Kohlberg's Moral Stages
Lawrence Kohlberg believes that all of us pass through these moral stages as we progress through our life. Our grade 3 students are in stage 2: conformity and social order are what rule. This is why we often run into the ideas of, "Everyone else was doing it!" or "That is what I am supposed to do." It is important simply that we recognize that this is how their moral world is created. This is not a "phase" or something that we can rush our children through. Understanding and compassion - like always - are the order of the day. We simply need to be aware, talk to our children, and keep them thinking about why they do and say what they do.