Is It Good For The Children?
My knowledge of high school success
begins in 1950. I was in elementary school at the time but my older brother,
who was six years older than I, was a freshman in high
school.
There was a great contrast between the two brothers. He was never ill. He was tall with black hair and olive complexion. There was no way you would have guessed we were brothers. And, due to nature, he was an athlete's athlete. From his freshman year on he was a star player on both the football and basketball teams.
Our school was a member of the Big 8 Conference in southwest Missouri. Success was what we always knew. It was in "our nature," For the ten years that I was deeply aware of high school, both my brother's years and mine, I was acquainted first hand with success.
I remember the thundering crowds at the gym during those exciting basketball games. I recall the tense times as we listened to the State games in Columbia. I recall the disappointment when we placed second at State in both my brother's junior year and again his senior year.
At the end of his senior year season his jersey number and that of three of his teammates were retired. It has been an awesome four years in the history of our school.
A few years later when I entered high school those successes continued for me and the activities that I was a part of. In band we traveled to State every year - we always earned first place. We traveled with the Choir - we always earned first place. We traveled with the Girls and Boys Glee Clubs - we always earned first place. Winning was natural for us. But being winners required sacrifice, requires long hours of training and preparation.
But along with all of those successes I recall one event that was a disgrace for our school and for our community. One year during an intensely fought basketball game with our Arch Rival things got a little gruesome. We lost that game in overtime. A terrible brawl took place as fans from both sides of the gym rushed onto the court. A player from the opposing team was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Others were injured as were some of the fans from both towns.
The result was humiliating for our community. Our school was dismissed from the Big 8 Conference the following year. Passions took control of many of our adults. Their uncontrollable passion hurt people both physically and emotionally.
Their uncontrollable passion took the place of moral wisdom. John Kekes states, "Moral wisdom is a human psychological capacity to judge soundly what we should do in matters seriously affecting the goodness of our life." The judgment of the adults at that game was not sound. It did not consider the goodness of their lives or of the lives of their children.
Kekes also says "Moral wisdom guides action and directs conduct not by focusing on actions directly, but by concentrating on the development of our character from which our actions normally follow."
But those actions affect not only each of us who commit them, they also affect the children who observe them.
Last Wednesday Diana and I were in Kansas City visiting our son. I saw three cars with bumper stickers which expressed a penetrating question. "Is is good for the children?"
On Thursday as we read The Star we were impressed with the content of letters from Lisa Brown, Terri Heitz, Dale Heitz, Mike, Cathy, Molly and Jessica Frier, and Lana Wilson. They reminded each citizen of this beautiful community that we should be asking, "Is it good for the children?"
Lisa wrote, "Why don't you catch some of the spirit and have fun with the rest of us as we celebrate the academic and athletic achievements of our future leaders."
Terri told of the tremendous support given the Volleydogs throughout the season and said, "This is a positive thing and I can't believe that anyone could see it as anything different."
Dale asked us ". . . as a community to end the whining and complaining about school being let out . . . and as a community rise up above our concerns over the tax levy and start showing some respect for the kids, teachers, coaches and administration for their hard work and dedication to put El Dorado Springs on the map."
The Friers said, "We can make this a new beginning for El Dorado and hopefully those that held us back in the process will be swept up in this achievement."
And Lana Wilson closed her letter most appropriately by saying, "I would be ashamed to think that (right or wrong) what I thought was important enough to destroy the spirit that is alive ad well in El Dorado Springs at this time."
That spirit that Lana spoke of is
\f2\i good for the children! However, as Barb Prike, reporter for The Star said in her "Star comments," "Why do some people always have to have something bad to say? It's time this community stands up for what is right and say, enough is enough." It certainly is the time to stand together in El Dorado Springs. Enough is enough.
The negative voice of this community is not good for the children. A Lana Wilson wrote, "What are they thinking about their parents and other who not only write letters but vocally try to destroy our school spirit and pride?"
What could they think?
