Leader in Me at DE Smith & WA Porter

Do the 7 Habits Work with Kids?

2011-03-10T12:31:00.018-06:00

7 Habits Mind Map Click on the picture to see a larger version

Most of us at DE Smith and WA Porter are proficient practitioners of the 7 Habits. We understand what they mean and the implications they have for us personally and professionally. A burning question is, "How effective has our work been with kids?" In order to move forward, we need to be able to measure our effectiveness. We need the support of our parents and community, and people are going to be more inclined to join us if we can clearly show that this work has a profound effect on children. Please share your ideas on how you are measuring the effectiveness of 7 Habits with your students. What would you tell a corporation considering whether or not to spend several thousand dollars on this initiative for your campus? How do you know this is good for kids?

Recommitting Yourself to Effective Living

2010-11-28T20:26:00.017-06:00

It's that time of year when school can start to feel overwhelming. There are so many irons in the fire, what do you focus on? One of the things I really like about the 7 Habits is the principle of renewing the Four Dimensions, "Sharpen the Saw." When things aren't going well, it doesn't take long to figure out I'm neglecting one or more of the dimensions. I encourage you to revisit page 140 of your 7 Habits workbook. I believe you can only be as effective at teaching as you are at living. To be truly great at teaching, you must take good care of yourself. The first step to getting refocused at school is to take a good look at yourself and recommit to effective living. You'll find it a lot easier to focus on the things that matter most at school. I would like to hear what little motivating things you do to get reconnected and recommitted to effective living. Please share your thoughts and ideas with a comment.

COLLABORATION

2010-10-11T19:47:00.002-05:00

Thank you everyone for your work today. I enjoyed watching and listening to everyone collaborate. I encourage you to continue building relationships with colleagues at the other campus. Email, You Tube channels, Skype, etc. are excellent ways to keep the collaboration going. I would like to her from you. What are your thoughts about our work today?

What a Great Start!

2010-09-02T10:07:00.004-05:00

The beginning of this school year was remarkable for many reasons. Staff members are coming up with one great idea after another, teams are clicking, and I see consistency in the way we're approaching our work. But the biggest thing I see is the look on the kids' faces throughout the day. I see many genuinely happy kids. I would like to hear from you how your year has started, and what specific things you have done this year that have contributed to this success.

Summer

2010-03-29T14:11:00.006-05:00

As I look forward to summer I have mixed thoughts and emotions about how the 7 Habits fit into my vacation. On the one hand, I definitely need to sharpen the saw. Taking the time to renew, relax, and think about things that have nothing to do with school is very important. On the other hand, this is a golden opportunity to refine my skills in each of the 7 Habits. I think it is important to approach summer with a sense of balance. Begin with the end of summer in mind. How do you want to feel when summer is over? I know that I want 2 things. I want to feel refreshed, and I want to be prepared. it's not too early to start thinking about how I'll do this. I will spend a lot of time with my family, I will take a trip to New Mexico, I will go backpacking, and I will spend several evenings downtown with Jeanne and friends. I will also read The 8th Habit, I will go the 7 Habits Signature Training in late July, and I will continue to read the Leader in Me Blog. You can relax and learn if you plan ahead. What will you do this summer?

Making the Seven Habits a Part of Everything Respectfully submitted by Jaimie Smith

2010-02-17T13:23:00.002-06:00

“For many schools and educators, this approach [using the seven habits] will represent a significant paradigm shift. The approach A. B. Combs has undertaken is a ‘ubiquitous’ approach. “Ubiquitous” means that it is built into everything the school does…” The Leader in Me.

At W. A. Porter, we are working through the shift in thinking and how can we make the seven habits a part of everything we do. During the recent staff development, we were able to work on aspects of implementing the seven habits on our campus and making it a part of our campus culture. To begin our work, we did a consensogram about how often we implement the seven habits in daily lessons. Do we consciously think about how we can incorporate the seven habits in lessons while lesson planning? We also completed an affinity diagram on ways to help implement the seven habits in daily lessons. Because of our work with David E. Smith, we also re-examined our campus-wide discipline system and made some changes to reinforce the positive side of the seven habits. A group of staff members worked on the curriculum for the first week of school listing additional resources available for all to use. A third group worked on the school leadership roles for next year. We have narrowed our school leadership roles to twelve. It is our plan to roll out the school-wide leadership roles process in May, so we are ready to go when we return in August of 2010. Each of these groups will continue to work on their area of implementing the seven habits throughout the spring. The last thing Porter discussed as a campus was having staff leadership groups as a model for our students. Some example of staff leadership groups are The Birthday group, The Celebration group, The Daily Five group, The Prayer group, The Data group, etc. The idea is that a staff member could sign up for any group(s) in which they have a strength. Then the group would work together to perform their role on campus. This is a completely different way of thinking about how we form groups to do the work on campus.

