중등 학교에서의 인성 교육에 대하여

Regarding Character-building Training in Middle Schools

Before discussing a plan for character-development training, a clear concept of character-development must be established. one shouldn't regard character-development as teaching something new that hasn't been taught nor erasing of things that have caused problems. Character development has its soul in having "change" and "development" as its distinctive features. Character development in middle schools may be defined as an educational activity that considers the adolescents' character development stage for their self-realization and helps them develop their personality. The distinctive feature of adolescent character development is that socio-psychologically, this is the period in life where self identity is being formed. During this period, the society and family must foster and help students to have a positive identity. On the other hand, in the adolescent welfare point of view, considering adolescent character development is to protect them from family and societal dangers so that they can successfully overcome the risk involved in each stage of development, helping them to grow up as fine adults. However, our middle school education does not provide the grounds which permit educational training while attending to adolescent character development and their welfare. In order to provide a desirable education that considers adolescent character development, the educational function of schools must firstly be resumed. For this we should be provided with the physical environment and we also need teachers who are in charge of adolescent education. Secondly, we need to introduce the concept of adolescent welfare and social service to the middle school curriculum. We need to find a plan to make use of professional social workers discharged from several universities to devise a method to prevent adolescent problems and instruct them in the framework of the school system. Thirdly, an organic cooperative system must be constructed by the school and adolescent-related research centers. Schools should no longer shut other institutions out of adolescent training. Instead, they must construct a cooperative system with relevant institutions and have an open attitude for the most desirable adolescent education. Lastly, alternative schools must be activated, and the autonomy of private middle and high schools must be guaranteed. Schools should no longer regard students as objects to feed information and knowledge, but must respect each adolescent as a human being with a soul, and promote character development from mutual human relationships in their own breathing space. We shouldn't list all the essential virtues of character development nor depend on character-development programs themselves. Instead, we should put our efforts in providing the basis for a new education where character development training can be made possible.