| More than 28 million children have parents who work | | | | films during lectures and classroom assignments. |
| outside the home (U.S. Department of Labor, 1998). | | | | 2. Monitors social interactions among students to |
| Due to the long work hours being demanded of | | | | ensure proper social etiquette, and respect for self and |
| parents, 8 million children are spending more than half | | | | others are demonstrated. |
| of their waking hours in school and under the care and | | | | 3. Encourage school attendance and punctuality. |
| supervision of teachers in afterschool programs | | | | 4. Demand that students respect their personal |
| (Afterschool Alliance, 2009). This does not account for | | | | belongings and school property. |
| the 18 million children that the America After 3pm study | | | | 5. Ensure that students learn about their social and |
| found who are left home alone unsupervised until their | | | | political place in society through current events, |
| parents return home from work. As a result of these | | | | debates and classroom assignments. |
| demands, teachers are finding themselves becoming | | | | 6. Encourage students to participate in community |
| surrogate parents to the students in their care. With | | | | service activities such as recycling projects, beach |
| this comes the responsibility although by default, to | | | | cleanups, donations to underprivileged individuals, blood |
| assist in not only their general education but also their | | | | drives and walk-a- thons. |
| character formation. Character in this context is | | | | 7. Stress the students the importance of giving rather |
| defined by Webster dictionary as "the complex of | | | | than receiving especially during the holiday season any |
| mental and ethical traits marking and often | | | | natural disasters. |
| individualizing a person, group, or nation." | | | | 8. Invite speakers from the community to provide |
| Aiming to preserve and instill those lessons we | | | | motivational speaking and also serve as additional |
| previously learned from our elders, we as educators | | | | positive role models. |
| are charged with molding the next generation. Key | | | | 9. Plan field trips to library, newspapers, and universities |
| character aspects include 1) Basic values and morals, | | | | to help plant the seed early on in their development. |
| 2) Respect for others, 3) Internal drive and motivation, | | | | 10. Encourage parental/guardian involvement through |
| and 4) Selflessness, and community service. Below | | | | open house, newsletters and PTA meetings. Parents |
| are several recommendations/strategies for teachers | | | | can assist teachers by reiterating values and lessons |
| to develop character among their students. | | | | being taught at school. |
| 1. Highlight character qualities in subjects in books and | | | | |