We as parents our children often include a variety of additional tutoring outside of school, such as tutoring math, English language tutoring, tutoring physics and others. I am sure that we do to support the child in order not to be left behind or who excel in school. In fact, sometimes these lessons early ideas did not come from the child, but come from us as parents. Is not that true?
Indeed, at this time we think it is not enough just to learn our children at school, so we include our children an assortment of tutoring. We want our children at math, we want our children proficient in English, we also want our children to good at physics and so forth. That way, children have better cognitive abilities.
This is nothing because, applied education in schools also demand to maximize the skills and abilities of cognition. With such an understanding, there are actually other things than children who are not less important that we unknowingly been neglected. What is it? Namely providing character education to students. I say this not mean that education is not important cognitive, not like that!
I mean, character education is important as a counterweight cognitive skills. Some of the fact that we often encounter with, a wealthy businessman is not exactly generous, the politician did not even care about the starving neighbor, or a teacher is not just concerned for the street children who do not get the opportunity to learn in school. It is evidence of the lack of balance between the cognitive and educational character education.
There's a word to the wise say, science without religion is blind and religion without science is lame. Also means that the same cognitive education without character education is blind. As a result, because the blind can not walk, even with a home run crashing. If running with a stick will still be slow. Rather, knowledge without character cognitive knowledge, it will be crippled so easily driven, exploited and controlled by someone else. For that reason, it is important not to ignore the character education of students. So what the heck it karaker education?
Thus, character education is education that emphasizes the formation of character values in the students. I cite four basic traits of character education are formulated by an educational character of the German originator named FW Foerster. First, it emphasizes character education every action guided by the normative values. Students are to respect the existing norms and guided by norms. Second, the coherence or build self-confidence and courage, so students will be the establishment of a private firm and not easily swayed and not afraid to risk every time we face a new situation. Third, the autonomy, the students appreciate and practice the rules from the outside to be for personal values. That way, students are able to take independent decisions without being influenced by pressure from outside parties. Fourth, constancy and fidelity. Dependability is the durability of the students in realizing what is considered good. And loyalty marupakan basic respect for the commitment that is selected.
Character education is important for education in Indonesia. Character education will be basic or basic quality in forming the character of the nation, that does not ignore the social values such as tolerance, solidarity, mutual cooperation, mutual trust and respect, and so on. Education will bear the personal character who not only have superior cognitive abilities but has a character that is able to achieve success.
Based on research at Harvard University in the United States, it turns out a person's success is not solely determined by the knowledge and technical skills and kognisinyan (hard skills), but rather by the ability to manage themselves and others (soft skills). This research suggests that success is determined only about 20 percent of the hard skills and the remaining 80 percent of the soft skills. And this skill soft skills are formed through the implementation of education karater on students.
Building on the four basic traits of character education in the above, we can apply the pattern of education given to the students. Misalanya, provide insight to discuss the good and bad, provide opportunities and opportunities to develop and explore their own potentials and provide appreciation potential, respect the decision and support children in making decisions for themselves, instilling in students the meaning keajekan and responsible and committed to his choice. In my opinion, the most important fact is not pilihannnya, but the ability to choose us and our responsibility for our choices, namely by way of commitment to choice.
Character education in the curriculum should be formulated, applied methods of education, and practice in learning. In addition, in the family and community level pattern should also be applied to the character. That way, future generations will be born Indonesia nan superior character of the education system.
