Character

One of the most important acts of life is to examine our own consciences….
Maria Montessori

By Heliena C. Walton
The Phoenix Academy

We are experiencing a disconnection that is spiraling out of control. The crisis occurring among our youth is violence in schools, lowered test scores and an increase in the dropout rate. Needless to say, our prison system is bursting with men and women who have failed in school and prison populations are increasing year after year. While schools like the Phoenix Academy, District and state governments have wrestled with making our education system effective, we are aware of the mounting social problems that cannot be solved by simply teaching academic skills. It is becoming an epidemic in our inner cities. The Phoenix Academy believes that through examination of their own consciences, youths can remove themselves from harms way and we will help teach them the skills necessary.

This epidemic seems to be a thread of self-discipline, “moral fiber” or character that is missing in the lives of too many of our youth. The resulting use of drugs, acts of violence, sexual promiscuity and resulting teen pregnancies are all by products of the underlying problem. Let’s define character in context …….So if you will; a person’s context is derived from the individuals history merged with their present state. This becomes their culture which is present at all times. In other words, you will take you wherever you go. It is said that your current reality is your past future becoming real. Moreover, your position today is the result of all the decisions you made in the past.

I know you have heard of the cliché you are what you think. Well it’s true, but let’s take it a step further. You are what your sub-conscious mind has been programmed to think. You can only do what you are and what you are is determined by what you think about every single minute of every single day. One of the simplest examples of this reality is when you say to yourself, “Don’t forget, don’t forget….” And what do you do? Forget…. Why? Because the forget seed was the central theme of the thought. Instead, your central theme could have been to “remember”, write it down or set an alarm to trigger a thought.

We have learned to be who we are and can only change our reality by learning new character skills and patterns of thinking.

Disconnect? Oh yes, our kids are speaking and we don’t understand. Parents and grandparents are younger and have been inundated with social and economic issues. Drug use and violence has stolen the family unit and it has been replaced with other “stuff”. Often times, family or parenting time becomes replaced with TV, friends, gangs, sex and much more. This missing family time means that the necessary time to cultivate important character traits such as honesty, courage, patience, and self control does not happen. Moreover, children receive more negative messages communicated through mass media than positive messages. Consequently, more and more or our youth are not learning the importance of being a person who demonstrates positive character.

Parents and schools must unite to help reverse this trend. This is not a task that should be taken frivolously. It should be approached with care and understanding. We must first redefine the roles we play in children’s daily lives and make a conscious decision to help uproot the negative seeds and plant positive seeds of wisdom. Through teaching positive character traits, parents and schools can help to change the attitudes and ways our youth view themselves and the community as a whole. Healthy attitudes and positive mindsets create resilient youths that will have a self-defense mechanism against the growing epidemic.

As students are prepared for the 21st century, it is essential that they are equipped with the crucial character skills and experiences that will give them the ability to succeed in school and in their adult lives. Many schools do not offer comprehensive programs that integrate the teaching of positive character across-the-curricula, help families build character at home, expose young people to diverse career possibilities, and provide practical opportunities for service-learning.

The Phoenix Academy has identified a comprehensive character-building program that incorporates character education, community service, parent involvement, career awareness, conflict resolution, and positive prevention. We are partnering with our Phoenix Families to address these critical life skills and inspire greatness in our youths. We invite all interested families to contact us to find out more about the program or to enroll in our K-8 school to benefit from our social and academic focus. For more information, contact us at 650-328-5600.