Gloria Kirkland is in her 36th year of teaching in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4, but her career has involved far more than the basic tenets of reading, writing and arithmetic.

Kirkland is a behavior specialist who has a vested interest in the character of her students, having been coordinator of the character education program at Edisto Primary School and now as head of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support initiative at Edisto High School.

Her spacious office is filled with highly visible character traits that sit atop desks and upon walls, all fostering attitudes of peace, love, prayer and joy which she hopes students will take with them throughout the school day.

Kirkland tries to adhere to the same behavior traits herself as an example for students. Her long-term commitment to good character and the self respect it fosters led to her designation as the exemplification of self respect as part of the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative.

“I love and respect myself. I’m just glad that somebody saw it. I thank God for that. I try to have kids see in me the ways that they would want to be years from now,” Kirkland said.

One of 14 children, Kirkland said her late father, John, was the guiding force in her life when it came to exhibiting self respect. She said teachers and counselors such as herself have a responsibility to be examples for children.

“My dad was a great reinforcement in our lives. My dad never took a drink in front of us. He never yelled at us. He never cursed at us, and he always told us to be in the street what you are expected to be at home. It comes really easy because if you live it, it’s going to be a part of you,” she said.

Kirkland spent time in her office one morning last week typing a note to all teachers about being an example.

“We’re trying to get our young men (to not wear sagging) pants, and there is a note from Ghandi saying, ‘We must become the change that we want to see.’ So, I was typing that note to teachers that if we want the children to change from sagging pants, we’ve got to be role models. We have to be change that we want the children to see,” she said.

She said she has only had to send one child out of her classroom during her entire high school teaching career.

“That’s because they knew that I respect them, and they respect me. If you show self respect in front of these children, nine times out of 10 they’re going to give you that same respect. I try to live in such a way that when my children see me, they won’t have to wonder anything about who I am or what I am,” Kirkland said.

The Positive Behavior Interventions and Support initiative, she said, is nothing more than a fancy name for what she’s been doing now for more than 30 years: teaching character.

“It’s no more than teaching character and self respect. What the Community of Character does is keep it out in the front. If you keep saying it over and over ... again, people will then begin to take notice,” Kirkland said. “I think the Community of Character does a great job of promoting that. With everybody talking about character, people begin to get onboard, and that’s what I see. ... I see it here at the school.”

You must be logged in to comment.