Simon's Reflection on Integrity

I actually went to the Wikipedia dictionary to look up the meaning of the word, "integrity." What I saw is that "integrity" is

(1) Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code,
(2) The state of being wholesome; unimpaired, and
(3) The quality or condition of being complete; pure.

I was faced with a challenging situation last week, with one of the universities I teach in. There was an assignment due Sunday a week ago. By about the following Friday, 5 days later, a good 40% of the students have not yet submitted the assignment. This is when we (the other faculty person and myself) have posted - in our online learning environment for the course - a notice saying that by now it is too late, the situation is quite unacceptable, and we are planning to fail the students who have not submitted the required assignment. Mind you, these are students who have been in the program for about a year and a half, both in our course, as well as other courses as well; as such, they are not novices to the environment and to the learning guidelines and standards we have. We have also expressed our disappointment in the lack of students' commitment and responsibility about communicating with us about being late; there were a few students who did let us know they are going to be late (which is fine, when the reasons are valid). Interestingly, I also had a bit of an emotional reaction when posting the note on the late submissions - feeling a bit like being ignored, dismissed, and discounted.This opened up a very rich, authentic, and engaging dialogue with (at least some of the) students in our course. A couple of students also contacted me directly, completing the assignment (and several other pending tasks of several weeks) in less than a weekend, asking for a passing grade. By this point, I was faced with a challenge, as I really don't like giving a failing grade, while seeing the effort and knowing how much pressure there is in other courses as well. Not to mention the rest of life.Now what do I do?:: "If you walk towards the sun you leave the shadows behind." - from India

I spent a big part of the weekend agonizing over the upcoming decision. To fail or not to fail. I know the students, I could see their efforts, I know how stressful the program is overall. I could hear the whispers of my Jewish Mother heart, "Be nice, be gentle, let them pass." It would have been so easy to do.Yet, I couldn't. There was something that I couldn't even articulate clearly, until later. Something that didn't feel right in doing so. That something was the state of being complete, wholesome, feeling good about my own integrity. Once I understood, I explained it clearly to the students who were asking me to reconsider - my dilemma, my contemplations (more like "agonies"), and my decision. The reply of one of them made it all worthwhile:
"I appreciate your stance in making and keeping your personal and professional commitments to your integrity and expectations of standards. I 100% support that. I would be surprised if you caved in to any professional standards as you seem to me a man of your word, a man of honor."What a relief! And a whole new understanding of what integrity is for me.

What a relief! And a whole new understanding of what integrity is for me.A sunny week to you all, inside and out.:

: From The Four Corners:: This is a new section of the newsletter, featuring news, ideas,:: moments of inspiration of something someone somewhere is doing:: that is making a difference in the world.Nothing specific crossed my eyes as of recent... though I am open to suggestions...:: Simon’s Reflections newsletter is published on a:: bi-weekly basis and contains writings that touch:: the heart, provoke the mind, and inspire action.:: And I do welcome your thoughts and comments.SimonArchives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SimonsReflectionsListAbout Simon: http://www.simongoland.com/-- “Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world - empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.”http://www.kiva.org/app.php__._,_.___
Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) Start a new topic
Messages
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use Unsubscribe
Visit Your Group
Need traffic?
Drive customers
With search ads
on Yahoo!
Dog Zone
on Yahoo! Groups
Join a Group
all about dogs.
Yahoo! Groups
Home Improvement
Learn and share
do-it-yourself tips.
.

"I had to share this from Simon's reflections (which he e-mails me monthly).......it means sooooo much to me to finally see, hear and feel integrity.