Ethics...Work it out

I have hang ups about Ethics.
There are so many different takes on the word. So let's start with a favorite take: The Work Ethic.
I know I have a strong one.  Placed there by my hard working parents.  Encouraged by a force within me I have yet to define.  I am the original Energizer Bunny.
Now that I am 5 decades plus old... my batteries dim quicker than in my youth.  This leads me to wonder... REALLY, where did this come from?  And why do some people seem to have NO drive or work ethic???
In high school, many people did not care for me.  I was an A student, Cheerleader Captain, Beauty Queen, Dancer, Class officer, Student Council Officer and I can see where I was, ummmmmmmmm, irritating.
But let me be clear- I WORKED MY BOOTIE OFF FOR ALL OF IT!  Nothing came "easy" and I was a determined over achiever.  I am also quite certain I could have been a poster child for Ritalin long before people were labeled ADHD.  (I am sure I will touch on my feelings about this Ritalin thing in a separate rant of a post)....
In College, I was often TOLD that my high level of energy and goal attainment was irritating.
Note to the reader: I never cared.  Seriously.  Never cared if I was irritating!
Flip side to being irritating is that others find you adorable.  They love how hard you try and how hard you work and how much you wish to be as perfect as you are able. 
Teachers, in particular, love a student with a work ethic. 
As a teacher, I can state this emphatically.  I strongly believe that all those children who are taunted and called "kiss butts" because a teacher favors them are truly just being recognized for their work ethic.
I have a somewhat unpopular stance as a teacher.  I believe, contrary to what you will often be told, that every teacher has "favorites".  A favorite is someone who "clicks" with you.  Someone who attends class regularly, enters with a positive attitude and... wait for it... has a GREAT WORK ETHIC. 
I have had hard working students who have not been personal favorites of mine... but have found a niche with another instructor at our studio.
I remember, Summer mornings, being anxious to run off to the beach and meet my friends.  My mother would stand in the kitchen with A List of Things To Be Done before I could go.  I would sigh, take the list, and finish each chore.  She would check that every item was completed to her wishes, and then... let me go.  With my 9 1/2 years younger brother in tow. 
I rarely complained.  Why?  I cannot tell you why, exactly.  I loved my brother then, as I do now.  I guess I just expected it was part of The Deal.
Perhaps if The Deal included a bit more work and a bit less reward for some, our society would be in a better place.  I want to stress that I am not finger pointing at our youth.  My age group is filled with slackers.  This is not a rich or poor topic; it is a generalized source of fact. 
There is, indeed, a buzz in some to get up, get going and get it done.  Still, a little push of kindness from others might plant the seed in some of those less inclined to chomp at the bit.  Yes?
Yes.