Core Virtues and the Strength of Diligence

Here we are!  October is the first official month of my “Directorship” of Core Virtues and the beginning of a beautiful partnership with this foundation and all those who currently use the Core Virtues program. It is an honor and a joy to carry on this work in pursuit of a mission I’ve held dear to my heart as an educator in the classical world for the last decade.  ​

I discovered Core Virtues as a Grammar School Dean of Academics at a classical charter school north of Tampa, FL. We held a daily assembly there for our first through fifth-grade students, and our aim was always to cultivate a love of the good through story. Hungrily, I scoured the internet in preparation for these assemblies, searching for books that would fit into 15 to 20 minutes to inspire my students to desire virtue. I don’t remember how I came across Core Virtues initially, but when I did, I quickly devoured the content within the published book and began purchasing many of the book recommendations. Over the next five years, those books became valued traditions to our students and familiar friends to my teachers and me.  

When Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, my fearless leader and the Assistant Provost for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, asked our team what we knew and thought of a program called Core Virtues, I immediately perked up and shared what I had found to be the value of the program. Little did I know then that the Hillsdale K-12 Education Office was considering an acquisition of and partnership with Mary Beth and the Core Virtues Foundation. When the opportunity came to apply for the “Core Virtues Director” position, I jumped at the chance, and I’m honored to have been granted this role.  

As a member of the Teacher Support Team for the Hillsdale K-12 Education Office for the last two years and as an alumna of the College, I know the mission of the College and, by extension, our office well. We are a teaching institution; thus, teaching is infused into everything we do. Through establishing classical charter and private schools and teaching their boards, leaders, and teachers about the best practices of running an excellent school, we aim to educate students for a life of liberty and civic virtue, which involves both knowledge of the human good and the strength necessary to attain it. This means that we must provide an education in both knowledge and virtue, and based upon tried and true principles of moral instruction, we know that one of the most effective means of inclining the heart towards the love of virtue is by presenting moral goodness through beautifully told stories. 

Under Mary Beth’s leadership and vision, the purpose of Core Virtues has always been much the same. She endeavored to teach educators about the value of good books in children's lives and for their character formation—books that inspire through beautiful writing and illustrations and, most importantly, through powerful and winsome lessons in virtue. As the Core Virtues mission statement explains, “Drawing on the American Founders’ insight that knowledge and virtue are essential to a properly functioning republic, the Core Virtues program seeks to promote...intellectual, moral, and civic virtue...” via good books. The missions of the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office and Core Virtues align almost seamlessly, which is why this partnership makes good sense, and the College is grateful to take the reins and honor the work that has already been accomplished in many schools and in many individuals’ lives.  
Over the next school year, users of this program can expect to see a few changes to the website as Core Virtues becomes more closely integrated with the rest of the K-12 Office’s operations; however, rest assured that our main focus will always be to continue Mary Beth’s work with the same spirit of building character through story. You may notice that we frequently tend to highlight books and stories that are considered “old classics.” This is because these are the stories that have withstood the test of time, that show us eloquently what it means to be human, that can shape our affections and habituate our passions, and that develop cultural literacy through reading the best our tradition has to offer. We have a passion for bringing these stories to American students because they are their heritage, and what a rich heritage it is!

Now, a few remarks about the virtues for the month of October: diligence, self-control/patience, and perseverance—What an apt month for us as our first to curate and update! It will take much diligence to continue Mary Beth’s work faithfully, but we are dedicated to doing so. Because we love to teach, we are eager to educate about these and the many classic virtues we will champion in the months ahead. Diligence, self-control/patience, and perseverance may not always seem like the most heroic virtues, given that they are about "holding fast" and are a way of resisting change—they are typically "quiet" virtues that don't tend to cause a stir.  But precisely because perseverance, self-control/patience, and diligence are about staying the course and not giving in to the exhaustion that comes from prolonged exertion and repeated challenges, they can reveal a purity of virtue that is not so evident in other circumstances. Passions and emotions are quick to arise and quick to flag, but an upright will does not tire in its adherence to noble goods. In this way, perseverance, self-control/patience, and diligence reveal the true strength of one's will, and thus prove the truth of one's virtue. It is fitting to contemplate these virtues now as we approach the midpoint of the first semester when opportunities for leisure and rest appear distant. It is also fitting to contemplate these virtues early on in the school year—without them, we will not make much progress in any of the virtues since all habits are only acquired through a sustained effort that far exceeds the impulses of good intentions and desires. The virtues of October are worthy of study and contemplation, and we hope that the books, hero, and poem chosen for this month will inspire students to practice them earnestly.  
Sincerely,  
Gabrielle Lewis