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ArticleChildrenMustbeTaughttoTellRightfromWrongWilliamKilpatrickManyoftoday’syoungpeoplehaveadifficulttimeseeinganymoraldimension(道德层面)totheiractions.Thereareanumberofreasonswhythat’strue,butnonemoreprominentthanafailedsystemofeducationthateschews(回避)teachingchildrenthetraditionalmoralvaluesthatbindAmericanstogetherasasocietyandaculture.Thatfailedapproach,called“decision-making,”wasintroducedinschools25yearsago.Ittellschildrentodecideforthemselveswhatisrightandwhatiswrong.Itreplaced“charactereducation.(品格教育)”Charactereducationdidn’taskchildrentoreinventthemoralwheel(浪费时间重新发明早已存在的道德标准);instead,itencouragedthemtopracticehabitsofcourage,justiceandself-control.Inthe1940s,whenacharactereducationapproachprevailed,teachersworriedaboutstudentschewinggum;todaytheyworryaboutrobberyandrape.Decision-makingcurriculumsposethorny(棘手的)ethicaldilemmastostudents,leavingthemwiththeimpressionthatallmoralityisproblematicandthatallquestionsofrightandwrongareindispute.Youngstersareforcedtoquestionvaluesandvirtuesthey’veneveracquiredinthefirstplaceoruponwhichtheyhaveonlyatenuous(薄弱的)hold.Theassumptionbehindthismethodisthatstudentswillarriveatgoodmoralconclusionsifonlytheyaregiventhechance.Buttheactualresultismoralconfusion.Forexample,arecentnationalstudyof1,700sixth-toninth-gradersrevealedthatamajorityofboysconsideredrapetobeacceptableundercertainconditions.Astoundingly,manyofthegirlsagreed.Thiskindofmoralilliteracyisfurtherencouragedbyvalues-education(价值观教育)programsthatarelittlemorethancoursesinself-esteem(自尊).Theseprogramsarebasedonthequestionableassumptionthatachildwhofeelsgoodabouthimselforherselfwon’twanttodoanythingwrong.Butitisjustasreasonabletomakeanoppositeassumption:namely,thatachildwhohasuncriticalself-regardwillconcludethatheorshecan’tdoanythingbad.Suchnaiveself-acceptanceresultsinlargepartfromthenon-directive(无指导性的),non-judgmental(无是非观的),as-long-as-you-feel-comfortable-with-your-choicesmentality(思想)thathaspervaded(渗透)publiceducationforthelasttwoandone-halfdecades.Manyoftoday’sdrugeducation,sexeducationandvalues-educationcoursesarebasedonthesame1960sphilosophythathelpedfueltheexplosioninteendruguseandsexualactivityinthefirstplace.Meanwhile,whileeducatorsarestillfiddlingwith(胡乱摆弄)outdated“feel-good”approaches,NewYork,Washington,andLosAngelesareburning.Youngstersareleavingschoolbelievingthatmattersofrightandwrongarealwaysmerelysubjective.Ifyoupassastrangeronthestreetanddecidetomurderhimbecauseyouneedmoney—ifitfeelsright—yougowiththatfeeling.Clearly,murderisnottaughtinourschools,butsuchaconclusion—justaboutanyconclusion—canbereachedandjustifiedusingthedecision-makingmethod.Itistimetoconsign(寄出)thefads(风尚)of“decision-making”and“non-judgmentalism”totheashheapoffailedpolicies,andreturntoaprovedmethod.Charactereducationprovidesamuchmorerealisticapproachtomoralformation.Itisbuiltonanunderstandingthatwelearnmoralitynotbydebatingitbutbypracticingit.SampleSummaryof“ChildrenMustbeTaughttoTellRightfromWrong”Inhisessay“ChildrenMustbeTaughttoTellRightfromWrong,”WilliamKilpatrickarguesferventlythatthe“decision-making”approachtothemoraleducationofAmericanyouth,whichreplaced“charactereducation”25yearsago,haspreventedjuvenilesfrombehavingandthinkinginaccordancewiththetraditionalmoralprinciplesthatarefundamentaltoAmericansociety.AccordingtoKilpatrick,decision-makingmethodsinstillinstudentsawrongbeliefthatallnormsofmoralityaresubjectiveconstructswithonlyrelativetruthinthemandthereforecanbeinterpretedflexiblyandevenquestioned.Thisbeliefdeprivesthemofthechancetosecuresolidmoralstandardsandinducesmisconceptionsaboutwhatshouldbeclearlyrightorwrong.Inparallelwiththisinadequacyofthe“decision-making”approacharetheunexpectedoutcomesofthosevalues-educationprogramsfocusingonstudents’self-esteemthatsubscribetothe“non-judgmental”mindsetdominating“decision-making”curriculums.Theirmistakenassumptionthatfeelinggoodwarrantsmoralityexcusesstudentsfromcriticizinganddiscipliningtheirownbehaviors.Basinghisconclusiononhisanalysisofthefundamentalflawsofthedecision-makingapproach,Kilpatrickfinallyproposesanimmediateshiftbacktocharactereducationwhichhebelievesteachesmoralitymoreeffectivelybyemphasizingpracticeinsteadofdiscussion.