Making your own weather is a metaphor Dr. Covey uses to explain that it is a choice whether to allow other people to alter your mood. My first graders and I discuss how sometimes people do things that could make us mad or angry. However, they are leaders and leaders can choose whether they get mad or angry. Just today Emma came to me and said her friend, Tanya, said she wasn’t her friend anymore.  Emma was upset and crying. We talked about how sometimes people say things that hurt our feelings but we have the choice of whether to get upset about it. We went over to our mobile and read the title “I make my own weather.” Emma walked away saying “Yep, I will play with one of my other friends.”

The children really need the mobile hung in a visible place so that it is easy to refer back to. We also use it to identify feelings because first graders think the only feelings are happy, sad, or angry. I am often saying “Who makes your weather?” It has made a big difference in our classroom!

One way our second grade teachers keep parents involved in The Leader in Me process is through a Community Notebook. Each Friday, students write how they have used the habits in their daily activities to work toward their goals for the week. Over the weekend, students share the notebook with their parents. This encourages parents to look at their own lives and see how they can also use the habits. On Monday, students share their notebooks with the class.

Students gain a deeper understanding of how the habits help them in their daily lives. Parents feel informed and leadership is encouraged in the home. Now that’s a win-win!

At Moulton Elementary, our staff has developed creative ways to celebrate the 7 Habits with our students. The introduction of Dudley Do-Right and Leadership Lulu to our pep rallies has been a big hit. The students love these characters!

To celebrate Habit 1: Be Proactive, we created the Leader Song.

(Tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Special, Special, Special Me
What a Leader I Will Be.
I’ll use Habits 1, 2, 3
You Will See a Change in Me
In this Big World I Can Be, Anything I Want to Be.

If you’re thinking that K-3 children are too young for the 7 Habits, come visit and prepare to be amazed!

At English Estates, we have an active PTA that plans Family Fun Fest (fall carnival and book fair), International Night (spring celebration of cultures with food and entertainment), Astronomy Night (a night to picnic and look at the stars and planets through large telescopes thanks to volunteers from the local Astronomical Society) and more!

Our Parent Academy offers programs to help parents learn about the curriculum and school practices, meet other parents, and receive materials to help their children at home (also in Spanish). We notify parents by newsletter, flyers, our phone notification system, and with personal contact. One of our most effective practices has been Student Led Conferences. Students invite their parents and share their data notebooks. They discuss their goals, achievement, strengths, and weaknesses with their parents.  Another very effective program is our All Pro Dads Breakfast. Several times a year dads or male role models join their children for breakfast. We regularly see 50-75 dads in attendance, including many parents we don’t see at other events. Dads interact with their children during planned activities and receive parenting tips. We have also initiated I-Mom Breakfasts to provide the same opportunity for moms and female role models.

I am the librarian at Moulton Elementary, a K-3 school in Alabama and my goal is to make the 7 Habits come alive throughout the students’ day. My students are learning how the habits can help them everywhere (the ubiquitous approach), even in the library!

Using the audio version of The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, we listen to each story together while incorporating an author study on Sean Covey. The students are very excited to have the actual author reading to them! As we complete each chapter, I lead them through an activity.

Be Proactive (2-3 grades)

First, we discuss how they can Be Proactive in the library (check in books, behavior, listen, choose books, AR quizzes, check out books.) Then in pairs, students draw a line down the middle of their paper. Partners write my ideas on one side and their ideas of how to Be Proactive in the library on the other side.  We complete the activity by having great discussions around their lists. It’s so much fun; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!

Reading through the blog posts is very inspirational. There are so many amazing examples of schools from all over embracing The Leader in Me process! My hope is that we can build a world-wide community of schools that are committed to bringing leadership to kids. Imagine thousands of schools around the globe all working together and all committed to teaching kids the vital 21st century skills they need to succeed and helping kids discover their unique gifts and talents! I believe we can do this and that we must do this. It is our moral imperative.

Perhaps your school is considering become a Leader in Me school in the future. If so, that’s great. If your school is not ready, then the best place to begin is within a single classroom. In fact, in many situations the key to getting the school hooked on this leadership model is to start small, with one teacher and one classroom.

The Leader in Me Classroom Kit was developed to assist individual classroom teachers implement this model. The kit provides all the necessary ingredients needed to bring Leadership and the 7 Habits to a single classroom. Included are student materials, access to materials on the web (including lesson plans), and an Annotated Teacher Edition to support you with a cross-curricular approach. This will help you get a jump start and then the rest is up to you and your students.

