Teaching Generosity With Current Events

Teaching generosity in your character education class this month? It can be as simple as asking small children to share their toys. It can be as complex as lecturing on the difference between largesse and openhandedness. Teaching generosity becomes easier and more interesting when you use stories from the day's news. In fact, character education teachers who want to inject reality when teaching generosity will find current events a valuable tool.

Teaching Generosity Synonyms

Teaching generosity synonyms can be a constructive beginning to your character education effort if care is taken to define terms. Many words on the lists we use when teaching generosity synonyms are not truly the same as the character trait.

Look at this list of twenty-five synonyms and see if you can determine which ones mean the same as the character trait.

•     abundance
•     affluence
•     altruism
•     beneficence
•     benevolence
•     bigness
•     bounty
•     charitableness
•     charity
•     free giving
•     goodnes
•     heart
•     high-mindedness
•     hospitality
•     kindness
•     largesse
•     love
•     magnanimity
•     munificence
•     nobleness
•     openhandedness
•     philanthropy
•     prodigality
•     readiness
•     unselfishness

The Character Trait Defined

This is a character trait that works from an understanding of true good, proactively doing for others things that are beneficial, even when it demands personal sacrifice on the part of the person exercising the trait.

Current Events Examples

Current events are filled with examples.

Today's news reports that the head of a well-known charity pocketed a salary of one million dollars while watching his charity close its doors. Such a story shines a spotlight on the negative of stinginess. Even little children will understand. One man was so greedy that he let many others suffer while he lived well. He refused to make personal sacrifice. Instead, he closed the doors on a charity that was helping others.

Another negative story from today's news is the revelation that while North Koreans starve, their leader sends his men to Europe on regular shopping sprees. Those shopping sprees are not for food to help his nation, but rather to purchase luxury cars, gold-plated weapons, expensive furniture, and the finest food available for the leader himself.

Need more? A positive story that will help educators who are teaching generosity is that of the woman offering her community free horseback riding. Her horse farm regularly charges sixty-five dollars an hour for the privilege, but on Wednesday evenings, everyone rides free. On Wednesday evenings, the woman who owns the farm sacrifices her income for the good of those who cannot afford the simple pleasure of a relaxing ride.

Conclusion

Teaching generosity this month in character education class? Read your newspaper, watch TV news, or search the Internet for current events. They will make your lesson relevant and memorable.