While the action of donating, in this case, is objectively good (and the person who donated is very likely “a good person”), this action isn’t necessarily a marker of good character. Solicited in front of other people-but they may not have donated had they been Instance, someone may donate money to a charitable organization when they are On the other hand, some people simply take positive actions because of other influences. They take the right action because it is important to them to live life according to their personal values. They don’t act because someone else is influencing or pressuring them to do so, and they don’t do something just because they want to look good in front of others. These character traits define who they are as people-and highly influence the choices they make in their lives.įurthermore, a person with a positive character does the right thing because they believe it is the right thing to do. In general, people who are considered to have good character often have traits like integrity, honesty, courage, loyalty, fortitude, and other important virtues that promote good behavior. It all comes down to a person’s core values and to their motivations for acting as they do.

Students often get confused by the difference between “having good character” and “being a good person.” There is definitely some overlap between these (many good people also have good character), but in the end, they are two distinct things. More Writing Prompts and Related Resources.9 What is Good Character Writing Prompts.How to Further Develop Positive Character (and What Goes Into These Type of Traits).But there are some key values we can focus on to get the job done.

So… how can you tell if someone has good character? And how do you teach kids in your classrooms to recognize it in themselves and in others? That gets a little tougher-and a whole lot more subjective. These views of character are quite similar-and quite indicative of what the word really means.Ĭharacter is who you are at your very core. It is, as says, “the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.” It’s all the values and beliefs you hold dear to your heart… and it’s the person you are even when you’re alone. The shadow is what we think of it the tree is the real thing.” The famous basketball coach John Wooden said something very similar: “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. To do so, teachers and students alike must first understand what “character” even is.

How should a person be