Bench Notice
“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” Theodore Roosevelt
Sometimes I believe that we have it backwards. We focus so heavily on a person’s academic growth that we fail to address how they will use this new found knowledge. There are plenty of intelligent deviant people, who use their smarts to hurt and not help. My point here is that virtue needs to come first and then knowledge. Knowledge without virtue can create some pretty arrogant people with heads so big that no hat will fit. We can’t legislate morals, and we won’t be judged based upon the level of our intelligence, but we will judged in the court of public opinion based upon who we are as a person if in fact our moral compass goes south.
In order to be transformed we need to focus on character and help our students focus on it as well. It needs to be taught and we need to learn about the qualities that need to be strengthened in ourselves and then take the steps to do so.
When our compass points north it is my contention that we will be happier as a person, and far more proficient in the roles that we are responsible for. (Spouse, son, daughter, mother, father, teacher, etc.)
