Joni is a wife, mom, volunteer, teacher and creator of the award winning Characters of Character. She volunteered in all three of her adult children's classrooms and schools and even had the pleasure of the 'Lunch Room Duty' Joni was a teaching assistant for many years, was on the school Reading Team for five years and taught pre-kindergarten for six years. With these years of experience in the schools, she put these into play with all of her books. Joni's husband and children have been more than supportive through this endeavor, they have helped on many levels, from computer animations, illustrations, formatting, event planning and volunteering through the years. They are her pillar of strength and encouragement, as well as the positive pushes from so many others. In 2005 Joni was able to pilot her characters where they earned a National Promising Practice Award through Character Education Partnership in Washington D.C. which is when she took a leave of absence from the school and formed a 501(c)(3) Not For Profit organization named Characters of Character. Meet Behavior Bear, Do'er Duck, (perseverance) Friendship Frog, Healthy Hippo, Manners Monkey, Respectful Rabbit, Responsible Rabbit, Self-Esteem Elephant and Warm-Hearted Walrus. As you can imagine, the kids love these characters and they internalize and understand their meaning. Teachers appreciate us and many parents have thanked us for what we do. While Joni is not in a classroom today, she does continue to share her Ph.d. her passion, her heart and her determination to make a difference in the life of a child. Today, she is writing more books, working on videos, teaching a few After School classes and always willing to share her program to help teach a child these vital core values. "So simple" is what one teacher said, and a principal shared that her school climate and culture improved because of the Characters of Character. We hope you'll check out our books, resources, social media and website soon. Remember to share pictures of your teachings and learning's with the characters and include a s.a.s.e for communication through the mail. You will find Joni around networking, sharing coloring pages, reading or telling a story and encouraging a child to have good character.
