Tulare County Office of Education

Where do 'Kids of Character' come from?

The following guest commentary was printed in the Visalia Times-Delta on October 26, 2007 during National CHARACTER COUNTS! week, October 21-27. The piece was written by Kelley Petty, Coordinator of the CHARACTER COUNTS! program operated by the Tulare County Office of Education.

Kelley Petty, CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator

Kelley Petty, CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator

From the best line leader in a second-grade classroom to the high school SCICON counselor who strives to teach sixth-grade students the meaning of respect as his father taught him, we have once again found young people and their good deeds of character displayed all across Tulare County.

For the past month, the Tulare County Office of Education and the Visalia Times-Delta have been on a community-wide search to discover and honor nearly 9,000 young people for their efforts in developing good character. This search is a collaborative one unique to Tulare County, as we continue to make character building a lifelong personal and community effort. A great example comes from the California Water Service Company and Phil Mirwald, District Manager who sends his crew climbing 106.5 feet up to the top of Visalia's water tower to graciously display our massive "CHARACTER COUNTS! in Tulare County" banner. This banner remains displayed during CHARACTER COUNTS! Week as a symbol of community support. A special thank you to the Visalia Times-Delta and the Tulare Advance-Register for their support not only during CHARACTER COUNTS! Week but also for their daily commitment to feature a "Student of Character" on page 2A. Most of all, thank you parents, teachers, coaches and community members for your commitment to providing a never-ending supply of youngsters from your classrooms, your athletic fields, your churches, and your homes. Your stories are proudly shared in this newspaper as we celebrate our 2007 "Kids of Character" during National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week.

This week is a time to celebrate our youth who make proper choices and work diligently to be honest and trustworthy. They are respectful to each other and tolerant of differences and do what they are supposed to do by being responsible and fair with other people. Last but not least, these youth are caring towards others and know how to take care of their environment by being an exemplary citizen. These traits are known as the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.

Developing good character is no easy task for any of us. As adults, we have the opportunity and responsibility to model traits of good character for our youth everyday, whether they come from life's seemingly insignificant decisions or a moment of crisis where profound decisions must be made. As adults, we also have the opportunity to model accountability for our failures and struggle visibly to strengthen and define our own character. The truth of the matter is, being a role model is not a voluntary position, but an undeniable, day-to-day reality. Everything we say and do sends a message to our youth about what we believe and value.

So where do "Kids of Character" come from?

They come from us, the people of Tulare County. It is a challenging task that we accept and will strive to meet.

We always do.

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