Dale Truding - Character.org

Dr. Dale Truding

Coordinator, Integrity Initiatives

Dr. Dale Truding is the former principal at Birmingham Covington School (grades 3-8) in Michigan, one of the first ten schools in the United States to be certified by Character.org as a National School of Character. She has also served as an Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning and Curriculum for the Arlington Heights School District in Illinois. Dale received her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Argosy University in partnership with Dr. Young Zhao from Michigan State University.

“Leadership is an action… not a position”

Commitment

Parents need to commit to model and reinforce to their children the core values and character strengths that mean the most to them. They also need to be creative and offer meaningful experiences that illuminate how important these character strengths are to the family’s core values.

Conversations

We know “We need to talk” freaks kids out, but too often parents avoid having conversations about character, especially as children get older. While it may not be easy to talk sometimes, we know from the research that parents who avoid talking to their children about serious matters quickly lose trust and connection.

Celebration

Parents need to find ways for their children to be active participants in their own character growth. Optimal character development occurs when children begin to make self-motivated commitments to consistently practice a core value (e.g. “I want to be the kind of person who is always honest and shows up on time.”) Parents need to celebrate these moments to shape and define individual character.