As we attempt to educate our students, we are constantly facing issues like outdated curriculum, obsolete technology, and crumbling buildings.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?
69 comments:
1. AB Combs approach focuses on the whole child and fostering their unique potential for greatness. Building firm character foundations by teaching/modeling leadership principles of taking responsibility, working cooperatively, and doing what's right when no one is looking. Less emphasis is being placed on tests and academic achievements.
2. I want to be apart of a school that encourages confidence, creativity, and a sense of worth.
Combs gives such an inspiration to me. Their approach through 7 Steps is amazing. It seems as if the students are blessed by the experiences they have each day.
I want to go there and be a part of it all!
But...since that is not an option...I want DES to be that school too!
I want to continue their start and make ours even better!
I BELEIVE that , each child who passes through our doors deserves to feel comfort and love. They are first on the list of our important jobs.
Lets get going and maybe someday teachers will read about us and sigh! ...
"We can do this!" ;)
Our garden day was a great way to begin the parent/teacher/student involvement. What a wonderful way to synergize. Everyone has the same End in Mind.
When I was at TCU I had the oppurtunity to student teach at Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center. I thought they were the most amazing group of people I had ever met, not to mention that they had an amazing historical bldg. After spending my time there I often returned to visit w/other teachers looking for innovative ideas. The school has maintained much of their uniqueness over the past 15 years. The common thread I see when visiting schools like ALC or Combs is that they have a community of staff, students and parents with one goal. I think, as Rachel said, we are well on our way!
KNores
I enjoyed reading the first two chapters and think the book will be an easy read since we are all so motivated to put it into action. Something to think about...how awesome will it be to see our former D.E. Smith students' names in the district news headlines in the years to come? Their leadership will shine!
I want to be a part of a school where every student feels strong enough about learning and leading, that they are not only self-confident, but also self-reliant and self-motivated. These are things that will carry over to their family and their future, helping them to be exactly what the stakeholders desire and expect.
Have you seen the faces on our kids when they are outside in the garden??? We don't even have plants yet and you would think it was paradise! (I guess in a way it is our own little paradise!) This is a great start Rachel! Little steps still get us to the same spot!
First, I want to say I have had fun being involved with DES this year. Thank you all for welcoming me, as Juli's student teacher and now as her sub. Even though I am just a sub here, Mr.Gregory gave me a copy of "The Leader in Me" and told me it would be good to learn from. I am intrigued by what I have read, so I decided to "butt-in" on you all again and post my answers to the blog questions.
1. So far, what sets Combs apart from other schools I have read about is the emphasis on how each person can use his or her strengths to be a leader. On page five, a special needs student is mentioned for having,"unbelievable interpersonal relationship skills." and this child considers himself a "leader in manners." This says to me the school is trying to find the strengths of the children and use those as the child's leadership skills. All people have some strengths and teaching them to use those strengths to help others is a wonderful way to empower a student. These students will be motivated to grow into adults who have goals and want to find jobs they will enjoy doing, which focus on those strengths.
2. I hope to end up at a school that has a goal to "keep moving forward." I want to be challanged to be my very best. I also want to be at a school where teachers truly believe all students can have goals and, with the right guidance, reach them.
As I have been standing at my door, I have been reminded that I know the names of kids that are in trouble all the time, that have been in my class(and perhaps their siblings), or that I have worked with in Chess club or in the garden (I know a lot more names since Saturday). I have also noticed how the kid’s faces brighten as they walk by and I say “Good Morning _______” and say something positive to them. I’m sure the 3rd graders are beaming by the time they get to the end of the hall! I know I’m not the only one greeting other students. I want to be at a school where everybody feels that they have a vested interest in everybody at that school; everyone is a valued member of the model family. Where everybody knows everybody (parents included) and cares about their welfare.
I feel like the Real School Garden will do a lot to bring the students and parents and staff together. Seeing the pictures of everyone working together gives a feeling of togetherness. I think this goes right along with the things we have been reading about.
