parents

When John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach, referred to the last game he "ever taught," he was asked about this phrasing. He said a coach is first and foremost a teacher who should not only improve his players' athletic skills but help them become better people. He was a superb teacher whose lasting influence is reflected in the values he instilled, not the championships he won.

Henry Adams said, "Teachers affect all eternity." As those who are taught teach others, a teacher's legacy grows. Sadly, the way we select and reward schoolteachers and coaches shows how much we undervalue their crucial roles in shaping the character and destiny of our children.

But even worse, we tend to forget that the most important teachers are parents. 

Good child-rearing involves more than providing food, shelter, and education. 

It should also instill good values and habits, teach right from wrong, and show how to make good decisions that are both effective and ethical.

Yes, it's important to help kids become smart and competent, but as Teddy Roosevelt said, "To educate a person in the mind but not the morals is to educate a menace to society." Parents need to assure that their children have the tools to lead truly good lives with purpose and meaning and value. That means we need to teach, enforce, advocate, and model the best we want our children to be.

-character counts