Tulare County Office of Education

The News Gallery

September 2003

Special Edition

Editor: Pamela Kunze
Public Information Officer
(559) 733-6606

Intellect is not enough.
Intelligence plus character, that's the goal of true education."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As the 2003-2004 school year is upon us, Dr. King's quote reminds us that improving test scores and individual performance are important only if they are combined with the development of good character. Character isn't about how much we have or even about how much we have accomplished. Character is about what we are.

Having good character is hard work. It's about self-sacrifice and self-discipline. It's about living by the Golden Rule even when others do not. It's not just about doing your share. It's about doing more than your share. It's about speaking up against injustice even when you have to speak alone. Finally, character is about courage and how we meet life's challenges when its demands are extremely high and the price of doing the right thing is more than we want to pay or what we think is fair.

The Tulare County Office of Education is dedicated to the concept of good character and its eternal value to our youth and our community. We believe that character does indeed count. It counts for everything, as it will ultimately define us and become our everlasting legacy.

County Superintendent Jim Vidak and the Tulare County Office of Education welcome students, teachers and administrators back to school for another great year.
CHARACTER COUNTS!

A regular issue of the News Gallery will return next month.

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