Jerrye
I have read the two chapters and believe we have tried to teach some of the ideas and good citizenship principles mentioned in these chapters. I believe reading about the implemention at A.B Combs is a great guide, but we must adapt it to our school. I really believe with the School Garden project our students are excited and want to be the best they can be thus, leading to our school becoming a place where all students can reach their potential.
One of the things I most appreciated about the approach Combs took was that this wasn't the latest/greatest idea coming down from some unknown administrative figure. The teachers who were reticent were allowed to remain so. Combs started slow, those who did not buy into this were allowed to see for themselves the beauty and necessity of the philosophy. I tend to be the kind of person who sees something that makes perfect sense and then expect everyone else to see that as well; which leaves me frustrated a great deal of the time. I BELIEVE in these principles, this is why I chose a teaching career at this stage of my life. I can hardly describe how excited I am for DES--and,yes, sad that I can't continue to be a part of something this important.
I want to belong to a community. Our society NEEDS community. I want the school I serve at to be a community: staff, students, parents, volunteers, etc. I want to be part of a school where there is a shared philosophy about what is really important. I want to be part of a school where I would want my own children to attend, knowing they are seen as our future (really) and treated with dignity and respect. I want to be part of a school that is more concerned about showing students how to investigate, how to glean knowledge, how to honor each other, how to lead. The grades will come if we get the horse before the cart. That means work. It means being willing to try something different, to do honest evaluation of our instructional methods, and probably even our own bias and expectations. But, doesn't it excite you to think about the possibility...and to see that it has worked and continues to work?!
Bottom line, I was thinking about my little guys moving up a grade next year--and I am SO thankful for the teachers they will have. Like a mother, I want to know that their next teacher will see that, ok, maybe they do talk too loud, or can't sit still, or argue, whatever...but I want this teacher to see, for example, this child is a natural encourager, or that child knows more about animals of the rainforest than most HS science teachers, or this guy is so quiet and shy, you must give him lots of think time. I want to know that each subsequent year, the teachers will see the same things, and more. I want to be part of a school that looks for the very best in each child and staff member; that nutures individual strengths so that the whole body is healthy and thriving.
Rene Grimes
Rene, I so enjoy reading your postings! I feel like I'm getting to know you finally- after an entire school year! I think one of the big benefits of this process is we are building relationships among our staff. It is sometimes hard to have a forum to express feelings and opinions- this is it!
I tried to respond yesterday but I am a blog virgin and I don't know much about this! Anyway, I am excited to begin this new adventure together. This will be a collaborative effort by all and the payoff will be great!
Gingee
It is really neat to see everyone getting so involved. See, blogging isn't so hard after all! We have been very excited to share this book with you since we have read it. Often times, I will quote the book to Michelle when we're talking and it would make her crazy!! Now that we are all on the same page, it will be neat to see how we can come together and make this a great place for everyone :)
I want to be a part of a school where students are eager to come to school each day. Students are motivated to participate and get involved. Students are excited to teach about themselves and their heritage while at the same time learning about their peers backgrounds. I want to be a part of a school where parents are involved in daily activities. And most importantly parents, teacher, and students all work together
-Rachel
This is gonna be grand! The more I read the better it gets! I even had to contimplate this idea when deciding if I really wanted to be in a portable again! Our school is gona look so great and be such a fun place to learn!
Do you like my spelling on the previous post???!!!
I think that the approach that AB Combs is taking focusses on making the child a better person. This will then lead to better test scores, higher grades, etc. I know that we can do this here. I can't wait to see how it grows as the years go on. I will have a kindergartner here next year and I am extremely excited about what he will get to experience. I want to be a part of making kids better people - not just smarter. I tell my own kids all of the time that I do what I do to make them be a better person. I think that is what this book is all about. These kids will then be able to function highly in the real world.
