KIDS AT HEART: BROTHERS DICK AND DAVID GILES HAVE FOUND THEIR CALLING AS SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

With their easy wit, brothers Dick and David Giles could have been comedians. Instead, they have found their calling as elementary school principals in the Cape Girardeau School District.

"I think humor is what keeps you going," Dick Giles said. That, and an honest love for children.

"This is one of the few jobs you can say you would rather be around children than adults and get away with it," David Giles said.

Dick Giles couldn't agree more. "The chance to get a hug and give one is unique at the elementary school level."

At 55, Dick Giles is in his fourth year as principal at Charles C. Clippard School. David Giles, 48, is in his seventh year as principal at Alma Schrader School.

Both men grew up in Cape Girardeau. Their playground was a field, where Clippard School stands today.

They have been in the teaching profession for decades -- Dick Giles for 34 years, and David Giles for almost 27 years.

Working in the same school district isn't new to them. They previously were employed in the Sikeston public schools.

The two, mustached principals have ready smiles and are quick to tease.

In an interview in David Giles' office at Alma Schrader School, they said that school principals are more than disciplinarians; they help set the tone for both staff and students.

"We only do discipline when it is capital punishment," David Giles said, flashing a boyish grin.

Dick and David Giles don't see themselves as dueling principals competing with each other.

They enjoy each other's company and advice. But Dick Giles said, "We float our own boats."

Both said they try to get out from behind the office desk as much as possible and spend time talking to the school children.

"There is a valid system of school management -- management by walking around," David Giles said.

He said he likes to see what is occurring in the school, whether in the classrooms or the hallways.

Trained as a speech pathologist, Dick Giles still gives some hearing tests to children at his school.

David Giles said a principal is in a rare position of influence when it comes to dealing with children. "Who else has the chance to sit down with 580 kids at one time?"

In his spare time, David Giles works as a reserve police officer. He admitted it catches the attention of the school children when they see him in uniform. "You see lots of double and triple takes," he said.

Both said that as principals they have a public image to uphold.

That isn't always easy. David Giles recalled being greeted innocently by one of his students while standing in line with a six-pack of beer at the checkout counter of a grocery store.

As principals, David and Dick Giles have done a little bit of everything when it comes to dealing with children, including filling in for the school nurse.

"You do what you've got to do to make it work," Dick Giles said.

David Giles said, "You spend a lot of time trying to remember how it was as a kid."

Both talk at length about the finer points of education. But beneath their principal attire, Dick and David Giles are still kids at heart.