The Virtue of Integrity by Teagan F.

At the end of each school year, fifth graders at Archway Glendale are asked to write a speech about one of the nine virtues they have learned during their elementary education at Great Hearts. Today, we will explore the virtue of Integrity as written by rising sixth grader, Teagan F.

Integrity is one of the nine virtues we practice here at Archway Glendale. As we learned in kindergarten, integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. As we grew, we dove deeper into the meaning of it. Every day we decide if we want to show the virtue of integrity. It can be displayed in literature, history, the students of Archway Glendale, and in everyday life.

An example in literature could be The Wise Woman by George MacDonald. In the story The Wise Woman showed integrity by helping Rosamond and Agnes. She was not asked to help but she chose to and that was the right thing to do. That was integrity.

There is integrity in many things, and it is sometimes shown in history. We could see this in General Ulysses S. Grant. Grant showed integrity by getting his troops where he needed them to go. He did not simply do it to be recognized. He did it because it is the right thing to do. He did not wait to get orders from the President. He went ahead and did it and if he waited it could have cost him the war.

Through the years at Archway Glendale, we have had many opportunities to show the virtue of integrity. A way I have found myself and other students showing integrity is by doing homework. This is not homework that needs to be completed and shown the next day, it is the homework that needs to be completed and not shown. It is integrity if you choose to do it.

Next year as we continue our journey on to Glendale Prep, I am looking forward to having more freedom. But with that freedom comes showing integrity. You must show integrity every day. And I hope all my fellow peers, continuing to Glendale Prep can show it too.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org.