A developmental Psychology Professor, Marvin Berkowitz in his work on raising ethical children observes that “no society can endure, or at least flourish, if it fails to take seriously the eternal task of socializing the next generation of youth, to whom we, as the keepers of our societies and cultures, will bequeath that which we have shepherded and crafted.” In reality, the future of any great nation is anchored in the character as well as in the imaginative, creative and innovative mind of its young people. Researchers in the field of moral education reasons that students need to develop survival skills such as self-regulation, curiosity, creativity, and resilience in their pathway to success. They are required to inculcate ethical virtues such as justice, courage, temperance, practical wisdom and other character virtues which may enable them to become their best selves.
Other than through the family, the development of character and virtues largely takes place through education systems. The internalization and practice of moral virtues contribute to flourishing through virtuous living. Thus, human beings have a responsibility to discover and cultivate the virtues within themselves and in support of their community. The Centre for Character and Leadership has been implementing the Cultivating Virtues in Kenyan School Leaders (CViL) project in selected pilot secondary schools which are located in 11 Counties across the Country. The CViL model entails offering Servant Leadership and Virtues development trainings to the school Principals and teachers. This includes a series of nine individual virtues workshops (noble purpose, integrity, humility, gratitude, forgiveness, courage, empowerment, foresight, and stewardship) that promote understanding and development of the virtues in self, staff and students.
School leaders are largely responsible for establishing the climate and culture of the school. They have significant impact on the well-being and achievement of both teachers and students. Through the implementation of CViL model, the school leaders are helping the students to understand and cultivate the virtue based practices that are essential in building a positive school culture. For instance, schools have incorporated specific environmentally based service learning such as ‘Adopt a tree and tag a virtue initiative.’ This involve students planting and adopting the trees as well as tagging the trees with positive virtues which they aim to nurture in their life as the tree grows. The students take on the care of their tree and the development of their chosen virtue as a “personal project’ under a ‘mentor’ relationship with a designated member of the school faculty or staff.
Schools which have demonstrated noteworthy progress in the integration of service learning through the ‘Adopt a tree and tag a virtue initiative’ includes Buru Buru Girls Secondary, Ruai Boys Secondary, Drumvale Secondary, Kamirithu Secondary, Mutira Girls High School, Nakuru Hills Special School and Kirimari Boys Secondary School among others. The integration of service learning within the school culture through the ‘Adopt a tree and tag a virtue initiative’ contributes to:
- Good character formation among the learners through internalization of moral virtues and practice.
- Building of a positive school culture with a conducive environment for meditation and learning.
- Support the achievement of 10% forest cover through growing trees in schools and communities as stipulated in the Kenyan’s Constitution, Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Address the effects of climate change and global warming through advocacy in reforestation.
- Support the achievement of Education for Sustainable Development Goals through planting of fruit trees.
In conclusion, the provision of education to the learners without helping them to internalize and practice moral virtues cannot bring about sustainable development. For example, young people who does not possess good character in the work place cannot sustain their jobs. Hence, the act of helping and mentoring learners to practice moral virtues is important in order to enable them flourish in life, school and the workplace.
References
Berkowitz, M.W. (2016). Raising ethical children. In D. McGowan (Ed.), Parenting beyond belief, 10th anniversary edition. New York City: ANACOM Books
Hyemin Han (2015) Purpose as a moral virtue for flourishing, Journal of Moral Education, 44:3, 291-309, DOI: 10.1080/03057240.2015.1040383
Lickona, T., (2004). Why Character Matters. Chapter 2 in Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues. New York: Touchstone. 3-30.