On Character

What does it mean to live a life of good character? And how do we form such character in ourselves and those we teach?

Character is how we live our lives as individuals and in community. It's how we strive to belong, fulfil our potential and do what is good and right in the world. It's how we wrestle with ourselves and the world to make a mark and measure up. Through the metaphor of the stonemason's chisel – making marks that are both distinctive and enduring – Dr Phil Cummins reveals character as the wrestling between who we are and who we might become. Drawing on decades of experience working with schools worldwide, he shows how we are formed through this wrestling, always the wrestling, in a life that might come, in time, to be both worthwhile and well-lived.

A person of good character can be seen and recognised as one who pursues what is best, who seeks to know, love and do what is true and beautiful in the world. Yet for all our good intentions, we cannot ever quite be the best versions of ourselves, no matter how much we would like this to be the case. We need relationships of character apprenticeship that show us we are not good enough yet – and then help us to grow. Written with clarity, wisdom and a distinctively Australian perspective on equity and excellence, this essential guide challenges educators, leaders and anyone committed to human flourishing to embrace the formation of character for lives of purpose, integrity and service to others.