The Leader In Me

Have you ever heard of a “Leader in Me” school? Well, if your answer is no I hadn’t either up until a few weeks ago. If your answer is yes, then I’m impressed and I’m hoping one is empowering children in a neighborhood near you!

So, for those of you who haven’t heard of these amazing schools, it’s basically a program where students are taught Franklin Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People throughout all of their classes (even math!). The program was first started at A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina by an amazing school principal. Not only do the students learn great leadership skills, these skills impact their entire school experience and they feel more connected, more confident, and enjoy school, which leads to better academic achievements and lower dropout rates down the line.

It’s a really great program, and I was lucky enough to participate in a 3 day “Leader In Me” training with the teachers and staff of one of my school sites. During these 3 days not only did we learn how to teach the 7 principles to children, but we learned about how to live them ourselves. How can we expect students to practice these skills if our teachers and staff aren’t modeling them?

For the training we were very fortunate to get to know Suzanne Hays, our amazing Franklin Covey facilitator and former educator. She brought valuable insights to our discussions and kept us entertained and engaged throughout the three days.

At the end of the 3 days we were given homework (how appropriate) to live each habit for 1 week until we’re done (i.e. 7 weeks) and we have “accountability partners” to meet with at the end of each week to make sure we’re staying on track.

All in all it was a really great experience, and I highly recommend that if you’re interested in the Leader in Me for a school in your neighborhood that you bring it to the attention of your school leadership or PTA. You never know what can happen!