John Adams and Thomas Jefferson disagreed about almost everything—politics, government, power, and probably where to put the furniture if they ever had to share an office. Yet on one important issue, they were remarkably aligned: education mattered because it had two jobs—to develop talent and virtue. Schools were supposed to teach students how to think and what to value, preparing them not only to make a living but also to become good citizens and decent human beings.
Unfortunately, American education has become very good at teaching half of that equation. We have become remarkably skilled at developing talent: reading, writing, mathematics, science, technology, and all the other academic tools needed to compete in the modern world. But somewhere along the way, virtue became the educational equivalent of the forgotten gym bag—important, perhaps, but somehow always left behind. We grade academic achievement carefully, while character is often left to chance.
Consider Suzanne, who lied to her parents. Suzanne wasn’t a bad child, and her parents weren’t bad parents; she was a child growing up in a world where technology constantly competes for her attention. Screens, social media, games, and an endless stream of information have changed the environment in which children develop their values and make decisions. We shouldn’t be surprised when technology becomes an influential teacher if the adults in a child’s life aren’t paying attention to the lessons being taught.
So here is the clarion call to parents and teachers: it is time to reclaim your role as the primary influencers of our children. Schools have an important responsibility to teach both talent and virtue, and parents have the first and most lasting opportunity to shape character. If we want our children to become successful adults—not simply successful students—we need to pay attention, talk about values, model them, and make character as important at home as grades are on the report card.
We welcome you to the conversation. Please let us know that you care by liking comments, forwarding posts, or joining in our dialogue at johnzurn.com. We would love to hear your own “Stories From the Classroom….”.
From our first posting:
“As parents and teachers, we need to reclaim our traditional role as influencers of our children – not by shouting louder than the influencers our children discover online, but by stressing ideas that are more important than fancy shoes and snappy TikTok tunes. We need to emphasize traits that everyone agrees children will honor. We need to convince our children that the people who are most important to them have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful in life.”
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