Customer Reviews

Cultivating Heart and Character: Educating for Life's Most Essential Goals

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A deeper look at what it takes to raise respectful, responsible kids. Not the "10 Quick Steps to.." kind of thing, but a thoughtful and comprehensive discussion of developing good character thoughout all of life and with the help of family, school and community. Offers badly needed theory to the whole character education movement that is popular right now. A philosohical book yet very practical, a spiritual book without being religious. Some parts are really beautiful to read. Inspiring for teachers and perfect for administrators or for a graduate student studying education who want to understand the moral side of education.

I loved this book! It is full of such heartwarming stories
and presents research in such an enlivening way. I have added this book to the collection I keep on my bed table and it always inspires me and seems to be just what I need when I look through it. As a therapist, family educator and most importantly, a mother of young daughters, I highly recommend this book to any person who hopes to contribute to the education and character building of a child.

I found the topics, the foundations of character education, the family as the school of love, and challenges facing the youth, as very important in basically creating good heart and character. I applaud the authors who hail from excellent institutions such as the International Educational Foundation, Harvard University, and the most important forum of all, the family.

The timing of the book is excellent since we are in a time of such a poverty of morality and confidence, and wealth in the corruption of the soul. When politics and business appear to demonstrate that one can get ahead by not cultivating heart and character, the youth especially need to know that what appears to be getting ahead is only a very wrong path towards an unseeing end.

The title of the book is what is needed so much in our civil societies and communities, and this book would benefit all of us. Most importantly, the book speaks of causes and the resolution of conflict in very understandable language that would be of use of all readers. Thank you for giving me a chance to read about how one cultivates heart and character.

As a teacher interested in theory and practice of character education, I was amazed at the great ideas that this book offers as well as intriguing ideas about what's really important in teaching. It's the heart of the teacher that really matters. This book has deepened and inspired my work. Very different from other, more superficial treatments of character development. NOT dumb or corny! Thanks.

The combination of the various backgrounds of the contributors of this text has given it a richness and clearer sense of the whole picture of how and why to educate for character that you will be hard pressed to find in many current character education texts.

In addition, the Devine, Seuk and Wilson have managed to present the well-researched material in a way that is palatable. To sum up, it's one-stop shopping for ways to foster character and emotional intelligence, good relationships and social responsibility.

The essential life goals-maturity, love and service-become an organizing framework for education and are clearly explicated. They provide the "why" as well as much of the "how" of cultivating good character. In addition, traditional values like purity and character are grounded in contemporary research. This text can be used to enhance a particular discipline, for relational instruction or enrichment, or simply to broaden your own understanding. It provides practical guidance for educators, families, counselors and leaders-anyone involved in making a difference.