TAO School of Liberation

The moral development of students does not depend on class room sessions of moral science and value education. Rather, moral education efforts are greatly influenced by the maturity and ethical standards of the adults with whom children interact – parents, teachers, coaches, extend family and friends. It is often presumed that parents have the onus of fostering moral behavior in their children. However, parents alone cannot take on the responsibility of building moral character. Once they are in school children spend a lot of time with their peers and teachers and their personalities can be changed or shaped into healthy character traits. In school a child learns more than just academic lessons. They learn to play, share, socialize, and resolve conflict. And it is in these situations that educators play a crucial role in helping students develop a strong moral compass. Teachers influence moral behavior not only by being good role models but also in what they bring to the rel...

When we think about a school curriculum we think of Maths, Science, History, and Economics and so on.   We want schools and teachers to train our children in academics, perform well on tests, prepare them for higher education and enable them to secure good jobs. We pay very little attention to social values, moral education, or picking up healthy habits. Most parents presume this will come naturally to their children and rigorous training is not required. While it is true that children pick up moral values as they grow up it is important to pay close attention to what they are picking up. Today children are exposed to violence, dishonesty, gender inequality on an everyday basis, either through the media or because many role models set bad examples. Since the child spend most of his waking hours in school, after the home, we must consider what education the school is imparting to counter these negative influences. Awareness of social norms, an understanding of concepts such a...