Character - Cannot be Great Without It!

In education there is always an internal struggle regarding the idea of teaching character versus the content.  Are we here to teach students character or are we here to teach them skills and standards that will help them be successfull in life after school?  The answer is yes!  We are here to teach both.  The lessons that we teach on the content can and should also reinforce, model the importance of character and the role it plays in one's life.  As I watch this years election cycle and all of the debating about one candidate versus the other on certian issues I am reminded just how important character truely is.

To quote Michael Douglas's character in the movie The American President, "being president is 100% about character".  However, while I am chosing to use the election as a symbol or example to frame the conversation, I believe that life is 100% about character.  For the record, character is not the same as morals or beliefs.  Too many times we confuse character with individual beliefs.  Character is not about your position on certain topics but how you conduct yourself, especially when faced with a challenge. Two people can have the exact opposite beliefs and still both be people of high character. We do not have to tear down another person's character to make ours look better. Character is also not about being perfect or mistake free. Character is how a person conducts oneself when they are faced with a mistake that they have made.  Do you own your mistake and what do you do to fix it? Can you admit when someone else is right and you were wrong?  Can you do what you feel is right and handle the consequences that accompany any decision that you make, both good and bad?  Are you able to make sacrifices for what you believe in and those you love and not expect anything in return?  

As a leader, I beleive that character is backbone of everything one does.  You cannot be a great leader without being a person of character.  In leadership and in life, whether it is as a teacher, parent, manager, coach, or youth group leader, you will make mistakes but it is your character that will determine how you handle those mistakes.  It is our character that determines and motivates the decisions that we make.  If you are person of high character you can "reach across the aisle" (to use a political term) and help those that you do not agree with because it is the right thing to do.  

This election cycle has only shined a light on our issues as we tear down those that we do not agree with and blame everyone but ourselves for everything that is right or wrong with our society and our country.  As individuals, families, schools, communities, states, and a country we need to demostrate character and come together to help each other.  This means to debate what is best but to also then have the character to move on and make a difference even if we do not agree. As Dennis Prager stated, "Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people."