Priceless: A Life That Counts For Good - Author Q&A

Co-founder and Board Chairman of The Hope Institute, Drayton Nabers, Jr., published his first book on character in 2005 (The Case for Character) and has been immersed in the teaching and learning of the topic since that time. His most recent book, Priceless: A Life That Counts for Good: What Schools Can Do is intended to be an overview to The Hope Institute philosophy on character through education. It includes anecdotes and commentary from Alabama school leaders, explores the “why” of character development and encourages schools to work towards providing positive cultures to nurture character growth.

Nabers shares further insight into Priceless below:

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

Drayton Nabers, Jr.: “Over the years I have been very interested in character and especially in how character is formed in youngsters. As I thought about the subject generally and became active in The Hope Institute, I thought it was very important to try to give my thoughts about the role that schools should play in the development of character. As I said in the book, traditionally families have had an enormous influence on the character of youngsters and so, in many instances, have churches and places of worship. A large part of our population today is growing up outside the traditional family and the role of churches; the influence they have on youngsters is diminished so I saw schools as sort of the court of last resort and thought that if I could put my ideas on paper as to how schools could have a larger influence on the formation of character in youngsters that would be a good thing. Priceless is my best effort to do that in a short book.

The Hope Institute was formed with the purpose of appealing to schools to play a prominent role in the formation of character in youngsters. As I became more active in the work of The Hope Institute, I was more fully motivated to write Priceless.”

Q: Who should read this book?

DN: “It's interesting that the basic principles in the book with respect to creating a culture where character can thrive are those principles exercised by leaders across industries. Understanding the general principles of creating a culture that allows an organization to be its best is something that every leader is interested in, regardless of their field.

Of course, there's a whole panoply of books on leadership for various professions; this book is for school leaders. These leaders in schools are the people I want to understand the principles under which a culture will allow character to flourish. I don't confine my understanding of what constitutes a leader in a school to just the principal or even the staff immediately around the principal. A classroom teacher is also an important leader. I want principals and teachers to be interested in the book if I can get it to them.”

“Only through relationships can good character be formed in students. And such formation occurs one student and one soul at a time.”

Q: How did you choose this title? Can you share the meaning behind it?

DN: “The initial title that I had in mind was The Case for Character in Schools, and that grew from a book that I had written early that was entitled The Case for Character. I talked to Arthur Schwartz who is the President at Character.org in Washington D.C., and he (in a very kind way) said that my title was not very lively and would not interest people in the book from the title alone.

So, one afternoon I was taking an afternoon walk, and the word ‘priceless’ came to mind. At the same time ‘a life that counts for good’ came to mind and lo and behold - I thought that was a pretty good title so there it is! The reason that The Hope Institute is interested in character and that I'm interested in character is that we think the most important part of a human life is still living in a way that counts for good. Through the commitment of schools to help form the character of students, it is the goal of The Hope Institute that these ‘priceless’ lives will abound.”

Q: What did you learn when writing the book?

DN: “I learned a whole lot. Most importantly, it became crystal clear to me how there is a synergy between being a good school in the academic sense and the school dedicating itself to the development of character in youngsters. In other words, the two goals do not take from one another. Rather, they feed and nourish one another. That is very important, and I didn't fully understand the depth of that synergy until I wrote the book.

Another thing that I learned more fully writing this book is that Love is the Alpha and Omega of all virtues - even in the workplace and even in the school. That became much clearer to me as I wrote.”

The following excerpt from Priceless’s sixth chapter expounds on the importance of the virtue Love: