Scholars in moral education believe that ultimately the development of character is best observed via a process that supports each individual to discover how to lead a good and meaningful life . Significantly , ‘ a life well lived entails having an integrated set of virtues , called ' character ', which not only involves moral thinking , but also the way we perceive , feel and act , our manner , and our relationships ’ 18 .
It is important to note that schools and importantly teachers have always shaped young people . Indeed , the very nature of teaching is an act of influence . Teachers as role models influence students by the texts they choose to study , the language they use , even the clothes they wear . Scholars believe that ‘ no teacher can either logically or psychologically dissociate themselves from the practice of character education ’ 19 . In this way we pursue the vocation of teaching as an incredible privilege and responsibility .
In pursuing Character Education , we are ultimately interested in supporting young people to flourish . According to Kristjansson , ‘ to flourish is to fulfil one ’ s potential as a human individual , just as to flourish as an apple tree is to blossom and bear fruit ’ 20 . To flourish we need to develop ourselves to levels of excellence in several areas . These excellences are referred to as virtues and they are inextricably linked to flourishing . One simple way of thinking about virtues is if we ‘ understand the virtues as ( ideal ) excellences that people need in order to live well – individually and together in ways that are peaceful , neighbourly and morally justifiable ’ 21 . Aristotle defined virtue as ‘ an ability for doing good , the greatest virtues are necessarily those most useful to others ’ 22 .
Excellent qualities that produce flourishing include virtues such as compassion , justice , integrity , gratitude and humility , to name just a few . These are examples of the character qualities that we will cultivate in our boys . This is the language and more importantly , the habits we will begin to grow to support their path towards flourishing . We know that although not all children will develop an interest in or a need for science , all human beings require an interest in honesty or fairness 23 . Most importantly , not only do we want our boys to understand the virtues , but we also desire to see virtue inculcated so that each boy ’ s natural inclination is to do good in our world .
In seeking to unite the Scotch Family on our journey , the College has returned to our foundational
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 9