WHAT IS
?
Integrity is a moral and ethical principles, soundness of moral character; honesty the
state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
This word really comes to mind when I think about teaching children about
integrity, honor, honest, innocence, decency, truth, and trust. Integrity is a
great value to instill in children to boost their self-esteem.
Being a modest person about one’s self with the capability of
earning the respect of others, choosing to make the right
choices regardless to what your peers do or desire to do.
The Historical Origin
• The root of integrity is from the Latin word integritatem, meaning
“soundness” or “ wholeness.” “integrity (n.) c.1400, ‘innocence,
blamelessness; chastity, purity,’ from Old French integrité or
directly from Latin integritatem (nominative integritas)
‘soundness, wholeness, blamelessness,’ from integer ‘whole’ (see
integer). Sense of ‘wholeness, perfect condition’ is mid-15c"
(Harper, 2001-2013).
• The word integrity is derived from the Latin word integri,
meaning wholeness. It is defined as a ‘state of being whole or
undiminished.’ It is also defined as a state of ‘soundness of and
adherence to moral principle.’ Since integrity is an aspect of one's
character and behavior, the definitions are highly related. It has
been argued that a leader's character cannot become whole and
integrated unless it is grounded in a solid infrastructure of moral
values. It is noted that “specific behaviors of a leader associated
with integrity are identified as a superordinate value on which
character is rooted” (Sankar, 2003, p. 48).
Wholeness
Consistency of
character
Loyal to
principles and
values
Doing right
regardless of
consequences
Teaching integrity in the classroom is a very difficult task to achieve. According to
Edwin J. Del Attre, morals can only be a learned behavior after it is demonstrated
multiple times. It is a task that can only be learned by example time and time
again. One cannot simply walk into a classroom one day and teach one lesson
and expect students to respond. Just like learning multiplication tables, it is
learned out of a good habit. Modeling integrity on a daily basis and talking about
why we made those decisions help students have good morals.
Character is based on forming habits and repeating the action several times until
it become natural (Wiley, 2010). However, “because people can become
habituated by repeated behavior under responsible and loving training and
supervision, the habits of morality can be learned.” (Wiley, 2010).
Charles
Stanley
Billy Graham
Famous pastor who
once bailed Martin
Luther King Jr. out of
jail, he taught
people about the
importance of doing
what was right and
just.
Martin
Luther KingFamous civil rights
activist and pastor.
Despite being
persecuted for
being a different
skin color, he
encouraged peace
among all people.
Like Graham, he
has a TV
broadcast that
provides
sermons on
virtues
Director,
. joined UC San Diego in August 2006.
Dr. Bertram Gallant is an internationally known expert on
integrity and ethics in education.
Warren BuffettFamous business man,
Buffett is seen as a
philanthropist at heart.
He is known for pledging
to give away 99% of his
money to charities.
Please see notes
Videoclip
This video is about the character Jamal
Wallace who faced being put out of a
prestigious school for suspicion of
plagiarism.
He faced this risk with integrity because of a
promise made to a friend.
RESEARCH SOURCES
PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE
•
Covaleskie, J. (2011). Philosophy of education yearbook. Essay. 308-315, 8p. ISSN: 87566575. Retrieved
February 6, 2014.
SCHOLARY RESOURCES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Anderson, A. (2012, November). Success will come and go, but integrity is
forever. Forbes.
Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/anyanderson/2012/11/28
success-will-come-and-go-but-integrity-is-forever/.
Gravois Lee, R., & Burns, L. (n.d.). 50 ways to jumpstart academic integrity discussions in your
class. Retrieved from
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/prebuilt/pdf/wac/database_fifty_ways_academic_integrity
_0811.pdf
Integrity. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved February 04, 2014, from
Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/integrity.
Lickona, T. (1991) Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and
responsibility. New York: Bantam
UC San Diego. (2014). Academic integrity office. Retrieved from
https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/academic-integrity/about/.
Sankar, Y. (2003). Character Not Charisma is the Critical Measure of Leadership
Excellence. The Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies: Vol 9, No.4 , 45-55.
Wiley, J. (2010, December 31). Teaching integrity. Education Week. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/teaching-integrity.
• CNS News. (2013, November 7). Billy Graham: Perhaps My Last Message to Our Nation.
Retrieved from http://cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/billy-graham-perhapsmy-last-message-our-nation.
• Greene County Democrat. (2012, January). Martin Luther King Jr. Retrieved from
http://greenecountydemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-.jpg.
• Imdb. (2011, May 23). Finding Forrester photo gallery. Retrieved from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181536/mediaindex.
• Stream4 truth. (2011). Charles Stanley. Retrieved from
http://www.stream4truth.com/site/channels/speakers/dr-charles-stanley-intouch.
• The AOL102. (2000, December). Finding Forrester-Losing family speech of Jamal Wallace.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYNRKhmS310