The wolf as a vehicle for character education

Claudia M. Roll, The William Snyder Foundation for Animals, Meadow Mill at Woodberry, 3600 Clipper Mill Road Suite 224, Baltimore, MD 21211, USA

Character education and the teaching of values has been an ongoing discussion our school systems. As the philosophy that classrooms should be an arena to discuss character-related themes, teachers look for engaging ways to involve their students in these lessons.

The William Snyder Foundation for Animals presents humane topics to over 14,000 students and teachers during each school year in the Baltimore, MD area. One of the programs offered is "Big, Bad Wolf?". This program is offered to all age groups, and highlights wolf biology, endangered status and the wolf-human relationship. During this presentation, students discuss concepts that carry over into their own personal value system. For example, students examine prejudice in relation to wolves and make connections to their own lives. As students learn about wolf packs using team work, connections are again made to our human relationships. Compromise is examined in relation to wolf recovery efforts.

The wolf is a misunderstood predator. At a juvenile justice facility, community meetings begin with the director asking "What do people think we are?". The answer is wolves. The point is for the young men to take responsibility for showing the outside community that they are capable of contributing in a positive way; of earning trust after being labeled a menacing predator. "Big, Bad Wolf?" has been a welcome program at this facility. The young men make personal connections to the study of wolves and are able to build self-esteem as they are empowered to take control of their reputation. They learn of the predicament of wolves and realize that they, unlike the wolves can take control of their situation, while wolves are dependent on people changing attitudes on their behalf.

Wolves may not live in every student's backyard. However, studying the wolf can help young people learn about stereotypes, positive dynamics within a group, and compromise. A goal of education is to develop empathetic, tolerant young people with positive critical thinking skills. The wolf is an engaging way to help make this happen.