Michael Josephson, founder of “Character Counts!”, will be the keynote speaker at the 215′ Annual Conference on Character and Civic Education Wednesday, April 20, at the Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Josephson, one of the most well-known character education experts in the United States, will discuss the role of every teacher — educating for character.
Fresno County Teachers of the Year, Carol Stone and Jim Durando, will also speak.
The conference is presented by the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at California State University, Fresno. Nearly 800 university students are expected to attend.
The purpose of the conference is to provide student teachers with information on local civic agencies devoted to assisting children and families with life’s issues and concerns, and
to provide them with a number of important concepts and considerations related to the ethical implications of what teachers do as professional educators in a service community.
“Our work as teachers is expanding to include not only responsibility for the character development of our students, but also for the enhancement of our own professional ethics,” said Dr. Jacques Benninga, a Kremen School faculty member and director of the schools’ Bonner Center for Character Education. “Like reading and mathematics, ethical decision-making needs practice to mature,” he said.
At the conference, the Bonner Center will present the 2005 Virtue and Character Recognition Awards to Central Valley schools with superior character education programs.
The conference is sponsored by law firm of Lozano Smith, the City of Fresno, the Fresno County Office of Education, the Tulare County Office of Education, The Fresno Bee, Education Employees Credit Union, The Bonner Family Foundation, California Geographic Alliance San Joaquin Valley, California Mini Corps and Save Mart Supermarkets.
For more information, contact Jacques Benninga at 278-0253, Jane Moosoolian at 278-0115, or Katie Zenovich at 278-0373.
