A local elementary school is adopting a new outlook on leadership, and the results are showing.
Faculty members at Washington Elementary attended a three-day course over the summer where they learned to integrate Dr. Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People into their curriculum.
Principal Mary Camperer says that the workshop is already paying major dividends with Washington’s students.
“We have had less behavior issues already so far this year. We talk about how you make your own weather, and so, if you’re having a bad day, we count on other people to help bring you up out of that. We’ve used the seven habits along with our positive behavior intervention strategies, teaching kids the expectations around the building and every area of the building, and the seven habits goes right along with that,” says Camperer.
But it’s not just the students who’ve shown improvements, Camperer says there’s also excitement among the school’s staff.
“After the training, it was monumental. My staff said they’ve never really had training that really worked on them, the first couple day worked on them as a person and then the last day worked on students and the school community. They were just excited, and they came in before school and decorated the building and they were planning and just ready for the kids to walk in that first day,” says Camperer.
Washington will continue developing “The Leader In Me” program throughout the school year as a pilot for District 117.