(4/2008) - It’s time for new priorities: attitude over aptitude, effort over ability, and character over talent. Sometimes the deepest wisdom is expressed in old adages. After all, in order for any adage to stand the test of time, it must offer something genuine and it must pass the cultural test of being time honored. One of my favorites speaks to the core principle behind attitude over aptitude:

"Nothing can stop the person with the right attitude; Nothing can help the person with the wrong one."

America was established and built by enterprising pioneers, people who faced challenges with a “can do” attitude. However, our schools have chosen to relegate these qualities to casual by-products, often burying them in high school yearbooks on a few pages devoted to “Senior Superlatives.” Meanwhile, that pioneer spirit lies dormant awaiting a vibrant reawakening.

Our national pre-occupation with aptitude is failing American kids. While well meaning, labels such as “special ed” and “gifted and talented” leave little room to focus on attitude, perhaps the most essential ingredient in overcoming challenges and fulfilling the promise of innate talents. The valuation of aptitude over attitude is crippling our schools and families in ways that we don’t even realize. The bright kids know that they don’t really have to work hard and the average to below-average students don’t believe their efforts will be rewarded in a significant way. We live in an age when our entire country is concerned with test scores and national standards and yet little attention is given to the rampant cheating exercised by all types of students to get the precious results. How could we possibly believe we are inspiring genuine learning or attitude development in a system where our students do not believe their best efforts will be respected?

In February, we celebrate the life of the great American, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who many believe may be one of the most inspirational leaders of our lifetime. In his ability to crystallize an either/or issue, he forced people to come down on one side or the other: Should freedom and opportunities be granted or denied on the basis of skin color --- yes or no? After helping to clarify this critical issue, Dr. King inspired people to imagine and work toward a better way.

Perhaps we, as parents and teachers, face an either/or proposition as critical to the development of young people as King’s work was to the civil rights movement. We might consider a simple choice: Either we believe that attitude is more important than aptitude or we believe that aptitude is more important than attitude.

Most students want to learn. Many of them also believe that a high IQ or SAT test score promises a bye in the game of school regardless of their attitude. I have asked high school students across the country if they know students who do very little work and still make the honor roll. As one student said, “Sure that’s the way it’s always been.” Many even point admiringly to the student who is able to get the “A” with little or no effort. Unfortunately for many of these students, life will require a different attitude for success. Will they be ready?

Growing up in a culture preoccupied with aptitude makes old patterns hard to break. What also complicates our job is the fact that achievement is a great thing. As parents, we want our children to achieve their maximum potentials. As my children were growing up, the phrase, “Your child is so bright!” was music to my ears. As seductive as the aptitude and talents of our children can be, it will be their attitude that will form the foundation of their character and create the course of their destiny.

At the corner of my desk sits a red leather sign that reads, “Attitude is everything!” Look around at the most successful people in our everyday lives. While they most assuredly have aptitudes that have contributed to their success, most likely they possess the right attitude above all else. If our children are going to fulfill the potential of their aptitudes and put their lives together, they too will need the right attitude.

And so will we. In our families, challenge the off-track attitudes and celebrate the positive ones. Work to improve our attitudes - the everyday little ones that get in our way as well as the deeper attitudes that block our greatness. Make attitude everything in our homes, schools, and organizations. And if we feel like things will never change, remember where we were fifty years ago when Dr. King drew the line in the sand. Attitudes have changed as a result of crystallizing that issue and they can change with regards to how we raise and educate our leaders of tomorrow. In the words of Charles Swindoll:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life."

Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. ... We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing that we can do is play on the one string that we have and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how I react to it.