Right and Wrong

This, as a teacher, is something I deal with in different degrees on a daily basis. For instance, I had a student today offer me a 62" plasma TV if I would give him an "A" in my class. A couple of years ago, a student offered me $150 or some "good drugs" just to pass him. Lately, I've been talking to a few of my students about the O.J. Mayo situation. In case you don't know, this is a college basketball player who allegedly has been receiving money under the table from a sports agent since he was a sophomore in high school. One student in particular told me that, through playing AAU basketball, he has met lots of players who are receiving money and gifts from agents and college coaches. He went as far as to say that, if they were offering it to him, he'd take it, too. I discussed with him why this is wrong and what can happen. In the end, like in the case of O. J. Mayo, there may not be a lot of consequences for anyone except for the school that he has just left to join the NBA (he just declared representation by the sports agent that had allegedly been giving him money). My student responded by talking about what you should do if you're really poor. I told him that doing the right thing isn't easy, it's just right. I truly believe this and try really hard to stick to it. A lot of people don't like Bobby Knight because of the way he coaches. I don't like the way he coaches, either. There are two things I respect about him, though. In 40 years of coaching, few coaches compare to him when it comes to graduation rate of players. Also, he has never come under question for violating any rules. Those are two things I hope that can be said about me when my time coaching is done. How might things change if people weren't so driven by the almighty dollar? Ethics seem to be no more than a college class taken only because it is required for some degrees. It seems to be one of those that you do just enough to pass and forget it all when you're done.