Chapter 2:
I agree with the school's new mission statement: To Devlop Leaders One Child at a Time; with the emphasis on making sure students are CLEAR that each child's worth exceeds anything that is ever placed on any grade report or any score on a test. I know that as a Taks Leveled Teacher sometimes I get carried away with how well our class looks and does on our Taks Tests, Benchmarks, etc. I am becoming more aware with my students individual self esteem in regards to their scores on assessments like these and are discovering that, to me, the worst feeling is when you have a student who just tried with all they had and they still performed at a low level. I want to make sure as an educator that I don't stress too much on their scores being who they are and if they move on to the next level, but on a key to seek if they are achieving at their highest learning level. I strive to make sure that every child I come in contact with knows that they have something special to offer, knows that I see it in them and then has an opportunity to shine and express it.
As a read on in the book, I am remotivated to take a second look at the training I have already received in recent years. Things like Baldrige and data notebooks seemed like a great idea, but somehow got lost in the mix over time. I am excited that I have another chance to bring these components back into my classroom. This time it will be in a way that doesn't focus on who makes the highest scores, but who can reach their academic goals while becoming the best person they can be.
This is an excellent point Michelle makes. One of the reasons this book hit such a nerve with me is it connected so much prior knowledge and training. I feel like I've learned so many things that are disconnected or hard to apply. The Leader in Me brings a lot of things into focus. It doesn't hurt to retry things that didn't work so well in the past. If you have a new paradigm, you may find success the second or third time around.
I have enjoyed the beginning of this book and am excited to see the outcome at our school.
The Leader in Me is a great book and will be a positive influence for our students and staff. I am excited to be a part of this.
The more I read, the more excited I get! I know we will see such positive effects - hopefully in my teaching career!
Carpe Diem!
We ♥ cartwheels!
This first 2 chapters really have gotten me so excited about next school year. I am already trying to plan next year with these 7 habits in focus. Just think what a a year we will have, a new garden, a new school wide theme,one that is meaningful and doable, a newly painted building,a great staff and awesome students, WOW we really will shine!!
I really like the idea of asking others and ourselves, "What do want students, teachers, parents, and the community to say about our school?"
Margaret Miller
Thanks, David E. Smith, for sharing your blog with W. A.Porter.
Donnie Lane, CEO, Enersolv, is quoted in the book as saying "The first thing I look at when hiring is skills. Skills get people in the door to be interviewed. But what gets them hired and what keeps them hired is character.
Having worked outside of the public school system for the first 30 years of my working career, I can heartily concur with Mr. Lane's comment. If a child has not been taught good character traits at home, or in the school setting, his ability to synergize will be greatly diminished. I think we've all been in a group situation whereby... "there is always one". If a child is not taught to work well with others in group situations and to value what he learns from others, then we do that child a great disservice.
One thing that really stood out to me is the fact that these habits can help every child become a leader. There are countless ways to make every child feel special. It's so difficult to find something that works for everyone, and this does. It brings out each child's individual strengths in a way that allows them to be a leader.
Something else that stood out to me was the list of the top 10 traits employers seek. I think that a lot of these are traits that get overlooked, or that we as teachers assume that they are things that are being taught at home. In many cases, this is not true, and it falls to us to make sure the kids learn these important skills. I love the way the 7 habits framework incorporates these traits into everything we do. By doing this, it makes the habits something the kids do automatically, instead of them being taught as something separate that the kids have to think about before doing.
Thank you DES for the BLOG and the grand welcome.
In chapters 1 and 2, I just kept seeing the phrase “This is the right thing to do for our students” and thinking, how can I even dispute that? Our students do deserve back to basic learning of what is right/what is wrong and how to deal with it. After all, my goal for my students is to be able to thrive in a working society. I look back on 26 years of teaching and see regrets where I could have focused teaching principals that would have, could have given leadership skills to my students. I can’t go back but I can begin now with the end in mind and move forward. It is an honor to be able to teach in a school with a vision for students and has the same end in mind.
Darla I second you in hoping to be brave enough to let my students be in charge of setting their own goals this year. That is hard for me as a resource teacher.
As I read chapters one and two, one of the things that stood out to me was the discussion on primary and secondary greatness. I agree that most of us don't remember who were awarded the most recent American Idol, Golden Globe, top model, and People's most influential "honors." But, somehow that's where much of society's focus is. You walk into a classroom or spend time talking with a kid and realize this focus on outside comparisons has been outscoring a life based upon virtuous behavior and decision making. However, in the past few years since we've focused on teaching and understanding virtues and the consequences of value driven decision making I have seen the kids I come across at school understanding the power of good character. I think that somehow we thought that glitz outshined honor. Maybe that's how things like Enron and Governor Blagojevich happen. In any case, Covey's discussion on the kinds of greatness gave me cause to stop and think. I've seen huge focus changes at school in ONE month because we're thinking about what we're doing and why we're doing it.
I am so pleased with the positive changes I have seen already since our school has started talking about and encouraging our students with the 7 Habits, and excited too that there are so many opportunities to reinforce them in the music room. We are seeing children showing more respect for themselves, each other and staff, and have great expectations for a wonderful school year.
Already improvement in student behavior is apparent in our hallways and classrooms. Reading the book and posting on the blog will keep all of us working toward the same goal.
Many classroom teachers have been "polishing" their students with the 7 Habits for years, whether they called it that or not. As a music teacher I have been privileged to see children from these classrooms continue to "shine" as they progressed through the grades, into high school and beyond. That is one of the FIRST lessons I learned from Jaimie Smith!
One of things that really stuck with me in these chapters was the fact that we are used to living in the information age, that we as teachers are used to having students who are "successful" as long as they know the facts. Those with the most information were the most successful and usually ended up in "successful" jobs such as a lawyer, an accountant, etc...But, in our global economy, that is changing quickly. So many of those jobs can now be handled by computers or outsourced for lower pay, that factual knowledge can no longer be the main focus of schools. Along with focusing on creative problem solving and critical thinking, we also need to be focusing on "people skills", teaching students to work together and to have a plan in mind, to be self-starters, and to be responsible for their actions. It is my hope that using the 7 Habits will be one step that we are taking to help prepare our students for a successful future.
I appreciate that Covey emphasized that leadership does not look the same in everyone. I have students who may not fit the traditional mold, but who have wonderful strengths and can still be great contributors to our society.
I agree with Cindy Hallman's comments on primary and secondary greatness. In addition to her examples, I thought of some of our professional athletes who achieve great fame and fortune, but lack the character and self-discipline to be successful in their personal lives.
As I read the first two chapters, I couldn't help but think of what Texas A&M told my son at Freshman orientation last year. The school was graduating the best engineers out there but many of them couldn't carry on conversations at business dinners. They knew the information but not much else. A &M now makes engineers take Fine Arts classes to be more well rounded. We need to help children learn the information but also mold them into the best citizens they can be for life not just while they are in our classrooms. The 7 habits are helping us make better citizens now and for the future by providing them with ideas they can use throughout life.
I also am excited about our school utilizing the seven habits as our school-wide discipline approach this year. I think using a common language from kindergarten thru fifth grade is a positive factor. We have the same end in mind!
I also found it interesting that when the parents were asked what they wanted from their child's school they responded with...the ability to get along with others, be responsible, be tolerent of people's differences and to become problem solvers... but not one said anything about academics!
I also believe that every child has something that they can be a leader of! I believe we can make a substantial difference in the lives of our students and their future!
I don't think that I have experienced such a smooth beginning of the year as I have this year! I really do believe it has everything to do with our incorporating these 7 Habits into our daily lives here at Porter. What has impressed me the most is that the importance is not just on academics, but on the child as a whole. I loved the part in Chapter 2 that talked about the students four basic needs...Physical, Social-emotional, Mental, and Spiritual. All of these "needs" need to be met in order for the child to feel that they have worth and potential. I truly believe that by instilling these 7 habits in our children, they will not only realize their own worth and potential, but be able to see it in others.
I loved the concept of primary greatness. What a great way to encourage individualism. The 7 habits offers a way to develop inner character strengths that continue for a lifetime.
Being a leader of your own destiny is what the Leader in Me proposes. Influencing and touching one life at a time will change our world for the better. Babs Leonard
I found The Leader in Me very interesting. I was surprised and excited at how quickly A.B.Combs could see measurable improvements. It didn't take a generation to show that it was working. I especially noticed how the teachers noted that spending less time with discipline allowed them to spend more time teaching. Everyone knows this, but this was a very practical way to make it happen.