I would like to challenge you to become a model classroom that shines in the eyes of your principal and colleagues. By your example, other teachers may become interested and then ultimately, the whole school. It all starts with a single teacher—you!

As an educator, you truly make a difference in the lives of children and I thank you for it.

One way we keep the 7 Habits “alive” at English Estates Elementary School is by regularly revisiting the content and sharing ideas. Today, during our regularly scheduled monthly staff meeting, we focused on the Emotional Bank Account.

The meeting included several relevant resources:

1. We watched the Emotional Bank Account (EBA) video from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People course.
2. I shared an article from Edutopia Magazine entitled Start with the Heart that parallels the practice of “classroom meetings”, which we have adopted as part of Leadership is Elementary.
3. Several teachers shared how they have used the children’s book Have you Filled A Bucket Today?
4. We ended with a Round Robin where teams of teachers shared their ideas on teaching the concept of EBA and how they promote a positive classroom culture.

The regular sharing of ideas and strategies is one way we keep our “Leadership is Elementary” program vibrant and relevant for all.

Note: Dr. Sharpe received this email following the staff meeting:

Dr. Sharpe,

I have to say in all my years teaching I have never been able to look forward to school wide meetings.  They have usually been a complaining session regarding how much work needs to be done, how you as teachers need to work harder, and especially teachers never do enough to make students achieve more.  The meetings here at English Estates are so positive, you always find great articles to share and give us a smile.

Thank you, I really appreciate the positive attitude.  It really does make a difference.

Thank you,
Sandy

My name is Hugo Delgado and I live in Colombia, South America. Three years ago, I co-founded a foundation called “Yo Creo en Mí” (I believe in myself). We work with children and teens from marginalized communities 200 miles south west of Bogota. After reading Dr. Covey’s book The Leader in Me, I instantly bought the concept of the 7 Habits approach and the ubiquitous strategy to teach leadership skills to kids and teens.

Six months ago we launched the leadership program and so far we have seen amazing results in these kids. Although we are still a very little organization, our vision is to replicate this model all around this country. Right now we work with more than 50 kids from ages 5 to 15, all of them from low income families. The zone in which we have the foundation is one of the most violent in this battered country, which in itself tells a lot about the type of environment we face in our everyday work.

Our foundation is not a school, we don´t offer kids formal education. Instead, we have created a “club” so kids can come here, have lunch, participate in our activities and then go home. Most of these kids were undernourished before they came here, so the nutrition program is one of the most critical for their well being. However, the real difference in their lives comes through the leadership program, which is based on the 7 Habits. We have created songs (http://www.box.net/shared/9guf70ovt8), posters, games, and stories that have helped them understand and internalize the habits. Also, each of them has a leadership position inside our “Club.”

We are hoping that in the near future we will start inundating this country with branches of our foundation, and creating the leaders of tomorrow that will make a difference in this part of the world.

When things feel a bit out of control, my staff and I have found this activity helps.  Perhaps you will too.

On post-its, each staff member writes six things that are causing them stress; three from home and three from school. We then walk around the room with the post-its stuck on our arm. Conversations with each other help in realizing which of the stressors are in our Circle of Control. The stressors that are not in our Circle of Control are wadded up and tossed into the garbage can. Amazingly, very few of the stressors are left.

This activity has helped strengthen our relationships and, I have to say, throwing the stressors away feels really good!

Imagine…

* students given opportunities to discover their unique gifts and talents

* students feeling important through contribution

* students proud of themselves and their school

* students connected and part of a whole

* students reaching their potential

Through a culture of leadership, The Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools offer their students all of these opportunities. You can feel the “perfect hum” of engaged students just walking into these schools!

Right about now you may be asking, “Okay, that sounds great but how do we get from here to there?” It may sound overwhelming but, by following The Leader in Me process, one step will lead to another and then to another.

Getting Started…

1. Choose a Champion Team. Your Champion Team should be comprised of six staff members who will be responsible for owning and directing the implementation of The Leader in Me process. Choose team members that are enthusiastic, collaborative, and diverse in their opinions.
2. Make it your own. The Leader in Me is not a one-size-fits all solution. Put your own distinctive mark on it by creating your own lesson plans, traditions, and activities, as well as tapping into the wealth of information at www.theleaderinme.org.
3. Involve parents—they are a critical part of this process.
   1. Announce that you will be doing The Leader in Me and share your goals around it.
   2. Offer 7 Habits training to parents.

Through the process your school will also become a beacon of light, a lighthouse, for your students and for other schools. Imagine…