During my second Junior Achievement Ethics class, I realized that students weren’t reading the newspaper regularly. All of the events that we watch and analyze every day at my job didn’t exist in the students’ world. Now more than ever, Ethics is making front page news every day and I wanted to give them a real world view of why Ethics is important and how it’s used and considered outside of the classroom.
As an assignment, I asked each of them to bring in some type of news article, on any subject, that had to do with Ethics. I was very excited to see what they’d bring in. And then we got to class and most students said they forgot and didn’t bring in anything. Right off the bat, we needed to improvise.
I asked them to consider what news stories they’ve heard about that might involve Ethics. Crickets. And then one lone student, Bernard, raised his hand timidly and said, “I think I know one.” Bless Bernard.
The students had just had a snow day, the first one in 5 years in New York City. Bernard was concerned about the idea that some cities are saying they don’t have enough money to plow and salt roads to keep their citizens safe during storms. “Isn’t that an issue of ethics?” he asked. “Isn’t a city supposed to do everything it can to keep people safe? If someone dies in a car accident because the road wasn’t plowed, isn’t that the city’s fault?”
I love Ethics for one simple reason: the problems are messy and complex. Rarely is there a clear answer that everyone agrees on. Our class began to discuss city budgets and trade-offs they make in areas like education, public safety, healthcare, welfare, services for the homeless. We talked about taxes and philanthropy. We talked about city versus state versus federal government and the roles of each, especially in times of economic crisis.
The students left with many more questions than they had answers, as did I. I thought they might be frustrated by the lack of clarity in Ethics. Instead, they wanted to talk more. They are very confident in voicing their opinions and beliefs. While they often disagree with one another, I have yet to see any kind of disrespect of someone else’s opinion, which is more than I can say for most adults I talk to about situations involving Ethics. My high school kids gave me hope that maybe their generation will be much more adept at making sound Ethics decisions than the painful follies being committed today by the generation in charge of our financial institutions.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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Christa Avampato 