The whole time I was reading TLIM, I was wishing I and my son's schools had known about this when he was in school. It is the habits I wanted to teach in a way that is very easy to understand and reinforce.
I think that what stood out to me the most was realizing that in my particular classroom situation (little parental involvement if any, language and social handicaps, communication barriers, etc.)this quite possibly could be the ONLY place, my classroom, where they will receive any of this type of instruction and life lessons. The importance of putting a high priority on teaching these values, decision making skills, character qualities becomes much more pertinent to me. The philosophy of not simply teaching it "when you have the time", but integrating it into daily activities and lessons so that it truly is at the core of what they are learning becomes a priority to me.
I also wonder to myself why so many professionals, parents, teachers, students, etc. can see the importance of looking at what we are teaching and trying to focus away from "teaching to a test" or teaching students how to take a test, however, the very people who make all these policies and implement these "standardized" ways to evaluate students' progress do not see the value in educating the whole child, both morally, socially, and academically. When will they see the benefits of TLIM philosophies? When will a child's worth be based on the learner, thinker, character based person they become and not on a score on a test?
As a Porter parent for many years, I feel that Porter was teaching my children many of these habits (fairness, synergy, first things first) just not under this label and as situations/lessons came up. I also felt the children were being taught the 7 habits at home.
I can see that spending the first week on the 7 habits made a big difference in the beginning of our school year. We explained each habit and completed related activities so the children had a better understanding of being responsible for themselves and interacting with others.
Unfortunately, I don't think some of our children are getting this support at home. They aren't learning to take responsibility for themselves, making our jobs more challenging. I hope we will be able to make a big enough impact on these children so they will carry their skills on, outside of the school setting.
Thank you D.E.Smith-we here at W.A.Porter are excited to partner with you!
What stayed with me was the concept of "primary greatness". Who has not wondered what has become of students after they have left us? My experience has been that those who had a high level of primary greatness turned out to become successful and secure adults. Some children are fortunate to grow up in families that promote those concepts. Others are not, and that is where we can come in and really make a difference.
Just having completed the first group project with my 5th graders, I saw first hand how thinking about the seven habits helped them be more effective group members. After just a few short weeks of speaking of the 7 Habits, it was rewarding to see the students working to find a win-win compromise, or to decide that no one was to blame, but to put first things first and take the initiative to complete the project. Their personal satisfaction with the process was excellent.
7 Habits really is about setting a strong base for these children, and for us. It's hard to imagine anything but success coming from this base.
I am enjoying reading The Leader in Me and implementing the 7 habits in my classroom. My students have enjoyed learing this new way of thinking and applying what we read in The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. That book made it so easy for them to apply the habits to their everyday life experiences! They daily choose to pick that book up and read it over and over again in their free time.
I found it very interesting that when asked, the parents are not first concerned with high academic scores for their chilren, rather they are wanting the children to take responsibility, to vocalize their thoughts, to treat people respectfully, to prioritize and to learn to resolve conflicts maturely.
The second chapter took the opinions of parents, teachers, businesses and students to see what it was they each wanted in a school. Again, not one group put "academics" as a top priority but their goals all seemed to focus on making sure students learned basic life skills. This in turn will help them achieve the greatness to become a leader - in whatever area of life they choose to involve themselves in.
Thank you to DE Smith and Scott Gregory for sharing their blogspot with our school. Since I know that DE Smith began this journey under Scott's guidance, it was exciting to see the excitement and belief in The Leader in Me shared by both he and his staff. I'm excited to learn from DE Smith's experiences and continue making our own here at WA Porter.
Initially, I was concerned about the implementation of the 7 Habits. I believed in them and knew that we had work to do on our discipline at WA Porter, however, I was concerned about teachers feeling overwhelmed by "new" set of habits. I realized quickly how wrong that I was. The 7 habits much like continous improvement isn't a here today gone today program. It's a belief system, a way to inspire greatness in all of us. I have already observed it doing that on our campus for both our students and faculty members.
