That distance is indeed the problem that
authentic character education must shrink.
When we teach statistics, the learning must
be about something more than numbers.
When we teach history, the learning must be
about more than names and dates. When
we teach biology, the learning must be
about the dangers to life on the planet as
well as definitions of the current categories
of life. When we teach literature, the moral
dilemmas faced by the protagonists must be
central to how we understand the characters
of our protagonists. When we weigh the
economic value of drilling for oil and gas
versus the environmental impact of that
drilling, that research, that complex problem
solving, and that decision-making needs to
be at the center of academic curriculum for
every adolescent student in