Schoolchildren used to pattern their lives after the heroes of their day; President George Washington was one of my favorites.

He was honest. He worked hard. He became president without having had a lot of formal education. George was the first child of his father's second marriage. He was said to be shy, quiet and modest. He learned arithmetic and farming skills. His father died when George was 11 years old. After a year or two, George went to live in the home of his favorite half-brother, Lawrence. The home, Mount Vernon, was near the Potomac River. He learned to hunt, ride horses, row and sail -- and to swim.

It was a shock to us kids to learn that the cherry tree story and others were just made up by writers who wished to impress youngsters with Washington's almost perfect life. George did, however, learn the ways of pioneers and of cultured gentlemen. It's almost like an intimate visit with this great man to read the "Rules of Civility" in his own handwriting and faulty spelling. When he was 15, he wrote about "decent behavior and conversation" in a copybook that is displayed in the Library of Congress. Listen up, high school guys and gals! Here are a few things Washington thought important:

Lawrence Washington died and left George Washington in charge of Mount Vernon. Lawrence's baby daughter died soon afterward. When Lawrence's widow remarried, she gave up her claim to the estate, and George became owner of Mount Vernon. He had learned the manners and courtesies expected of a Virginia gentleman.

The governor of Virginia chose the 21-year-old Maj. George Washington for an important and dangerous mission. With a small company of men, he completed the 500-mile wilderness mission in difficult conditions. Washington was then promoted to lieutenant colonel and given a command. His later exploits and suffering are more widely known in the history of our country. He is justly acclaimed as the father of our country.