Character Building Education Based on Family and School Environment

Modern education has been booming since the globalization era hits the world. In this era, the state of education also develops based on the modernization. The previous education which only teaches the school subjects based on the knowledge is now widely developed to be a better one as it is called “Character Building Education.” Actually, the character building education has existed for many years ago. However, not only it becomes now the most important aspect in the school but family environment also has the responsibility in educating the children due to the quality itself. The term of Character Building Education, or it is simply called as character education, is the deliberate, proactive effort to develop good character in kids or, more simply, to teach children right from wrong (Thomas Lickona, 1999). Therefore, the character education leads the kids or children not only based on their knowledge or intelligence but it also develops their characteristics. In this stuff, the kids will have a chance to learn what is right and wrong through their environment and in and out of the school.

Particularly in Indonesia, the character education has just begun for these recent years. This case is sought based on the Indonesian education, both school and family environment, which is judged less maximum. It can be seen on http://www.pendidikankarakter.com/wajah-sistem-pendidikan-di-indonesia/ as Timothy Wibowo voices that many rich businesses are not generous, lawyers who do not care about his or her starving neighbours and teachers who are not touched when they see many street children uneducated. It is absolutely depicted that many years ago, the education in Indonesia was less efficient due to the less understanding of character education and the effect of those people is sensed by now. Then, to prevent the same thing happens in the future, not only the teachers who teach in the school atmosphere but it also covers the parents who directly educate the kids through family environment, should conduct the character building education more seriously and  these are some ways on how to make character building education hit the mark on kids or students’ minds through practice and action.

The implementation of character building education absolutely can be based on religion which is taught both in family environment and school. Generally, religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden (Emile Durkheim, on the book entitled seven theories of religion by Daniel L. Pals). It can be interpreted that religion is the basic element of humans’ life. Religion will limit and ban any person whenever he or she wants to do any bad thing, because all religions in this world teach humans in positive ways. Surely, this will lead the students or kids to do good deeds. However, if it happens oppositely, the kids or students may grow without a strong faith. Risman, a psychologist, states that the issue of porn video that is starred by the students and also the issue of a rape directed by the children is the result of a lack understanding or knowledge about religion, based on http://www.republika.co.id/berita/nasional/umum/13/11/23/mwplpc-pendidikan-agama-sejak-dini-cegah-video-mesum-pelajar, Sunday, 24^th November 2013. From the case above, the lack of knowledge about religion will bring the children or students in a dark future. Then, the similar issue also happens in Central Jakarta, that two students of junior high school is caught doing an immoral act after the school day. They do sex and more badly, some friends record it through a mobile camera, based on http://www.republika.co.id/berita/nasional/jabodetabek-nasional/13/11/06/mvu7to-kondisi-kejiwaan-pemeran-video-mesum-smp-diperiksa, Wednesday, 6^th November 2013. The lack of parents’ attention and  supervision will have a big influence in building the kids’ charateristics. They do not know whether the way they do is wrong or right, although they know that it is wrong, however, lust and desire cannot be controlled because they do not have a strong establishment in their lives. That is why, the implementation of the view of religion in building the character education should be taught in their family and supported by the school environment. If the two can role well, there is no doubt that the students or kids will have a bright future as long as they have a strong faith of religion that will guide them. Moreover, that should be a big shame for that school whose the education there is less marked to the students, mainly for the religious aspects. Thus, to guide the students or kids to have a sterling future through character building education, the religion aspects should be implanted to control them in their performances.

After the implementation of religion aspects in building the character education both in school atmosphere and family environment, one thing that cannot be separated is that the state of morale. People who grow intelligently without morale are useless. Morale refers to the character corresponding to the social rules or laws or customs regarding the regulating behavior (Chaplin:2006). It also covers the ability to determine right and wrong, good and bad behavior (Wantah: 2005). When people grow cognitively smart with no morale, it will be dangerous and they will have work errors. In Indonesia itself, many intelligent people who abuse their own intelligence is caused by the low level of morale. For example of this stuff is that the increase of corruption which keeps going year by year. Pardi, as a citizen of Indonesia, he expresses his disappointment to the leaders of Indonesia by attaching such a big banner in front of his house. He assumes that the Indonesian leaders now forget their obligations, do not care about the fate of the people who have chosen them to be the leaders and the increase of corruption as the victims are the poor citizens, based on http://www.fn-online.com/2013/12/rendahnya-moralitas-para-pemimpin.html. From Pardi’s opinion, it can be sensed that the character building education in Indonesia must be taught by now for the new generations so that when they become leaders in the future, the same case of what is happening now will not be repeated. Mainly, for the teacher through civic subject, there are many things that can be learnt by it, such as being honest, respect each other, no rubber time, etc. Rubber time is a  term for Indonesians who are not on  time or being late. Then, not only by that subject but the teachers can also tuck some  positive attitudes such as no cheating during exams. It will lead the students for being honest and it purposes that they will do the honesty wherever they do some actions. And then the teachers can also opens questions for the students who have not really understood the material after the teaching practice over. It will teach them on how to behave democratically. By instilling the morale that is performed by the teachers during the school days, the students will have opportunities to imitate them out of school days wherever they are.

Besides it, the attachment of character building education during school days is also meaningless without the support from family environment. Except if they live in a student dormitory. When the students are taught about morale in a formal school, the advocate from family is also needed. Clearly, it can be revealed that most students’ time is spent in the family environment and basically children’s first charateristics are got during the circle of family education. Bezuidenhout and Joubert (2003:85) states that the opinion that the fault lies mainly in the morale guidance that the young child receives at home. It means that the biggest influence in building morale character is basically from the family. If the kids have a good family background in the terms of behavior and attitude, they will grow up in a feasible environment. So when the kids attend the school, the teacher has no real difficulties to guide and educate them because they already have a good background. However, if the opposite happens, the teacher will be burdened to create and rebuild the kids’ characteristics. Leslie, (1967) voices that a kid whose parents get divorced, he or she will live in a fear, particularly in the terms of finance and emotion due to the loss of family’s safety. Another case happens as Heri Widodo, M.Psi, as the clinical psychologist of Sanata Dharma University, remarks that the loss of father’s figure, children will become malicious and difficult to control because the role of superego is no longer available, the eefect is that it may appear that when a kid grows into adulthood, he may be more malicious and will have a bad morale, if there is no full attention of the related relatives. In these cases, the kid will have a low self-esteem when he or she faces the environment around, mostly at school atmosphere and also it is not impossible that the opposite happens as the kid will be more uncontrolled. Then the role of a teacher is that he should rebuild the students’ characteristics is not easy and it needs long process. Thus, the role of school in building students’ good morale cannot be done only in school environment, however, the role of family also has a big hand as the basic of morale foundation.

By building the character education through religion, particularly in Indonesia, the kids or students will be more controlled because they have a solid establishment during their performances both in school environment and out of it. Moreover, the role of family and school in building the students or kids’ morale also have a big contribution. The school cannot fully build the students’ morale, mostly, on how to behave and act, without the support and the basic foundation from their family. Thus, if both family and school support each other, the kids or the students will have a good character building education and prepared for the future.