By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

FAIRFIELD - Consultant Philip Vincent told teachers in the Fairfield City Schools they were the moral compasses in the lives of kids.

His comments came Tuesday during the district's annual Back-to-School gathering that included every teacher in this 9,500-pupil Butler County district.

It is the second time Vincent, director of the Character Development Group in Chapel Hill, N.C., has been to Fairfield this summer. He spoke with educators and community members in June and again this week during a character development summit.

"We have to realize we are the compass. They (students) watch us,'' Vincent said.

Although character development has been a part of education many years in the Fairfield Schools, it will become a districtwide focus this year, with each building participating, said Superintendent Robert Farrell. The community is being asked to reinforce classroom efforts with a different trait highlighted each month.

Teams of teachers on Monday chose the traits and assigned a month to each beginning with respect for August/September and ending with citizenship in May.

"The good thing about character education is it's not another thing on your plate,'' Vincent said. "It is your plate.''

He told teachers for the next nine months they would spend more time during their students' awake hours Mondays through Fridays than the students' parents would. During that time they would have to show through their behavior toward one another and their students good character.

"I want you to have a love fest. I want you to be glad to see each other...and I want you to model it to the kids. I want you to model good character,'' Vincent said. "Character education is not taught. It's caught.''

During the gathering Farrell also announced that middle school science teacher Diane Callahan would be this year's Teacher of the Year.

She spoke of the passion of the district's teachers and urged her colleagues to pass on the passion.

"Passion is contagious,'' Callahan said. "As teachers we allow our students to see our passion - it is essential they see our passion."

Virtues by the month

Each month, the Fairfield Schools will highlight a different character trait. The community is asked to reinforce that with the students at home, at gatherings, at community events and in businesses. The schedule is:

August/September: respect

October: responsibility

November: perseverance

December: caring

January: courage

February: honesty

March: fairness/justice

April: cooperation

May: citizenship

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