Is it Moral to Teach Morals?

 When considering the grand need for education in the United States of America, many people often acknowledge that establishing morals is a key component of the education system. However, in a day where there are so many differing opinions on what morality means, how can school leaders and policy makers determine the best morals to focus on?

On the Utah state legislature website, there are a number of bills regarding education. Some of these issues are based around this idea of morality and how schools should tackle talking about it. For example, one bill discusses sex education and what is moral to teach. Particularly in the state of Utah, it should not be surprising that this topic is complicated when surrounded by strong religious viewpoints from the majority of the population. While many people in the United States believe the highest moral response is to teach about ways to have safe sex, 15% still think it is immoral to even grant the idea that anything but abstinence as an option. Other moral questions and issues that are common may include issues regarding the LGBTQ community, critical race theory, how to respond to Covid regulations, if students should be taught about gender fluidity, etc. These issues are all debated hotly amongst adults that can’t seem to agree. So should we really be bringing students into the discussion?

Part of the problem is that many of the moral questions that are of such contentious points of discussion can often directly impact students. For example, another bill that has recently been debated deals with the issue of transgender students and school athletics. This is an issue where schools must determine what their moral standard will be, and how they are going to address it. It is one that stirs up many emotions on all sides of the issue but is most emotional for the actual student athletes – both the ones at risk for competing against persons that were not biologically born with the same muscle structure as their own gender, and those that are being told they cannot compete in the classified gender they have chosen.  

With so many differing opinions of what morality is, it makes me wonder – is it even moral for schools to teach morals? While I think schools should take great caution to not overstep boundaries, I agree wholeheartedly with what this teacher has said. Students must retain a moral compass. This does not mean that schools should direct that compass, or belittle that compass, but they do have an obligation to retain that compass. I believe the best tool we can give students is teaching them how to come to conclusions for themselves. We should teach students how to interact with people that think differently than them. We should teach students about differing views and how important it is to have a variety of opinions in order to maintain a healthy society. We should help students realize that school should be a safe space for all students. We should also help students realize that in a world where misinformation, rumors, bullying, and confusion is rampant, they have a voice and that voice needs to be heard. So what is the best way to teach morals? I believe it is to trust in the innate human ability we were all born with to follow a moral compass, and to remind students that they have that same compass inside them.