Moral Wisdom and Good Lives
John Kekes
(written November, 1999)
There was a great contrast between the two brothers. He was never ill. He was tall with black hair and olive complexion. There was no way you would have guessed we were brothers. And, due to nature, he was an athlete's athlete. From his freshman year on he was a star player on both the football and basketball teams.
Our school was a member of the Big 8 Conference in southwest Missouri. Success was what we always knew. It was in "our nature," For the ten years that I was deeply aware of high school, both my brother's years and mine, I was acquainted first hand with success.
I remember the thundering crowds at the gym during those exciting basketball games. I recall the tense times as we listened to the State games in Columbia. I recall the disappointment when we placed second at State in both my brother's junior year and again his senior year.
At the end of his senior year season his jersey number and that of three of his teammates were retired. It has been an awesome four years in the history of our school.
A few years later when I entered high school those successes continued for me and the activities that I was a part of. In band we traveled to State every year - we always earned first place. We traveled with the Choir - we always earned first place. We traveled with the Girls and Boys Glee Clubs - we always earned first place. Winning was natural for us. But being winners required sacrifice, requires long hours of training and preparation.
But along with all of those successes I recall one event that was a disgrace for our school and for our community. One year during an intensely fought basketball game with our Arch Rival things got a little gruesome. We lost that game in overtime. A terrible brawl took place as fans from both sides of the gym rushed onto the court. A player from the opposing team was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Others were injured as were some of the fans from both towns.
The result was humiliating for our community. Our school was dismissed from the Big 8 Conference the following year. Passions took control of many of our adults. Their uncontrollable passion hurt people both physically and emotionally.
Their uncontrollable passion took the place of moral wisdom. John Kekes states, "Moral wisdom is a human psychological capacity to judge soundly what we should do in matters seriously affecting the goodness of our life." The judgment of the adults at that game was not sound. It did not consider the goodness of their lives or of the lives of their children.
Kekes also says "Moral wisdom guides action and directs conduct not by focusing on actions directly, but by concentrating on the development of our character from which our actions normally follow."
But those actions affect not only each of us who commit them, they also affect the children who observe them.
Last Wednesday Diana and I were in Kansas City visiting our son. I saw three cars with bumper stickers which expressed a penetrating question. "Is is good for the children?"
On Thursday as we read The Star we were impressed with the content of letters from Lisa Brown, Terri Heitz, Dale Heitz, Mike, Cathy, Molly and Jessica Frier, and Lana Wilson. They reminded each citizen of this beautiful community that we should be asking, "Is it good for the children?"
Lisa wrote, "Why don't you catch some of the spirit and have fun with the rest of us as we celebrate the academic and athletic achievements of our future leaders."
Terri told of the tremendous support given the Volleydogs throughout the season and said, "This is a positive thing and I can't believe that anyone could see it as anything different."
Dale asked us ". . . as a community to end the whining and complaining about school being let out . . . and as a community rise up above our concerns over the tax levy and start showing some respect for the kids, teachers, coaches and administration for their hard work and dedication to put El Dorado Springs on the map."
The Friers said, "We can make this a new beginning for El Dorado and hopefully those that held us back in the process will be swept up in this achievement."
And Lana Wilson closed her letter most appropriately by saying, "I would be ashamed to think that (right or wrong) what I thought was important enough to destroy the spirit that is alive ad well in El Dorado Springs at this time."
That spirit that Lana spoke of is
\f2\i good for the children! However, as Barb Prike, reporter for The Star said in her "Star comments," "Why do some people always have to have something bad to say? It's time this community stands up for what is right and say, enough is enough." It certainly is the time to stand together in El Dorado Springs. Enough is enough.
The negative voice of this community is not good for the children. A Lana Wilson wrote, "What are they thinking about their parents and other who not only write letters but vocally try to destroy our school spirit and pride?"
What could they think?
Moral Wisdom and Good Lives
John Kekes
(written November, 1999)
Posted: Fri - January 27, 2006 at 09:36 PM
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Published On: Jan 28, 2006 05:38 AM
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Published On: Jan 28, 2006 05:38 AM