Integrity.

“Integrity means always being honest, making sure you tell the truth, so people can depend on whatever you say.” That song lyric has stuck with me since I was a little kids. I have no clue what the cassette was from, but it has always been in the back of my mind. Integrity is one of the few things that must be held on to dearly in all aspects of our life. I think integrity is directly tied to always being who you truly are, and not veering away from that for any reason, and if we do that we will be rewarded.

As chairman of a Local School Council I am up for re-election every two years. This means campaigning, speeches and generally trying to prove to everyone that you can be trusted to best represent them. The first time I was up for re-election (I had joined the council mid-term) I listened to others and tried running on a “slate” against another group of parents. I was lumped in with people that differed from me in ways I didn’t like, but it is what I had been told would work. It didn’t I came in 7^th, one place off the board. I again was added mid-term, but when election season came up I was going to do things my way this time, and stay true to who I was. Instead of running on a slate I actually helped every single candidate to have the same amount of exposure, I even made us all candidate pins and a large banner with everyone’s photo and statement on it. It worked. Not only was I re-elected, 90% of the voters voted for me. This has happened multiple times now, I am currently serving my 4^th term, and I feel that it all happened because I showed my true colors and earned the respect of the parents and even my fellow candidates.

I can’t say this will happen all the time. People have the right to make their own decisions. But, I do know that when I did it my way the second time around, I felt better about myself, and would have even if I had lost.