Grading today's role models

by Jim Cannon

research
cause and effect

In a different time and place, a child rejected rules by erasing imaginary boundaries. Quickly, the boundaries were redefined by an authority figure and the child's cognitive process was realigned. Many times the goal was to have the child find value in differentiating right from wrong, or good from bad. Did positive, corrected behavior always result from addressing undesirable behavior? Watch almost any episode of the television series "Leave it to Beaver" and you will discover the answer.

Some will say the moral foundation of an individual is shaped around ideas learned during the first year of school. Without elaborating the various morals, suffice it to say the Golden Rule is an excellent benchmark for self-examination. Think about these words carefully: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Simply stated, one of the basic rules for life is to treat others the same way that you would expect to be treated.

The concept of the Golden Rule is not beyond the reasoning ability of children by the age of five. Certainly, teenagers and young adults should understand the concept too. Why, then, is it common to witness drivers making obscene hand gestures intended for another driver? Is it because they wish a reciprocal response? I suggest the answer is negative.

Why is the respect for authority, especially by teenagers and adults, declining? Is it because of a strong desire by those disrespectful individuals to be treated disrespectfully themselves when, or if they're ever given the privilege of exercising authority? I suggest that the answer is negative. I would not argue that many people abuse the privilege of authority, but that is not the focus of this discussion.

We must understand the cause of this decline in social morals first, so we can begin implementing efforts toward correcting the problem. The first question to explore is whether there is one single cause, or several possible causes. I suggest there is a strong possibility that a combination of several influences result in moral decline. Although each of these various factors could alone have a powerful influence, it's likely that most or all play a part at some time.

The greatest determining influence in a child's life is the power of example, and children model the examples of adults. Children who are in the presence of adults who have strong moral values are more likely to acquire good morals than children not exposed to the same values.

The adults with whom children will have the most contact are parents and teachers. Are the drivers I mentioned earlier parents? Are the drivers teachers? The answer to the first question may be affirmative or negative. The answer to the second question is a resounding yes! A "teacher" may present information in a classroom, but a "teacher" is also someone who sets an example. "Teachers" include ministers, coaches, day care workers, employers, Scout leaders, and other adults who work with children and young adults.

Adults need to recognize that they become "examples" when they are in the presence of children and young adults: adults should demonstrate characteristics that have a positive moral impact. Occasionally pay the bridge toll for the car behind you! Let someone with a few grocery items, especially if an elderly person, take a place in front of you at the supermarket checkout! Don't complain about having to work harder because your coworker is ill; call your coworker to ask if you can help!

Children observe how parents behave when subjected to discipline. An example of discipline could be a requirement for a parent to report to a job on time each workday. Another example of discipline is a traffic sign or signal. Those signs and signals serve a function of providing direction and safety. Some parents may choose to overtly ignore policies in the workplace, and even share their disrespect for rules with their children. Adults, especially parents, may also show disregard for the rules of the road while driving. Those drivers are subject to admonishment by a person who symbolizes authority, a police officer. If the adult responds disrespectfully to the police officer, and in the presence of a child, the child may conclude that disrespecting authority is acceptable behavior.

I've given some examples of scenarios focusing on a child's observation of parental behavior. The next focus is on the modeling impact of classroom teachers. As I stated earlier, classroom teachers are another group of adults a child interacts with most. Teachers, by their nature, are looked upon by society to offer useful information to students (children). The teachers' primary purpose in determining their careers was to share knowledge, and shape the minds of the next generation, or was it?

I believe that most people who choose a career of teaching do so with the purpose and goals I mentioned earlier. Some teachers will lose focus on the reason for their career selection. Other teachers who, having such passion for their field, will attempt to contact parents when a student is having trouble, or is causing trouble. For example, an observant teacher may notice a problem with a student's vision. Many students are prone to daydreaming. A parent is less likely to notice these problems outside of an academic setting. Teachers may also inform parents that a student is disruptive in class because the child causes other students to laugh. The parents may have observed the ability of their child to make people laugh, and even encouraged the behavior: the parents had previously referred to their child's ability as a "gift."

Remember that a teacher represents authority. Some parents act disrespectful toward teachers too! In cases such as this, there are two negative consequences: first, the child is likely to model this behavior toward authority, and second, the teacher may become less motivated to repeat attempts at correcting a problem in the future.

The television family of the 1960's had problems typical in most families. The Cleaver family was a good example of this in the television series, "Leave it to Beaver." The Cleaver household was comprised of two parents, and two sons. Each of the sons, Wally and Theodore (Beaver), suffered the typical youthful growing pains. Wally and Beaver, lured by their peers to engage in various forms of mischief and deceit, always got caught! The parents, Ward and June, played a critical role in addressing each infraction; if June was over-critical in her punishment, Ward would reflect on his boyhood and offer a contrasting perspective for June to consider. June would also buffer Ward's temper toward the boys when he learned of a problem and she felt he overreacted.

The role of Ward Cleaver usually portrayed a model father and husband. Occasionally, Ward felt he was the victim of a wrongdoing. He reacted impulsively, as many adults do, and was later embarrassed by his behavior. Ward knew he had to initiate a corrective action, or the consequence would be negative modeling for his sons.

Each episode ended with a clear moral: the difference between right and wrong, and good and bad, was reinforced. The virtues of honesty, compassion, respect, trust, courage, and perseverance were refreshed each time people watched television programs like "Leave it to Beaver."

The average family of the 1990's is much less cohesive than the average family of the 1960's. In households where both parents (including stepparents) live with their children, most likely both parents have jobs outside of the home. Children are spending more time with classroom teachers than the children are spending with their own parents, so the opportunity for positive moral instruction from the parent is diminishing.

Let's consider the ideas that I've discussed thus far:

Children learn by example
Observed examples are predominantly adult behavior
The adult groups most likely to interact with children are parents and classroom teachers
Moral attitudes are shaped early in a child's life, usually during the elementary school-age time period
Parents are spending less time with children, therefore having less opportunity to discuss moral values

The conclusion is that children need to have what William Faulkner referred to as "the old verities" introduced routinely in the classroom. Children need to be reminded that the virtues of honesty, trust, loyalty, courage, compassion, honor, integrity, pride, pity, volunteerism, and sacrifice are good character traits. As those children become young adults, their mental capacity to comprehend broad concepts will grow: those young adults will find strong moral values to be gratifying.

Reference
Bennett, William J. The Book of Virtues. New York City, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
Valenti, Jack. "Young children need moral instruction in their schools." Contra Costa Times 4 Sep 1999, sec A: 27

Return to English 122 syllabus
Return to English 122 main page
Questions? Brian McKinney (bmckinne@home.com)