Every good school has what is commonly called a set of core values and the teaching of those is as important, if not even more important, than the teaching of mathematics and language arts skills. Upon those common core values rests the foundation of our families, communities and nation.
…The foundations of our National policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; … the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained… George Washington, First Inaugural Address
Our first President, as well as many of our founding fathers, understood that the fate of our nation rested on the bedrock of a set of common core moral values that all citizens must embrace. John Adams wrote “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”
The founding fathers, of course, expected that our young people would be taught these values in their homes, their churches and their schools. Today we know we have many dysfunctional families where parents don’t or can’t teach these fundamental values for a variety of reasons. We also know that there has been a marked decrease in church going and consequent religious instruction. That leaves us with schools. The vast majority of young people attend school and that is where they can be taught a common core of values based on moral standards.
So what is that common core of values good schools teach? They include: no cheating, no bullying, respect one another, learn to cooperate, work with and support one another. Good schools also teach student to recognize prejudice (their own and other’s).
We are living through days when many believe the ties that bind us as a nation are rapidly unraveling and that those unbridled human passions that Samuel Adams so dreaded are reducing us to a collection of unmanageable individual tribes that even the strongest cords of our Constitution cannot hold together.
But that does not have to be our fate. We have a place where people, despite their differences, live as a common community and learn the values that bind them together and ultimately bind any group of people together in a unified society. That place is our schools. But to make those schools more effective as a unifying force in our society we must allow them, no, encourage them, to give more voice to and put more emphasis on their shared core values.
Here are the Core Values of one international school (with an American curriculum) where I worked:
Mission Statement
SSIS is a college preparatory school committed to the intellectual and personal development of each student in preparation for a purposeful life as a global citizen.
Core Values
SSIS Believes In and Promotes:
Academic Excellence
A challenging academic program, based on American standards, that teaches the student how to think, to learn, to problem solve, and to work individually and in teams while acquiring a foundational knowledge base of the world.
Sense of Self
A community atmosphere in which each student can gain a sense of who he or she is in the world; to develop self-confidence, strong character, convictions, leadership abilities, grace, courage, the desire to be a life-long learner, and the commitment to achieve excellence in all he or she does.
Dedicated Service
A view that looks beyond oneself to the assets and needs of the surrounding community and the world and finds fulfillment in unlocking potential in the service of mankind. The model SSIS graduate will demonstrate a caring attitude, be environmentally aware, and persevere for the good of the community.
Balance in Life
An academic program that promotes an appreciation for all of life and seeks to balance the sciences with the humanities; academics with the arts; mental wholeness with physical, social, and spiritual wholeness; and future career with family relationships.
Respect for All
A perspective that each individual is a person of worth.
Note: Every semester time was scheduled for each student and faculty member to assess how s/he was doing in following and advancing these core values. It is important for a school to not only have a common core of values but to take time to reflect on how well individuals in that school are living those values.