The Importance of Teaching Values in School
Teaching values in school is extremely important for children’s overall education. The world needs to pass on good values and principles in order to raise respectful citizens.
The concept of values
Values are connected to our own experiences. They can shape our minds, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Values are part of the will of a person. Likewise, they can shape the way people live their life, how they share it, and their experiences in life.
There are two types of values: individual values and those that we share with others. For example, values shared in society can create behaviors and conduct that can change a society. The main distinction among values, though, is that values can be ethical or moral.
Some values are universal, such as respect, tolerance, kindness, peace, solidarity, freedom, honesty, and integrity. These can be seen as a set of rules regulating how people behave.
Moral values are part of a society; they can be cultural, religious, or familiar. Above all, these values can help you differentiate between right and wrong, and can be passed on in a family for generations.
Characteristics of teaching values in school
There are defining characteristics of values to be taught at school, such as:
- Teaching children to be organized in life.
- Inspiring good judgment and respect from rules.
- Choosing a value is based on rationality, but also intuition, and feelings.
- Most importantly, values are part of ideal world order.
- Values are relative. They depend on time, place, and society.
Importance of teaching values in school
Civics and moral education
Civics and moral education are related to the social systems in which they’re present, as well as the rights and duties of its citizens, and on what constitutes a good citizen.
The main thing to learn is not to discriminate against any person, no matter where they’re from, their race, sex, or ideology. Children should be encouraged to participate, and their education should be focused on peace rather than conflicts.
Gender equality and equal opportunities
Seeing differences as an enriching reality, instead of a way to discriminate. It focuses on the distinction between sexual identity and gender identity, on how to distinguish between biological differences, its functions and the social roles related to gender.
Environmental education
This aims to help people be more conscious and sensitive to the environment. In other words, these are values of concern and responsibility, to motivate them to help take care of the environment in their daily life. This includes creating habits to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste, as well as caring about and saving water and energy.
Health education
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This is more than just being healthy.
Health education promotes values like disease prevention, using healthy and positive habits, like good eating habits and exercise.
Sex education
It should provide a global view of sex. It’s about much more than biological and societal values. To clarify, it goes beyond the reproductive function and mental processes associated with sexuality, to the social cues and gender roles. Sex education needs to talk about responsible sexual practices, birth control, and STDs.
More about teaching values in school
Road safety education
Lives deserve respect. Schools need to teach children about caring and respect. Road safety education teaches driving codes, promotes the rational use of cars and public transportation.
Consumer education
This is about adopting sustainable and conscious habits, as well as a good sense of judgment when buying and consuming products or services. For example, it teaches people about choosing products that have less impact on our planet. Schools need to teach children about what they use and inform them of the existence of commerce and fair trade.
Entrepreneurship
It’s about finding motivation and being able to start a business of one’s own. For example, lessons on entrepreneurship can help children identify opportunities as well as ways to pursue them. It’s about healthy competitiveness to develop innovative ideas and learn how to be creative, flexible and intuitive.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Grün, A. (2019). De la felicidad en las pequeñas cosas. Editorial Kairós.
- Tuts, M. y Martínez, L. (2007). Educación en valores y ciudadanía. Propuestas técnicas y didácticas para la formación integral. Editorial Catarata. Madrid.
- Tuvilla Rayos, J. (n.d.). La educación en valores y la LOMCE. Recuperado de https://josetuvillarayo.es/files/06_LOMCE_Valores_-definitivo.pdf
- Revista de educación no extraordinario 2011. Educación, valores y democracia. (s. f.). Ministerio de Educación.
