THE PACE OF CHANGE

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?