quote:some sort of values in our upbringing which does not exist today.
It is commonly accepted that most character traits are established prior to a child's first entry into the school system.
Thus, the family is tasked with instilling those traits; through at-home example and, if so chosen, through exposure to that family's religious tenets.
This is how it always has been, and how it should be, IMHO.
However, there does exist a nationally expansive program of character development used by many school districts.
I certainly can't speak for the Indiana school district in which you reside, but here in Fresno, CA, the Fresno Unified School District (which is the 35th largest in the nation) my children were always exposed to this program - Character Counts.
This program is based on the Six Pillars of Character:
trustworthiness
respect
responsibility
fairness
caring
citizenship
They seem to be a pretty good foundation for developing a good set of character traits.
Over the years, I regularly saw these six points posted in my child's classrooms.
My wife is a middle school teacher. This program is active on her campus. Her school has a long established program of rewarding students' good behavior (returning a found item, helping a new student,etc.) with eligible students being placed in weekly drawings giving them snack bar freebies, movie tickets, etc.
To say public schools no longer teach values just isn't the case. They do, however, no longer teach values based on any one group's religious tenets. That too, IMHO, is also as it should be.
See - www.charactercounts.org for more information.
Larry