Loyalty is another one of those qualities that we hope that we see in our children, loyal to their family, friends, and teammates – but at the same time loyal to morals, values and ethics that they have been taught by us as parents and teachers. This can be tough for adults and children though. What if our friend is making what we believe are bad choices, is it OK to speak up or is that tattling? What if the culture in our school seems to be allowing bullying? How can we speak up to our teachers and classmates and still be loyal to them?
Loyalty infers that we will be responsible and dependable. Loyalty asks us to be trustworthy and faithful. If there is a situation where bullying is overlooked we would be showing responsibility if we spoke up and said, “In our school we should treat each other with respect!” We would not do this in a complaining manner. If we see a problem we can acknowledge the issue, but in being true to our values we will also want to offer ideas for a solution. It may not be the final answer, but we could start a conversation with all parties involved – students, teachers and parents – to improve the culture of the school. Now we are being loyal to our friends and our school while standing up for the values that we believe in.