Guiding Students to Develop Their Civic Character

We don’t talk much about civic character, but we should. When it’s missing, our students don’t get along with one another. There’s not a lot of acceptance of difference. Arguments are common, and disputes are often settled with insults, intimidation, or outright violence. Pessimism and anxiety are widespread. And classrooms and schools overall are not well maintained. The basic attitude is, “There’s nothing I can do about it” or “Why should I care?”

According to Character.org’s National Guidelines for Character and Social-Emotional Development, civic character is a set of strengths and skills that enable students to know the difference between what is fair and unfair; to treat all people with respect, courtesy, and dignity; to regularly volunteer and serve others; and to contribute time and effort toward the common good.

It’s hard to imagine carrying out these activities without a set of sound social and emotional competencies. But having these competencies does not automatically mean students will turn them toward civic character and engagement.

Building Civic Character Every Day

There are small things that teachers can do regularly—at least every marking period—that will, over time and with practice opportunities, build all students’ civic character. Here are examples, drawn in part from the National Guidelines.

Kindergarten to grade 2, ages 5 to 7: From this early age, children are learning to be civically engaged in their classrooms. It starts with learning how to share, take turns, follow rules, and be respectful, courteous, and polite to all others in their class. 

With some children more than others, you may have to explain what it means to engage in these behaviors and why it is important (especially in terms of classmates’ feelings). You likely will have to prompt or remind them about these behaviors when they forget.

It’s also a good time to model what it means to show empathy and offer help to classmates experiencing difficulties. Most kids this age are not sure what to do when classmates seem distressed. Now is the time to show them it’s OK to be concerned and how to do it in a way that each child can be comfortable with.

Grades 3 to 5, ages 8 to 10: This is an ideal age to work with students to establish a set of rules for the class—a kind of “Classroom Constitution.” Children can be very sensitive to whether they are being treated fairly, and they benefit from clear statements about how to speak to, treat, and act toward one another. 

Having regular classroom meeting times during which students can share when they have dealt with fairness and unfairness, respect and disrespect, and helpfulness and selfishness will help them engage in the give and take of classroom life. 

Grades 6 to 8, ages 11 to 13: I worked with a middle school principal who had his teachers, every marking period, ask students to share their answers to the question, “What kind of class or school do you want to have, and what can we—staff and you—do to make that happen?” For many students, it’s a revelation that they can influence their classroom or school.

After a year of these conversations, it’s hard to hold students back. They become more attentive to the importance of civic engagement in schools, neighborhoods, and the wider world. There are wonderful resources available, such as these lesson plans, for language arts, history, and music teachers to introduce students to the language and music of protest and civil disobedience and the role of leadership, including in their classrooms.

Finally, as students are learning about essay writing, consider giving them opportunities to write about times they engaged in or heard about volunteer or community service activities, encountered fairness and unfairness, encouraged others to be helpful, or spoke up or took action to keep others from engaging in dangerous, harmful, or disrespectful behavior.

Grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18: The main focus at this age is to get students to own and live their ideals. As opportunities naturally arise in your classes, challenge students to distinguish between complaining and being committed to making a change; tolerating those who are different and treating them with dignity; being part of a group, team, or organization (or class) and actively participating.

Periodically ask students what issues or causes they personally care about that really matter to them. Have them work with one another to plan small actions they can take together that are aligned with their commitments. Encourage students to search out, share, and attend public meetings and then bring those experiences back to the classroom or the school overall (perhaps in a newsletter dedicated to sharing such experiences).

Building Civic Character Through Service-Learning

Helping students feel a sense of service and responsibility to their school promotes civic character. A report by the National Youth Leadership Council and Character.org, Developing Student Leaders Through Service-Learning, outlines how service-learning from kindergarten through 12th grade helps all students to be civic participants.

Every teacher can speak to students about their responsibilities for the care of their classrooms, hallways, and school grounds and for the comfort of their classmates and schoolmates. Mobilize their empathy and compassion to realize that a caring and supportive school is a better learning and living environment for everyone.

Some subject area teachers will more naturally be able to address topics related to civic character. Having students reflect on concepts like justice, fairness, the common good, respect, and civic responsibility in language arts, the visual and performing arts, health, social studies or history, and science can take place without any meaningful altering of the curriculum. Of course, having a meaningful student government in which many students participate (beyond the elected leaders) goes a long way toward building civic character.

Young people today experience a great deal of cynicism and pessimism, as well as anxiety about the future. Helping students exercise their social and emotional skills toward making their classrooms, schools, and communities better places will increase the likelihood that they will constructively display civic character as they enter adulthood.