Monfort Elementary parents can tell there is something different about their school by the conversations that are occurring at the dinner table.
“When you asked them before how school was or what they did, they would say ‘fine’ or ‘nothing,’ said Bill Welch, who has two children at the school. “With the seven habits, I can engage them.”
The Welch household dinner table now centers on “synergy” or “starting with the end of mind,” thanks to the Leader in Me program that has been introduced at the school this year.
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The process provides a common language and set of tools for school-based leadership related to the research of Dr. Stephen R. Covey.
Principal Karen Zimmerman said the impact on the school has been “truly amazing.”
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“Students are becoming leaders of their lives and are developing their own unique talents and abilities,” she said.
Monfort staff received a grant to implement the leadership program, which develops essential skills and characteristics in students.
The Leader in Me process has a proven track record of improving the
lives of students by developing their leadership skills and character.
Recently, the school shared its success story at a special day-long celebration where they demonstrated how the seven habits are being integrated into their daily lives - at home and at school.
The seven habits are:
- Habit 1. Be Proactive - You are in Charge
- Habit 2. Begin with the End in Mind - Have a Plan
- Habit 3. Put First Things First - Work First, Then Play
- Habit 4. Think Win-Win - Everyone Can Win
- Habit 5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood - Listen Before You Talk
- Habit 6. Synergize - Together is Better
- Habit 7. Sharpen the Saw - Balance Feels Best
Monfort students said the program has shown them how they are responsible for their own success and the learning environment at their school.
“It’s a different kind of atmosphere here,” said one student, who is in her first year at Monfort. “Everyone here is so kind. It’s a great program.”
