WINSTON WEEKLY©[1]

August 24, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 34

CLASSROOM CHARACTER[2]

Classrooms can foster “soft skills” such as compassion, gratitude, resilience, integrity, and respect. The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation’s PATH TO HONOR program notes, “When students engage with classroom activities for character building, they don’t just learn what is right; they begin to internalize those values through stores, reflection and meaningful dialogue.”

PATH TO HONOR’S free student portal features teacher-designed modules designed for self-exploration and growth. Drawing on the service and experiences of individuals such as Captain James Fleming, Staff Sergeant Henry Eugene “Red” Erwin, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, and Sergeant Gary Beitrick, video themes include responsibility, patriotism, sacrifice, and commitment.

Born in 1832, Dr. Walker was the first woman to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor, and only the second woman to graduate from an American medical school. While working as a field surgeon in Confederate-controlled territory, Dr. Walker spent four months as a prisoner of war at the Castle Thunder Prison near Richmond. After her release, she served at the Louisville Women’s Prison Hospital at an orphan asylum in Clarksville, Tennessee. She famously said, “You must come to terms with the reality that nothing outside ourselves, be it people or things is actually responsible for our happiness.”

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

How can the experiences of Dr. Walker, Sargeant Beitrick, and others help us navigate today’s challenges? Depending on the age of your children, or your nieces, nephews, or students, discuss community resources and opportunities to enhance character development.  

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[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2]Resources: The Jubilee Center for Character and Virtues, https://www.jubileecenter.ac.uk; Theresa Kaminski, Dr. Mary Walker’s Civil War: One Woman’s Journey to the Medal of Honor and the Fight for Women’s Rights, Lyons Press, 2020; www.characterstrong.com; www.pathtohonor.cmohs.org.