Integrity

As the end of 2010 rolls around taking the time to reflect on the year, your beliefs and values, can perhaps, help the move forward in 2011. It is important that the behaviors we manifest represent the beliefs and values that we have. C4K values integrity. One of the definitions of integrity has to do with moral soundness, but I think that it means much, much more than that. If a structure has integrity, it has unbroken completeness. Nothing is lacking. In this kind of integrity there is a consistency between what a person says he or she values and the actions that he or she demonstrates.

Integrity means being impeccable with your word. In all reality, the only thing you really have is your word and the actions that you take on those words. Young people ultimately want to know if they can trust you, if you are a person who says what you mean and means what you say. When you prove that this is who you are, youth can relax and trust that what you tell them will, in fact, be as close to reality as possible. Until you have proven that you are unimpeachable with your word, young people will be doing research to discover the truth. For example, when you and your students agree that you will leave the space you occupy during after-school better than when you got there, and you do not encourage them to keep things neat and orderly—picking up the trash, straightening desks and chairs, putting everything back when you got it—they will quickly understand that you just give lip service to wanting to leave the room in better shape. Intuitively they will begin to question everything you say, and you will discover that they become more and more challenging. They are trying to establish the boundaries.

Demonstrating that you have integrity will afford you the respect of the students that you work with. It will encourage them to have integrity as well. Integrity—being integrated or whole—(integer means being a whole unit or entity), will set you on a path toward unlimited success.

An Unknown Author stated, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.” Other quotes include:

"The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity." Zig Ziglar

“A single lie destroys a whole reputation of integrity.” Baltasar Gracian