Character Education with an Existentialist Framework
By Dr Charles Margerison, Psychologist, Amazing People Worldwide
Character education is more than teaching values; it is about helping students develop their own strengths while learning to support and respect the strengths of others. We support this via www.amazingpeopleschools.com.
This website provides exemplars such as Walt Disney, Helen Keller, Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman, who made the best of their lives despite facing difficult challenges.
We provide students at both primary and secondary levels with character education concepts and applications to improve their resilience, creativity, determination and performance.
This approach is the basis for modern existentialism in schools, where pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for who they become.
The focus is on personal choices that support authentic learning relationships.
In the classroom, this means:
- Students are not defined by external labels such as ethnic group, social class or religious rituals.
- Instead, they are supported to make choices about their future roles — whether as plumbers, builders, cooks, lawyers, engineers, teachers or artists.
- They learn that their career paths, income and lifestyle decisions are part of their responsibility to shape the life they want.
- Relationships, memberships and alliances are chosen freely, allowing students to chart their own course within communities.
Practical Implications for Schools
- Self-Definition: Pupils reflect on their aspirations in sport, school subjects and personal values (e.g., kindness, honesty, resilience).
- Dialogue and Reflection: Teachers create opportunities for discussion and presentations, where pupils practise defining themselves in words and actions.
- Respect for Diversity: Students learn that their freedom to choose is balanced by respect for the choices and strengths of others.
- Preparation for Life: By practising choice-making in school, pupils are better prepared to navigate careers, relationships and social alliances in adulthood.
Applications
We are now involved with over 100,000 students in 15 countries, who meet in classroom groups to support each other in character education learning.
Each school has a group of teachers who are trained in the use of the Amazing People School Edtech resources and meet as a network to share and compare their action learning.
Conclusion
Character education, framed through modern existentialism, empowers students to define themselves authentically. It equips them to make meaningful choices about their careers, lifestyles and relationships, while respecting the diversity of others.
In doing so, schools nurture young people who are resilient, determined and capable of charting their own course within groups and the community.