RMA First Principle - Respect

11/5/2012

It is the mission of public schools to educate our children and a requirement for parents to train them.  At Riverside, we seek to do both.  Although we must educate our cadets for college and/or the workforce, we must also train them for life by teaching them respect for others and the social skills necessary for success and happiness. 

I met with the Corps of Cadets at breakfast today, and in a school circle reminded them of the First Principle of respect to others.  I emphasized the fact that all work and workers should be rendered respect if they are performing honorable work.  The example was that we must render the proper respect to all workers regardless of their job title; the example used was our hard working maintenance staff (there was a recent incident when one or more cadets dishonored our maintenance staff possibly without realizing they did such). 

Secondly, I planted the idea that their parents, grandparents, or guardians owe them nothing more than food, shelter, safety, and an education.  The birth of a child, although exciting at the time, changes the lives of parents in dramatic ways.  The loss of freedom and new level of responsibility, notwithstanding the financial burden, is magnified many times by the birth of a child.  I informed the cadets that all parents seek in return is respect, appreciation, and effort.  So if our First Principle is respect, then parents should receive cadet respect first and foremost.  This respect and deference, as I related to the cadets, comes in many forms to include:

- Never addressing parents in an defiant or disrespectful way

- Never uttering a word of profanity in the presence of parents

- Showing deference by actions and tone (even opening the car door for mothers)

- Making parents proud by showing respect to other adults by manner and form (standing when addressed by adults; speaking to and acknowledging adults who have no reason to expect such treatment, etc.)

- Remembering that use of Sir and Ma'am will do wonders for how they are perceived/admired and appreciated by parents and others.

The U.S. Marine Corps taught me the importance of social skills and polish in human relations and how it is a sign of confidence (by the same token, arrogance is a tell-tale sign of the absence of confidence).  It is part and parcel to our mission to ensure through word and repetition, RMA cadets possess the self-confidence and social skills to be successful after graduation, and I will continue to press them on that expectation.