It’s here. The year 2006. I have mixed feelings about the brand new year that just toddled forth onto history’s stage. What will it bring? What joys? What sorrows?
Through pessimistic glasses (I keep a pair in my drawer, don’t you?), the new year seems to promise more war, both abroad and within our government. Many are likely to quarrel over the physical war on foreign soil. That one will keep the terrorists from our shores – or encourage them to come. It depends on who’s presenting the “facts” of the matter. Fewer are likely to discuss the verbal war within the halls of government, but it is the more dangerous. The partisan war that is dividing our country is likely to destroy our nation much more quickly than the terrorists we fight abroad. So I sigh as I remove my pessimistic glasses, and place them back in the drawer.
I don rosier glasses of optimism and the new year seems to promise better things. More people may have opportunity to learn right from wrong. More people may begin to build character in their own lives. More may begin to build character in the lives of children or others for whom they are responsible.
I expect many more character education teachers to register for our free e-Course, Character Education 101. After studying the twelve, professionally written lessons, I know they will be inspired to greater diligence and excitement in character building. I expect them to be so dedicated to their task that they will register for premium membership and enjoy the rapidly growing collection of teaching tools for members only.
I expect many caring parents and grandparents, as well as teachers to order our entire Character Companions™ Series of books for young children, and give 3-to-8-year olds a solid character foundation while they are young. I expect many to order the Character Mystery Series for their middle school children. I expect them to move right on to teenagers, and show how much value they place on preparing our teens for adulthood by giving them the Character-in-Action® Series of teen novels. Optimistically, I expect many thousands of students, world-wide, to enjoy character building this year with these books that weave character teaching into exciting fiction.
Most of all, I expect to hear that character education is beginning to overcome the tsunami of moral decline that has slammed our society, and driven us toward the brink of destruction. I expect adults to become so desirous of rebuilding society’s moral foundations that many will order the Character Builder Series of books, and use the self-help found in them to strengthen their own moral structures.
We can instill strong moral excellence in our children. We can start when they are old enough to speak, and continue until they leave us to go out on their own. We can begin on this second day of the new year, and we can make a huge difference in the next twelve months.
So here’s to a new year of character – for you, for me, and for society. I hope many will join us in the work of rebuilding.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?