I agree with all of my school counterparts' opinions which is why I teach at Porter. I know that children come first and that we want what's best for them, not just now, but lifelong. I think our initial inplementation has been successful because in the words of Bertie Norton, "This is not one more thing that we have to do. This is a better way of doing what we already do." The Leader in Me has provided guidance on how to inspire greatness within our children and the "buy in" of everyone is ensuring that campus wide.
If you couldn't tell, I'm excited by the journey that WA Porter has embarked on. Moreover, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this book. I might start a tally chart for how many times that I nod in agreement while reading though. I believe that I might be at 100 and counting! :)
I agree with Pat in that we have probably all been teaching many of these "habits" naturally, as the situation has arisen. I think the book presents these habits in a logical and specific manner that makes more sense to children. It also gives us research based reasons for integrating the habits into our curriculum.
In chapter 2, I, too, was encouraged to read that education needs to meet the needs of the "whole child". This idea is not new, but maybe the pendulum is finally swinging back!
Thanks to David E Smith for sharing your blog, ideas, and experiences with us! (And Hi Lisa!)
As a teacher of special education students, I was skeptical about how my students would be able to learn such general and abstract concepts and such difficult vocabulary. Although not every student has been able to grasp the concepts and terms, many of my students have done quite well...thanks in large part to a school-wide emphasis the first week of school, consistent use of the program and terms throughout the building, and the wonderful child-friendly stories and characters in the Seven Habits of Happy Kids.
For many of my students, academic success is measured in very different terms than the regular education student. The Leader in Me and the seven habits give them an equal opportunity to achieve primary greatness on par with their peers. They can have good character, be good team members, be responsible for themselves, set goals, and learn to understand the needs and feelings of others.
As they grow up and go out into the real world, my students will face enormous obstacles to employment and their ability to make a contribution to society. I may not be able to give them all of the academic knowledge they will need, but perhaps this emphasis will enable them to have marketable skills, admirable qualities, integrity, and a strong work ethic that employers would find desirable despite the gaps in their knowledge.
I am so amazed and impressed at the information A.B. Combs was able to collect from their stakeholders in the face of such a seemingly insurmountable challenge...reinvent yourselves in a week's time or lose your magnet status. Kudos to them for choosing to approach the task in such a systematic manner and to have the inspiration for this leadership theme that has taken on a life of its own for so many schools and students!
I look forward to reading more about how they implemented the program in this school and others.
Tracy Clegg
Hello!
The 7 habits we are implementing, for lack of a better phrase, just make sense. Even though they are unsaid, most of us live our lives following them. I am always nervous about implementing a new philosophy that has been adopted by the whole school, in my kindergarten class. The common sense of the 7 habits makes them extremely easy to incorporate with early childhood students. For me, the 7 habits are simply ‘living your life the right way’. They don’t take away from academics. They don’t force us to reinvent the wheel. They simply allow us to teach children how to be the best they can be in all areas of their lives. Hopefully, these habits will guide them as they travel through school and beyond.
In my opinion, the ideal school is one where everyone’s mission is similar. The educators are focused on enriching each student’s life and focusing on the whole child. They are generous with their time and ideas. They are supportive and lift each other up. The administration provides a clear focus and purpose, making the most of the staff and students. I feel that my school possesses many of these aspects and I am so proud to be a part of our team!
After reading the first two chapters in the Leader In Me I really thought about my own education and what I learned in elementary school.
When I was an elementary student at Green Valley, I remember that there was a focus on being a good citizen, but I don't know that I knew what that meant when I was that age. I just related it to being a good student. I certainly came out of Green Valley prepared academically ready for middle school but if not for the examples of my teachers I don't know that I would have known what being successful and being a leader looked like.
What I like about what we are giving our students this year at Porter is that I feel we are giving them vital tools for the future. Learning these habits early on could be so beneficial for many students. I really wish that I could have had these habits instilled in me as a child.
