In the realm of iPods, text messaging, video chats, online video games, and email, what does the average teenager think about morality? Are students of this generation getting the moral support they need from their parents, schools, and community members? Should these entities be involved in helping develop students' morality? How should morality be defined and who are "right"? These are all questions that a professional school counselor (PSC) will face and ask themselves regularly. Morality in education is an emotionally charged and multifaceted issue, creating numerous challenges for the PSC. To begin with, it is necessary to define the idea of morality and make some assumptions. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, morality is defined as “…normatively referring to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be proposed by all rational persons” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010). By examining the definition, one can realize that if someone has morals, they should follow some sort of "law" accepted by society and that to be rational, they must follow these laws. At this point the situation becomes complicated. American society seems to have two types of morals; one is the list of major moral principles such as murder, theft, etc. Most would agree that these are wrong and the government has put laws in place to discourage people from breaking these codes. The second type is minor morality, which involves things like underage drinking, premarital sex, lying/cheating, etc. These minor morals are left more to individual, family and/or cultural interpretation of what is accepted or not. This abstract approach to morality causes stress and frustration... half of the paper..., 12, 65-72. Fertman, C. I., & van Linden, J. A. (October 1999). Character education: An essential ingredient for youth leadership development. NASSP Bulletin, 83, 9-15. doi:10.1177/019263659908360902Krajewski, B. (October 1999). Enhance character education through drama and experiential dialogue. NASSP Bulletin, 83, 40-45. Retrieved from http://bul.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/83/609/9Rayburn, C., Ph.D. (June 2004). Assessing students for moral education: A new role for school counselors. American School Counseling Association, 7(5), January 30, 2010-356-362. Retrieved from http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/7-5-356%20Rayburn.pdfSink, C. A. (2010). Student spirituality. ASCA School Counselor, 47(3), 39-43.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The definition of morality. Retrieved 2/3/2010, 2010, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/morality-definition/
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