This year my school is adopting Leader in Me. This program is based on Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, but it is for elementary schools.
We spent time as a staff this summer going over the four quadrants for time management.
The idea of this time management plan is to spend most of your time in Quadrant 2 and minimize the other three. I summarized this plan with the question "What can I ignore and get away with?"
Educators are bombarded with expectations. I want to think through what I really need to accomplish and what I want to let go.
I already shared my philosophy with my principal. She thought it was a good question.
What can you ignore?
To download a four quadrant worksheet, click here.
Next Wednesday, I open my twenty-third full time classroom. Last year was a great year, but four of the previous five years were difficult to say the least. I want to continue to be a positive person at my school.
This year, I have decided to pick a professional focus just for me. This goal isn't a part of Common Core. It will influence my classroom culture so it may become part of my evaluation goals. I know there are other teachers who will be working on this, but I'm doing this simply because I want to.
A few years ago a group of us read The Leader in Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time
; about how one school incorporated Dr. Stephen Covey's Seven Habits into daily school life. Last year another group of teachers conducted a book group. This year we are investigating getting the grant for next year.
I have decided I'm not going to wait. I want to begin discussing these habits with my students and collecting materials to support them. I would love to hear from other teachers and schools who have started the process.
A group of colleagues want to implement The Leader in Me at our elementary school. Two summers ago, we read this book together and tried to develop some lessons. Some teachers continued to work through this last school year and even visited a school that has implemented the program school wide.
In case you are not familiar with The Leader in Me, it is based on Stephen R. Covey's book
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People:
1. Be proactive.
2. Begin with the end in mind.
3. Put first things first.
4. Think win/win.
5. Seek first to understand, then be understood.
6. Synergize.
7. Sharpen the saw.
We just hired a new teacher who has used this program with fifth graders, sixth graders, and kindergartners. Talking with her has re-energized me to try again this year.
I would love to hear from other teachers who have worked in schools with this program. You can leave me a comment on this blog, or connect with me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/TeachingResourcesbyMaryBauer
