It happens almost every day. The news media splashes it in our faces. Communities suffer from increased crime, low voter turnout, racial and ethnic tensions, disengagement from the political process, and heightened disillusionment with government. As it escalates, we ignore, we debate, we argue, we litigate. Those are the big things.
And what of the so-called "little things" that happen every day? These acts may be viewed as trifling, but instead they are insidious as they erode basic civility and character.
To illustrate: I'm traveling on a less-than-crowded plane from Raleigh, N.C., to Washington, D.C. Two adolescent boys in the company of their parents proceed to play tag, grabbing their backward baseball caps and hopping from seat to seat. No one intervenes. We start our descent and a flight attendant finally says, "Boys, you need to be in your seats, we are going down." One of the boys, now seated, starts yelling, "We're going down! There's flames coming from the engine! We're going to die!" No one intervenes—well, almost no one, since the middle school teacher in me causes me to reprimand the boy, pointing out the consequences of such behavior. His reaction is menacing silence, and one parent finally says, "I told you you were going to get in trouble."
You have to be living under a rock not to sense the change. Though concerned, the general public views this change as not yet their problem. Because they are in the midst of the crisis, educators again rise to the challenge, providing an environment that models the best we can deliver to preserve civility and build character. In the United States, when the nation's founders spoke of "civics," they meant a deep-seated set of values that would be a foundation for responsible citizenship; values encouraging interest and involvement in large social issues, as opposed to mere self-centeredness; values necessary to maintain the health of our democracy.
In his book A World Waiting to be Born, M. Scott Peck states that to most people, civility means only politeness and good manners, when, in fact, civility has much more to do with conscious intention and awareness. Because we are not isolated from one another, genuine civility is how human beings behave in organizations—how they, in fact, relate to and support one another for the common good. Thomas Lickona, a developmental psychologist and author of Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility, states, "Down through history, in countries all over the world, education has had two great goals: to help young people become smart and to help them become good."
In 1979, social psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner lamented that it had become possible "for a person 18 years of age to graduate from high school without ever having had to do a piece of work on which somebody else depended . . . without ever having cared for, or even held, a baby; without ever having looked after someone who was old, ill, or lonely; or without ever having comforted or assisted another human being who really needed help." Sanford N. McDonnell, chairman emeritus of the former McDonnell Douglas corporation, says, "We in the business world don't want young people coming into our employment and into our communities who are brilliant, but dishonest; who have great intellectual knowledge, but don't really care about others; who have highly creative minds, but are irresponsible."
Ever poised to assist, and in response to the need, ASCD has entered into the Partnering Initiative on Education and Civil Society. ASCD has committed its resources to help ensure that the next generation is prepared for a lifelong commitment to civil society. Civil education encompasses a wide range of education reform efforts, including citizen education, character education, democratic education, and service learning. ASCD is also a founding partner in the Character Education Parternship (CEP). CEP holds that character education is an initiative that can work only when an entire community plays an integral part. The partnership defines good character as "understanding, caring about, and acting on core ethical values such as honesty, responsibility, respect, kindness, and caring for others." Building good character must involve the cognitive, the emotional, and the dynamic: the head, the heart, and the hand.
And so we continue the dialogue and try to act responsibly. Building relationships becomes the foundation, and through them we can work to become caring, compassionate human beings dedicated to working collaboratively for the common good. Is it worth the extra effort? ASCD and its membership think so, and I concur. ASCD's 1999 Annual Conference theme is "Building Dynamic Relationships: Our Bridge to the Future." In my opinion, one of the fundamental bridges that needs to be well traveled is the quest for the return of civility and good character. We have taken the first steps, now let us complete the journey.