​The Core Virtues program employs a three-year cycle of virtues, highlighting a different virtue (or trait derived from a virtue) each month of the school year.  During the academic year, students focus on ten different virtues, and these are tied, in part, to the rhythm and seasons of the traditional 180 day northern hemisphere school year.   The virtue cycle alternates over a three-year period in order to embrace the broad range of traits that undergird human flourishing, and to avoid the "ho-hum" attitude that might set in if every October were a "diligence" month.  Having said that, every September, begins with “respect and responsibility” because in classrooms across the country, September marks the beginning of the academic year.  These twin traits are essential in community building, and establishing a positive classroom ethos with specific responsibilities. 

Month	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
​September	Respect & Responsibility	Respect & Responsibility	Respect & Responsibility
October	Diligence	Self-Control & Patience	Perseverance
​November	Gratitude	Wonder (Awe)	Stewardship
December	Generosity	Charity	Service
January	Courage	Courage	Courage
February	Honesty & Justice	Love of Country	Loyalty
March	Compassion	Faithfulness	Mercy
April	Forgiveness	Graciousness/Courtesy	Gentleness & Humility
May	Hope and Joy	Imagination	Wonder (at the unknown)
June	​Heroism & Humor	​Lives To Learn From	Wisdom & Wit

Fuller explanations of the rationale for each month's virtue are found in the overview text for each month on the Virtue of the Month page.

If you wish to alter the suggested rotations, because you are in the southern hemisphere or because your nation celebrates different holidays, or because it better suits your school calendar, feel free to adapt them. 

Keen observers of the chart above will notice that most of the traits for a given month in the three year cycle support a specific cardinal or transcendent virtue.  For example, October, with its emphasis on diligence, self-control, and perseverance, showcases the larger virtue of temperance or self-mastery.  December, with its focus on generosity, charity, and service, embodies the virtue of love. February focuses on justice. (See the Core Virtues book for fuller explanation.)  The table below clarifies which traits are supportive of the key cardinal and transcendent virtues.  Specific traits (such as compassion or wonder) may reinforce more than one virtue.

​Classical or Cardinal Moral Virtues
​(and some of the traits that comprise them)

JUSTICE	TEMPERANCE (Self-Mastery)	COURAGE	PRUDENCE (Practical Wisdom)
Respect Responsibility Loyalty/Faithfulness	Self-control Self-discipline	Physical Intellectual Moral Civic	Choosing the Right Means to a Good End
Fairness	Diligence	Steadfastness	Understanding
Courtesy	Perseverance	Resolve/Grit	Compassion
Gratitude	Forbearance	Hope	Stewardship ​
Love of Country	Patience	Magnanimity	Civic Virtues
Honesty	Humility	none	nIntellectual Virtues ​one
Empathy	Forgiveness	none	none
Civic Virtues	Mercy	none	none

Intellectual and Civic Virtues

INTELLECTUAL	CIVIC
​Wonder at the Unknown	Civility
Deduction on the basis of reason	Courtesy ​
Speculative Courage ie courage to ask questions	Respect for the rights of others
Fairness in evaluating arguments of others	Recognition of Human Dignity & Equality
Intellectual Honesty	Service to Community and Country
Open-Mindedness	Willingness to moderate desires and defer gratification
Humility in the face of facts	Respect for majority rule and minority rights; Respect for the law; Respect for essential freedoms (speech, press, religion, etc) Respect for representative govt as a means of securing the ultimate object of democratic society - liberty

Transcendent Virtues

Faith	Hope	Love
Reverence, Awe, Gratitude ​	Cheerfulness	Generosity, charity, service, stewardship, compassion, friendship