The best thing that I read in these two chapters was in chapter 1. The idea that we need to be producing students that have the ability to think and work with others rather than pass a test seems like a no brainer. It is amazing to me that so many schools and districts are still so test focused. What I like about this approach is that it truly focuses on the whole child and the test scores will come when the focus becomes the child, improving the person, and developing the leadership skills within them.
Katy Gott
I agree with Marcia and Pat. I think we have been teaching these things naturally, but the emphasis has been so strong on academics that the "whole child" has been put on the back burner.
I am very excited to read that Covey believes that a child's physical, social-emotional, mental and spiritual needs all need to be met for them to reach their full potential.
I love that our whole campus is using the same language and approach. My students really seem to understand the 7 Habits and the parents have given wonderful responses.
I love forward to how this is going to build over the years.
Angela
After reading chapters 1 and 2 the idea of primary greatness stood out to me. It is true, "every single person can have it." Integrity and character are vital for students to be successful and reach their full potential. By teaching our students these 7 habits we can be purposeful in helping them develop a "firm character foundation," which will help them all throughout their lives. I am thrilled that we are using the 7 habits as the basis for our discipline plan this year. The 7 habits are meaningful and relavant to our students.
I loved the quote in chapter 2,
"Leadership is communicating people's worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves."
After the first few days of school I could see that teaching the 7 habits was having an impact on our students. One of our deaf students signed proactive to me in the correct situation. That shows that the 7 habits can be understood and used regardless of language. In a perfect world our students would be getting this at home also, but as some earlier posts said some of our students only experience things like the 7 habits when they come to school.
Ginger Griffin
I read these two chapters directly after our school discipline committee met to discuss how to better serve the needs of the whole child as a campus. I was excited, but somewhat skeptical that we would be able to implement the plan campus-wide as it was going to take everyone buying into the program to have success. It is working and I’m seeing continuing results across the board!
Our special needs kids are getting it with help from the stories found in the companion book. Pictures attained from the website offer a quick glimpse back to reinforce ideas that we encounter through the day.
I love having a common language to use with all the children during café duty that gives them ownership of their behavior. Instead of saying, “Johnny, stop that!” I can now say, “Johnny, what habit should you have chosen to follow?” or, “What would be a better choice next time?” They have the language; it’s a limited set, and they know how to answer.
It's all about student leadership and empowering the students to embrace "the leader in me". If I'm not mistaken, the magnet school just changed its focus and not its clientelle. Every student in the school did not start with amazing leadership skills. That potential was developed. Every one of our students has leadership potential. We can develop that through continued focus on character education and extra support in leadership realization. I'm really excited about this!
Lisa Loper
I am so excited about this book and the positive impact it has on life. My students have loved learning about the 7 Habits and showing the habits in everything they do. They are able to identify with examples each of these habits.
It would be a great experience to go and observe A.B.Combs in action. After reading about the changes that took place in the students, faculty and parents, it makes me excited to see what is happening here in Porter and David E. Smith. I like the quote (This is not "one more thing" we have to do. This is a better way of doing what we already do.)
Thank you Scott for sharing this with Porter!
Lynnette
I agree that the 7 Habits are things we already do naturally as teachers, but this book gives us a common language to use. I am now able to give specific feedback (Marzano anyone?) to students and guide them towards appropriate decisions and actions. My students are taking more initiative and are empowered to do things on their own without being asked to do so. What a refreshing change this has been in the classroom. I am spending less time and energy encouraging students to be good citizens because they have all internalized the habits and have been working on them from day one.
One quote that I read in Chapter 2 has stuck with me. Jeanne Payne said, "Why not level the playing field and give every child the opportunity to have these skills?" I whole-heartedly agree with this statement. It is no longer acceptable to brush these skills under the rug and assume that children will learn them at home or church. Why not do what we can at school to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn these valuable skills?
I am excited about the idea of using the 7 habits to develop leadership. In the past I have thought that leadership was something you have or don't have. I believe that students will have much more confidence in themselves at school.