Some things to think about:
Do you consciously think about how to incorporate the seven habits when doing lesson plans? If not, what would help you implement the seven habits in daily lessons?
How do you feel about using the first week of school to introduce each of the seven habits instead of a major emphasis on the academics?
What input do you have on staff leadership roles?

Respectfully submitted by Jaimie Smith.

Keeping the Faith and Staying the Course

2010-02-03T15:02:00.008-06:00

This is the time of year when stress, fatigue, and anxiety start to creep into our daily lives at school. While I have observed tremendous success with the 7 Habits and The Leader in Me, I have noticed that not all students seem to be getting it. In some instances, we may even see students regress.

When things seem to be unravelling is precisely the time we must recommit ourselves. Keeping the faith and staying the course requires that we keep the big prize in mind. Consider our Vision ~ All Students Succeed in a Future They Create. Consider our Mission ~ We Engage and Encourage Students and Staff Every Day Through Meaningful Work in a Safe and Caring Environment. Consider our district belief statements and examine your own beliefs about children and education. Does our work with the 7 Habits and the Leader in Me directly correlate with our Vision, Mission, and Beliefs? If it does, then you must have faith that this will ultimately lead to great results. You must stay the course even when things get tough, and they will get tough.

Consider that students come to you with various background experiences, different cultural values, and widely scattered academic abilities. Students are going to internalize the principles of the 7 Habits at different rates. Some students will come to you ready to go on day 1. For some students it will be a work in progress that may last years. Don't lose your faith in the principles of the work. Even if you don't see monumental change in some students it doesn't mean that you are failing or that the child isn't getting something out of it. There is no perfect timeline for children when it comes to learning anything.

Focus on the big prize. Consistently go back and recommit yourself to your beliefs about children and education, our mission, and our ultimate vision. Your daily work in this endeavour is invaluable, even if you don't always see the immediate results. What tools are you using to keep the faith and stay the course?

The Seven Habits as a Discipline Policy: Positive or Negative

2010-01-05T12:45:00.002-06:00

W. A. Porter adopted the seven habits as the campus-wide discipline philosophy. Instead of rules such as “Don’t do that” or “Don’t do this”, the seven habits are used as guidelines for behavior. A child is never told, “You were not being proactive.” Instead they are asked after a discussion of the behavior, “In the future, if you were in the same situation, what habit could you use to make this situation turn out differently?” Using the seven habits in this way has made a positive impact on the students and their behaviors, as well as decreasing the number of disciple referrals.

After our meeting together on Monday morning and debriefing in the afternoon with the various groups, there was discussion about whether using the seven habits as the discipline philosophy was positive or negative. Any thoughts on this topic?

THE PACE OF CHANGE

2009-12-02T09:37:00.008-06:00

Change is inevitable. Those who embrace the tools that best enable them to deal with change will survive and even thrive.

The reason I am passionate about the 7 Habits and The Leader in Me is that the principles of personal effectiveness and interpersonal relationships are timeless and apply to every aspect of our lives. Everyone who embraces these concepts increases their potential to be successful in whatever endeavor they undertake.

We are experiencing a change in our school culture as we continue to grow in the 7 Habits. As individuals, we are embracing these changes at different rates. Some of us jumped right on board while others have moved more slowly. This is OK and expected. It is important to understand that our pace of change will vary from person to person based on our experiences. What is critical is that we have common vision and goals for why we are working on this.

I want you to consider what your pace of change is for the 7 Habits and The Leader in Me. Do you see yourself as leading the charge or do you see yourself as reluctant and still searching for the "Why are we doing this?" Maybe you see the need to focus on these concepts, but you're having difficulty implementing them. What are your thoughts about your pace of change and our school's pace of change.

Creating Good Habits - Share Your Success!

2009-11-17T16:55:00.005-06:00

Fifth Grade Demonstrating Good Habits

Our fifth graders have been working on making good behavior a habit with the 21 day challenge. The results have been remarkable. Fifth grade is also creating examples of each of the 7 Habits. Check out our photo montage in the hall across from Mr. Holloway's office.

Please share your success stories. Learning from each other is the best way to keep the momentum going!

WEB RESOURCES

2009-10-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

There are 3 very good resources for teachers on the web. Some of the features of The Leader In Me require a site-license. Click on the book to go to each of the websites.

