Character Education

Spotlight On Character Education

Seeking to educate the whole child

Middleton, Massachusetts - February 11, 2004 - When we send our children to school, we know they will be taught reading, writing and arithmetic. In addition to the basics, a quality school addresses the development of the whole child by providing a curriculum that emphasizes character development. At Meritor, there is an active commitment to the development and encouragement of studentsÕ character and a monthly focus on character traits.

One of the most powerful tools in the character education process is the use of story to motivate us to think and act differently. Attributed to Ethics Resource Center, www.ethics.org. As part of the focus on character development, Meritor teachers use stories to aid in guiding children toward moral choices and behaviors. The stories aim at clear concepts of good and bad. As the stories unfold, the children witness choices and their implications.

Below is a list of books that address respect, responsibility, honesty, kindness, perseverance and friendship.

A Suggested Reading List -- Respect --
	Elementary
	Anderson, Hans Christian, The Ugly Duckling. Bridwell, Norman, Clifford's Manners, Scholastic, 1985. MacLachlan, Patricia, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Cornerstone Books, 1985. Mathis, Sharon Bell, The Hundred Penny Box, Viking Press, 1975. Show, Pegeen, Eat Your Peas, Louise, Children's Press, 1985.
	Middle
	Banks, Lynne Reid, The Indian in the Cupboard, Doubleday, 1980. Gaines, Ernest, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Montgomery, L.M., Anne of Green Gables. Naidoo, Beverly, Journey to Jo'burg, J.B. Lippincott, 1985. Swift, Jonathan, Gulliver's Travels.
-- Responsibility--
	Elementary
	Armstrong, William Howard, Sounder, Harper and Row, 1969. Berenstain, Jan and Stan, Berenstain Bears and the School Scandal Sheet, Random House, 1994. Day, Alexandra, Frank & Ernest, Scholastic, Inc., 1988. Grifalconi, Ann, Flyaway Girl, Brown, 1992. Speare, Elizabeth George, Sign of the Beaver, Houghton Mifflin, 1983.
	Middle
	Fox, Paula, One-Eyed Cat, Bradbury Press, 1984. Hamilton, Virginia, Planet of Junior Brown, MacMillan, 1971. Harvey, Paul Aurandy, The Rest of the Story, W. Morrow, 1980. Hunt, Irene, Across Five Aprils. Peck, Robert, A Day No Pigs Would Die.
-- Honesty --
	Elementary
	Aesop, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", Aesop's Fables, Viking Press, 1933. Alger, Honest Abe. Andersen, Hans Christian, The Emperor's New Clothes, E.M. Hale and Co., 1949. Berenstain, Stan and Jan, The Berenstain Bears and the Truth, Random House, 1983. Collodi, Carlo, Pinocchio, F. Watts, 1959. Grimm Brothers, The Frog Prince, McGraw Hill, 1974.
	Middle
	Baldwin, James, "The Story of Regulus", The Book of Virtues. Barnum, P.T. "Truth in Advertising", The Book of Virtues. Ferris, Jeri, Walking the Road to Freedom: A Story About Sojourner Truth, Carolrhoda, 1984. Gray, Frances, Good Morning Miss Dove, Mead, 1946, Pocket Books, 1956.
-- Kindness --
	Elementary
	Aesop, "The Lion and the Mouse", Aesop's Fables, Viking Press, 1933. Andersen, Hans Christian, The Little Match Girl, Houghton Mifflin, 1968. Dickens, Charles, A Christmas Carol, Weathervane Books, 1977. Hurlbut, The Good Samaritan. Johnson, Beauty and the Beast.
	Middle
	Fast, Howard, April Morning, Bantam, 1961. Kipling, Rudyard, Captains Courageous, Doubleday, 1986. Patterson, Francine, The Story of Koko, Scholastic, 1987.
-- Perseverance --
	Elementary
	Aesop, "The Fox and the Crow", "Frogs and the Well", "Flies and the Honey Pot", Aesop's Fables, Viking Press, 1933. Aesop, "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg", from The Book of Virtues. Hawthorne, Nathaniel, The Golden Touch, St. Martin's Press, 1987./li> Johnson, Clifton, "The Fisherman and His Wife", from The Book of Virtues. Johnson, Clifton, "The Magic Thread", from The Book of Virtues.
	Middle
	From The Book of Virtues: Homer, "The Cattle of the Sun", "Homer's Odyssey Lamb", "Mary and Charles", "Anger" Tolstoy, Leo, "How Much Land Does A Man Need"
-- Friendship --
	Elementary
	Berenstain, Stan and Jan, Trouble With Friends, Random House, 1989. Berry, Joy Wilt, Let's Talk About Being Selfish, Children's Press, 1984. Cohen, Mirian, Will I Have A Friend, MacMillan, 1967./li> DeRegniers, B., The Way I Feel Sometimes, Co-op-er-ate, Clarion Books, 1988. Oxenbury, Helen, Tom and Pippo Make A Friend, Alladin Books, 1989.
	Middle
	Baudouy, Michel Aime, Cooperation, More Than Courage, Brace and World, 1961 Frost, Robert, "Mending Wall" Jones, Adrienne, Sail Calypso!, Little Brown, 1968.

About Meritor Academy Meritor Academy is is an independent, coeducational day school, dedicated to providing a high-quality education that fosters excellence in academic learning, establishes strong character, and develops attitudes and skills essential for life success. The school's dynamic pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade curriculum combines academics with arts, physical education and a strong sense of community service. Meritor Academy is independently operated and is not supported by tax or church monies.