You Must Live Well

It is not enough to exist, you must LIVE. It is not enough to survive, you must THRIVE. It is not enough to care, you must COMMIT. It is not enough to seek success, you must seek SIGNIFICANCE. It is not enough to live long, you must LIVE WELL. — Michael Josephson

What Do Teens Really Value? A Josephson Institute survey of more than 20,000 high school students reveals surprising information about their values.

Teens Place a Very High Value on Ethics and Good Moral Character. Students were presented with a long list of options and were asked to indicate how important each item was to them. Here are the highlights of the percentages that rated the item as very important or essential: Being treated with respect – 99 percent. Having good moral character …

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U.S. 4,595; India 229; Philippines 224; Canada 127; South Africa 96; United Kingdom 82; Nigeria 70; Brazil 69; Australia 63; Pakistan 62; Puerto Rico 60; Egypt 55; Malaysia 50; Mexico 39; Saudi Arabia 37; Morocco 33; Tunisia 31; Indonesia 29; Singapore 28; Kenya 27; United Arab Emirates 24; Thailand 22; Vietnam 22; Italy 19; Japan 18; Ghana 18; Germany 14; …

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Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work. — William Arthur Ward

Memo From Michael: Secrets, Surveillance, Trust & Credibility – What’s a President to Do? Take this simple survey illuminating the complex issues involved in the apparent eavesdropping on heads of state of friendly countries.

Take the survey here. I have been disturbed about the shallowness of public discussions concerning the revelation that U.S. intelligence agencies have been and still are conducting extensive surveillance on the phones (and presumably other communications) of heads of state (and presumably other top government officials). I have heard well known and respected pundits and politicians base their opinions (often stated …

MEMO From Michael: Youth Violence and Bullying

Just last month in a weekly memo I asked if violence and mass killings had become our new reality. That was prompted by the mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. Since then, the headlines have continued to shock and sadden us with news of seemingly random acts of violence. Some might ask: Since when has the news media not brought us …

Sneak Peek at Results of Educators’ Survey

(updated 12/4/13) Almost 4,500 educators (including 2426 teachers, 616 principals, 411 school counselors, 225 superintendents,  and 79 school board members)  have already taken the new Josephson Institute survey on the state of education in America. (If you haven’t already, please take the survey here and please share this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JIEducatorSurvey on Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere to encourage others to take it as well — the …

Eight Sentences That Changed the World: The Aspen Declaration

In July 1992, the nonprofit Josephson Institute of Ethics hosted a 3-day summit of prominent youth leaders, educators and character education scholars in Aspen, Colorado. The result was this declaration, which provided the guiding principles for the CHARACTER COUNTS! movement that currently reaches about 8 million young people. It is clear that the eight sentences making up the Declaration is as …

Observation about Character. It can be frustrating and even frightening to observe the success which sometimes comes to outlaws and rogues who seem to refute notions of universal justice. Every time we see a villain enjoying the fruits of dishonorable acts we find ourselves doubting the value of character and the validity of the virtues we have been taught. Thus, it takes character to believe in character, but that belief is always rewarded, often by material success, but always by the esteem it earns from those who matter. – Michael Josephson

What Do Educators Think About Education in America? (Preliminary Report #2 on our Survey Results)

Summary. We surveyed more than 2,500 educators (board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, counselors and support staff) and asked them to give their opinions on the trends in education in the past five years. (Are you an educator? Please take the survey here if you haven’t already.) Here are some of the survey results so far. What’s Going Well. Majority of educators believe …

MEMO From Michael: How Are We Going to Get Out of This Mess?

I am finding myself out of patience. I have listened to mostly sincere (to the point of self-righteous) politicians and partisan pundits excoriate the people they disagree with. They evade uncomfortable questions and explain why they are taking positions that may be based on principle but have become little more than tactical maneuvering. The focus is on who should get the …

OBSERVATION: In a democracy, everyone is entitled to express their opinion and a right to be heard, but that doesn’t mean all opinions are equal.

Opinions aren’t facts but they are often based on facts and since facts are themselves disputable the premise of an opinion is often itself an opinion. If the facts are wrong, incomplete or exaggerated the opinion is not entitled to serious attention. Worthy opinions are responsible opinions reflecting integrity and reason and the humility to realize that no matter how …

MEMO From Michael: Sneak Peek – Some Surprising Preliminary Results of Our Educators’ Survey

(Updated 11/26/13) Nearly 4500 educators (76 Board members, 225 superintendents, 616 principals, 2414 teachers and 406 school counselors) have already taken the new Josephson Institute survey on the state of education in America. (If you haven’t already, please take the survey here and please share this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JIEducatorSurvey on Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere to encourage others to take it as well — …

Just Because You Miss Someone

Just because you miss someone doesn’t mean you should be with them. Don’t let your feelings cause you to forget the facts. – Michael Josephson

WORTH SEEING: Poster: The Gift of Goodness

Virtue isn’t a golden ticket to a pain-free life. Bad things happen to good people as often as they happen to bad people. In the natural order of the world, suffering is random. To expect otherwise is to sentence oneself to despondency, disillusionment, bitterness and anger. HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS: The reward you get for being a good person isn’t …

Note From Your Teacher: What I Want for You

NOTE FROM YOUR TEACHER: WHAT I WANT FOR YOU I want for each of you what I want for my own children. I want to help you be happy and healthy. I want you to be successful and confident, strong, resilient, and optimistic. BUT I also want you to be  the best person you can be. I want you to