it is groups like Habitat for Humanity or charity work. But character education isn’t confined to community service projects or a once-a-week class. It’s woven into every class, and activities throughout the school day. It might help explain recent research suggesting Catholic-school students show more self-discipline by a variety of measures.
“Catholic values encompass (character) within our religion classes,” Delgado said. “Catholic social teachings are infused in how we operate at our school. It is brought down to an age-appropriate way of understanding.”
Delgado said the focus is on teaching students what it means to be a good person: a person that is going to be looking out for the little guy and those who may be suffering.
“We talk about habits of thinking and how you lose yourself in the service of others,” she said.
Character development is a core value of Catholic education, Delgado said. It points back to the Gospels. That’s even true in music class.
“There are so many qualities in a music curriculum that each [student] has to learn how to work on a team,” said Eric Keiper, St. Vincent’s music teacher. “In order to do that successfully, the individual must learn how to be empathetic, sympathetic and compassionate with their colleagues.”
Keiper said students also learn about character through the prayers, songs and texts they read in class. Students will analyze the texts and discuss what the author is trying to express.
For example, they read the Choristers’ Prayer which states: “Bless, O Lord, us thy servants who minister in thy temple: Grant that what we sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”
Children also sing the Ten Commandments children’s song which states: “I must be honest, be truthful and learn to be kind.”
“There are so many incredible character-building poems, hymns and prayers out there,” Keiper said. “When we eternalize them they help us to understand how to apply it to our own lives and help through our example to spread it to others.”
