The Purpose of a Character Education

Yesterday, I read Martin Luther King Jr.'s essay, "The Purpose of Education," for the first time. It has all the elements that one expects from King's clear, articulate and passionate thought. What struck me while reading it, however, is how little we have done to make head way on the idea of education as being more than simply fostering intelligence.

This quote, in particular, sticks with me:

"We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will, therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living."

 I know that the majority of educators who taught me had a goal of fostering character as well as intelligence. I do not think that the importance of character is a strange mystery to be unlocked. However, our actions have not demonstrated that we understand how serious it is for human kind. Sure, my school had a "Character Counts" program, but that was a few hours a month, with no other concerted, systemic effort being made outside of that time.

It is not enough to take character on as a secondary quality. As King states, we cannot discern legitimate goals without an education that helps us develop the necessary skills for it. I am grateful for all the people in my life who cared that I be not only "smart" or informed but also compassionate and possessing integrity. Those attributes, my character, is what helps me decide the just ways to obtain and utilize information for myself and the world. Intelligence is simple brute force until with have the ability to discern the goals to which it can and should be turned.