Teaching Students About What The Seven Deadly Sins Are
![](https://dev.theedadvocate.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/prothro_perry_teacher_1-660x400.webp)
As a teacher, one of your primary roles is to educate students. While this encompasses a wide range of subjects, including traditional academic subjects like math, science, and English, it also extends to more abstract concepts like morality and ethics. One such concept that can be particularly valuable to teach is that of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The Seven Deadly Sins are a list of vices that are traditionally associated with Christian teachings, although they have permeated secular culture as well. The sins are pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth. While not everyone believes in the religious context in which these sins originated, they still represent universal faults that can negatively impact a person’s character and relationships.
There are many ways to introduce the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins to students, regardless of their age or background. One approach might be to provide a brief overview of each sin and what it entails. For example:
– Pride: excessive self-esteem or arrogance
– Envy: jealousy of others’ possessions or talents
– Gluttony: overindulgence in food or drink
– Lust: excessive sexual desire or pleasure-seeking
– Anger: unrestrained or uncontrolled rage or frustration
– Greed: avarice or an insatiable desire for wealth or possessions
– Sloth: laziness or a lack of motivation
Once students have a general understanding of what each sin means, you might consider discussing specific examples of how these sins can play out in real life. For instance, you might talk about how someone who struggles with greed might constantly be seeking more money or possessions, even if they already have plenty. Or how someone who is envious might feel bitter towards their friend who just got a new phone or car.
It’s also important to note that the Seven Deadly Sins can work together in complicated ways. For example, someone who is greedy might also struggle with pride, thinking that their wealth or possessions make them superior to others. Someone who is lazy might also struggle with gluttony, eating too much because they don’t have the motivation to exercise self-control.
As you discuss the Seven Deadly Sins with your students, it’s important to strike a balance between presenting the danger of these behaviors and not making students feel like they are being judged or condemned. Encouraging open and honest discussion can help students connect with the concept on a personal level and think critically about their own habits and patterns of behavior.
While the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins may seem old-fashioned or religiously specific, teaching students about these vices can actually be incredibly valuable as a tool for character development and critical thinking. Encouraging students to think about how these sins might show up in their own lives can help them cultivate self-awareness and practice self-improvement. So consider including a discussion of the Seven Deadly Sins in your curriculum, and see the positive impact it can have on your students.