Temptations
Posted on Oct 14, 2009
Temptations come in many “flavors” and it is hardly news that we all face them in our lives. The reasoning, character, will power and decision-making skills that we must apply when meeting our temptations are learned. At RPDS, this instruction is not part of a “hidden curriculum.” Instead we spend considerable time both in our guidance-directed Heart Smart activities, and as individual teachers simply dealing with daily issues, openly guiding the character formation of our students. Even though we occasionally hear that we take this issue too seriously, or hear reports of graduates who clearly “know better” testing the boundaries of their new environments, we persist in character education. The reason is that we feel strongly that a few hours of effort now remains the best way to help students avoid the pain of poor choices in the future.
Motivational speaker Zig Zigler tells a story about Emanuel Nenger whose short-term choices in 1887 clearly caused long-term consequences. Mr. Nenger was a respected, middle-aged gentleman when he entered a grocery store and paid for some turnip greens with a $20 bill. The cashier knew something was amiss when some of the ink from the note rubbed off on her wet hands. Counterfeiting was not consistent with Emanuel’s reputation. He was a successful artist. However, when the police checked Mr. Nenger’s home they discovered the worst. In the artist’s attic they found the easel, paint brushes, and paints that Emanuel used to meticulously paint the counterfeit money. In a truly odd turn of events, three portraits that Mr. Nenger had painted, were also found. Each portrait required about the same time to complete as his work on one $20 bill. Those three paintings later sold at public auction for a little over $16,000!
What is it that causes a successful artist with the skill to sell his work for thousands of dollars to risk his reputation by painting counterfeit money rather than portraits? Why do some cheat themselves by copying test papers, assignments or essays of other students? When temptations come, as they surely will, it is our hope that RPDS character lessons learned years earlier will rule the day. It may seem to be an uphill, counter-cultural battle, but we still believe that character counts.