Make sure you are going back and reading the blog entries from earlier chapters. With WA Porter's contribution, we have over 60 posts each for the Chapters 1&2 and 3&4 entries!

INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS

2009-09-20T19:15:00.000-05:00

Every step our students take toward increased responsibility and self-control is a step we all take toward freeing our collective energy to focus on the academic work of school.

I have been reflecting on several conversations I've had this past week about student behavior. Almost all of our kids can be described as, "sweet" in one-on-one situations while our classes are sometimes described as, "chatty" or even "disrespectful." The great challenge we have ahead of us is trying to teach personal responsibility in individual students while simultaneously teaching respect for rules and authority in groups of students. It stands to reason that if all students are truly in control of themselves then groups of these responsible students will also have control, but we don’t always get that result. What I’m seeing is that most students understand the concepts of the 7 Habits and are beginning to practice them in individual situations. However, practicing them in group situations when peer pressure and social dynamics come into play is proving to be much more challenging. Share your thoughts and your successes if you have experienced this paradox. How are you dealing with it? How do you handle teaching the 7 Habits to individual students versus groups of students?

Learning Through Leading

2009-09-05T16:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome WA Porter faculty and staff!
WA Porter and DE Smith are new partners in developing student leadership. This is a great opportunity for all of us to learn from each other. I believe that our greatest resource in building student leadership is our collective knowledge and experience.

I am very excited about our new student activity guides at DE Smith. As we start to use these materials with students, it is important for us to practice our own leadership skills. One of my strongest personal beliefs is that children learn more from what we do than what we say. Modeling the 7 Habits is the single most powerful thing we can do to teach these concepts.

I am continuously amazed how much I learn each time I go back and re-read something from 7 Habits. I want for us to share our successes and learn from our experiences. As you begin to explore the student activity guides, take time to share your thoughts with your colleagues. I am anxious to hear from all of you.

Chapters 5 & 6 The Leader in Me

2009-05-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Traditions and Celebrations
Traditions and celebrations can make a school feel like a community. Unleashing a Culture of Leadership is about how we each individually contribute and connect with those traditions and celebrations. What are some traditions and celebrations at David E. Smith that make us special? What are some traditions or celebrations that you would like to see started?

Rippling Across the Globe

As I read about various schools implementing in The Leader in Me, I am reminded that David E. Smith is already a special place. We want to take the elements that are already working and build on them. The Leader in Me is not about starting something totally new; it's about becoming great in every way a school can be great. We have so much talent and so many good ideas. I see the Leader in Me as a process that will enable us to bring these talents and ideas together. What are your thoughts after reading all of these success stories?

Chapters 3 & 4 The Leader in Me

2009-05-01T11:29:00.000-05:00

PARADIGM SHIFT ~ One of the most important concepts of The 7 Habit of Highly Effective People is the notion of Paradigm Shift. A paradigm is simply the way you look at something. Here is an example of a paradigm shift. Look at the drawing below. What do you see? You see an animal no doubt, but what animal do you see? Make sure to check in and read other people's responses; you may be surprised. The meaning of something depends on how you look at it.
Chapter 3: Crafting a Blueprint for Leadership - The illustration on p. 60 of The Leader in Me suggests that we look at academic subjects through the lenses of Life Skills and Character. In other words, Life Skills and Character should be embedded in everything we do at school; bringing context and meaning to learning. This is a paradigm shift for many educators (it is for me.) Did you come across anything is this chapter that you've seen or heard before, but now you're looking at it in a new way?

Chapter 4: Aligning for Success - Alignment does not mean that we agree on everything, or that we all do the same thing. What does alignment mean? What does a school look like when there is alignment? What things need to be in alignment for long-term success?

Chapters 1 & 2 The Leader in Me

2009-04-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

As we attempt to educate our students, we are constantly facing issues like outdated curriculum, obsolete technology, and crumbling buildings. While these are genuine concerns, they pale in comparison with the real issue of education,
“Are we preparing our students to work interdependently with other people? Are we preparing our students to be life-long learners? Are we preparing our students to lead?” ~ from the David E. Smith corporate sponsorship proposal

Chapter 1: Too Good to Be True? - I'm sure this is not the first time you've heard about a great school from some far off place. Is there anything about the approach that AB Combs is taking that seems different from other schools you've heard of or read about ?

Chapter 2: Discovering What Parents, Business Leaders, and Teachers Want from a School - What kind of school do you want to be part of?

The Leader in Me Youtube

2009-03-26T12:27:00.000-05:00

You have had the opportunity to hear a brief introduction to The Leader in Me. After watching this video and thinking about the introduction on April 10th, what are your thoughts about how this applies to David E. Smith Elementary?