In chapter 1 and 2 a part that really stuck with me were the comments about factual information no longer being sufficient. That today's students are now competing agaist a world market for jobs. The ones who stand out are able to creatively maneuver facts not just regurgitate them.
I agree with Linda. It was quite interesting that when information was gathered from parent focus groups, none of them mentioned academics as a priority. They were more interested in their children learning how to get along with others, to be tolerant of people's differences, to be responsible and to be able to problem solve.
As a parent and a faculty member I have always been pleased at how Porter has empahasized to students the importance of good character and virtues. The Leader in Me just goes a step further in this. It is so exciting to think about the skills that we are equipping students with that will benefit them their whole lives. One of the best aspects is that any student can learn to be a leader no matter what their intellectual or academic ability may be. It is amazing to see how the 7 habits have already affected the students and school in such a postive way. I look forward to seeing how this continues to impact the students in the future.
I am so excited to use the seven habits at W.A. I think it is a good way to deal with discipline issues before they happen. One thing that stood out to me in the book was the definition of leadership: "Leadership is communicating people's worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves".
Carol Conley said...
I'm excited about reading this book. I think teaching the 7 habits has been a positive influence on our school. I agree with the commet in chapter 2 that said that parents want their kids to succeed and survive in this complex world we live in. The 7 habits are life skills every kid needs to be the best they can be in a global society.
After reading the first two chapters I know W.A. Porter made the right decision to adopt the 7 habits as our discipline plan. What began as our discipline plan has become so much more as we can see changes in our students that will benefit them for their entire lives.
In chapter two the conversation Andrew Cherng remembered about the little boy asking what they could do to improve really stuck with me. If that little boy already had the mindset of continually improving in the third grade I would love to know where he is now!
I am excited about reading the rest of the book but more excited to see the changes implementing the habits and using the common language has on our school.
I truly like the paragraph in chapter one related to primary greatness. "Every single person can have it; there are no bell curve limits. Primary greatness has to do woth a person's integrity, work ethic, treatment of othersm motives and level of iniative." Pg.9 Based on this description anyone can be great. That is important to keep in mind for ALL students. Another quote by Goethe states, "Treat a man as he is and you make him worse than he is. Treat a man as he has the potential to become and you make him better than he is." Pg.40
I'm proud to be a part of a school and a district that strives to have every teacher and student be successful, and where every student feels they have a part in their learning and teachers with leadership. We are building self confidence with these habits.
I think it is high time that a book like this landed in our laps. I am thrilled to be reading it and implementing it on our campus. I love the part that talks about all children being born with GREAT potential. We all know that not all our children are going to run companies or run for office some day, but they ALL have a potential for "primary greatness."
The connectedness discussed in the book is crucial. If this book can help us reach all students it is well worth it. I look forward to reading more, implementing more, and seeing the difference it makes in kids for a lifetime.
I am amazed at how quickly our students caught on to the 7 Habits. I am also impressed with how they realate the 7 Habits to everything they are learning and doing. We've read a number of books in the library and there's always a comment about how an action by one of the characters in the book relates to one of the 7 Habits. I have also noticed a tremendous difference in the behavior of a few students...for the better.
Heather Beaver
WOW!It is so exciting to see everyone at Porter as excited about this venture as DES is! It is very interesting to see the similarities in thoughts from two different campuses with varied student populations. I was also pleased to hear from my former SHE co-workers and how well it was going with their deaf ed. classes! I am looking forward to lots of collaboration together!
Lisa Mais
A second “WOW” to WA Porter for jumping right in this year with the 7 Habits! Starting a new year is always a challenge, but working with the 7 Habits seems to have jump started your year. With our staff working together, our children are being PROACTIVE. That is not to say it isn’t reinforced over and over, but we are seeing leadership coming out in our children. It is wonderful to hear a fellow student ask if one of their classmates is being PROACTIVE. That just shows that they too want to do and be the best they can at their school. The most important thing to remember is it takes time and patience to change our thinking and the children’s way of thinking. It does take a whole community to move that mountain! With a strong foundation this year, our students next year and in the future will have the knowledge and understanding that they can be and do everything in their reach.
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