Today we’d like to introduce you to Peanut & Tim Harper.
Hi Peanut & Tim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My husband Tim and I co-founded Harper for Kids in 2008. Our Character Education program teaches children about legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, which is comprised of necessary character traits that can help you be your personal best and lead a successful and fulfilling life.
Back in 2001, I was fortunate to help Coach Wooden and his co-author Steve Jamison with his children’s book, Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success, which teaches his message of success and his Pyramid of Success in a fun and engaging way.
Currently, we work with over 50 schools that implement our Character Education program school-wide.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a great learning experience from the beginning which keeps us continually shaping our program so that it’s as helpful as possible for the teachers and students. Every school has different needs, so we enjoy building positive relationships with the principals and their staff and creating a team effort to help their students build positive character.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I was a former professional tennis player on the WTA tour and had a career-high singles ranking of #19 in the world. Through my sport and how my parents raised me and my siblings, Coach Wooden’s definition of success and his Pyramid of Success was something that resonated with me. It’s such a healthy perspective of what success is, and it can be such a life changer for kids to start building this positive mindset at an early age and not to measure their successes by results, grades, winning, etc.
Tim is an accomplished artist and enjoys teaching the students character-building lessons through art classes and helping them build their creativity and confidence.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
One of the many important lessons we’ve learned along our journey is the importance of building good relationships with the principals and teachers we work with. We rely on their feedback to learn what is working well and also what else we can try to do to help support them. We’ve also learned that it’s important for us to partner with educators that give a high priority to Character Education and believe it’s as important as academics for their students.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.harperforkids.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/harperforkids
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harperforkids
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For school principals and teachers: If your school is interested in our Character Education program for your school, please fill out Harper for Kids school inquiry form (link).
Image Credits
Harper for Kids
