Effective, transformative, and lasting education is more than just academics; it’s about developing well-rounded individuals who can make positive contributions to society. While academic success is bound to be important, teaching moral values is equally important for ensuring learners grow into responsible, ethical, and empathetic individuals. This blog will take you through the importance of moral values for students right from primary school and how it impacts your child’s life, for better.
Importance of Moral Values in Students’ Life
Teaching moral values in school is vital for inculcating the right kind of values in children that go a long way in shaping responsible, altruistic and empathetic individuals. Learners who learn moral values are more likely to develop positive relationships with peers, be more empathetic towards others, and make ethically sound decisions. Furthermore, young individuals who have a strong moral compass are better equipped to face challenges and make the right decisions in their personal and professional lives.
7 Important Moral Values Students Must Learn in School
The world is faced by humongous challenges today and the generations that stand to inherit it can simply not turn the other way. They must be brave, take the onus, and have the fortitude to stand up for what is right. Some fundamental values that can galvanize this are:
Honesty
From an early age, children should be made to understand and appreciate the importance of honesty and integrity in their personal and academic lives. They should be encouraged and appreciated for being honest in even the tiniest things. This will pave a better way towards building trust and maintaining healthy relationships with others.
Respect
Respect for others stems from respect for the self. A child will thrive when we show them apparent appreciation for who they are as individuals, not just for their achievements. We must show them how fulfilling it is to respect themselves, others, and the place they have inherited in this world. They should understand that every individual deserves respect, regardless of their background or beliefs.
Responsibility
When young learners are given the chance to take ownership of what they need to do, they take responsibility for their actions, both good and bad. This urges them to do better, and helps them understand their actions have outcomes, and they need to be accountable for them.
Fairness
When peers from diverse backgrounds get together and partake in group activities, they learn the importance of being fair and just in their interactions with others. They better understand how treating others with fairness and equality makes for a more harmonious society.
Empathy
Again, when cultural differences meet only to be put aside, learners begin to empathize with others and understand their perspectives. This helps broaden their worldview and helps them build stronger, more meaningful relationships
Courage
The courage of conviction and the one to stand up for what is right, even when it is difficult, are invaluable when it comes to building moral compass. Praise a child for being steadfast, reward them for doing the right thing, and they’ll pass it on. This can fill them with a sense of personal and social achievement.
Kindness
In all the things they do, in how they think, and in the ways they react, children must be met only with kindness. It’s contagious and a kind child will always have a positive impact on others.
How To Teach Moral Values to Students?
Teach by example, demonstrate these values and reiterate their importance, use anecdotal evidence, ask them to ask why and how, and listen to what they have to say. There’s no established way of teaching moral values to students but all these things can contribute towards the same. “Teaching” moral values to students doesn’t work by lecturing them. It thrives in a positive learning environment that promotes these values and encourages students to practice them. Teachers can always incorporate moral values into their lessons, lead by example, and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate them while they’re at school. But at the end of it all, it is only when learners practice these values among themselves, take ownership of their thoughts and actions, will they truly onboard what morality entails.
Also Read: Student Engagement: Participation in Extracurricular Activities
Conclusion
Children must be celebrated for who they are, for they will never be purer and more moral than they are during their childhoods. The problem with teaching them morality lies in the fact it already exists in them, abundantly. We can only do so much by way of teaching. What we do is just help them see and realize it for themselves. OWIS’s non-denominational nature, where children from different backgrounds make up the student body – learn more from experience and each other than they do from books. This presents ample scope for learners to build moral values. Right from primary schooling, young learners are urged to be kind, take ownership, be responsible, speak up, ask, and understand. Our focus is always on discussion, cooperation and teamwork, in an encouraging and caring environment that promotes and disseminates moral learnings for each child.
