Chapters 5 & 6
The Leader In Me
Chapters 5 & 6
Chapter 5: Achieving School Goals
- Explains how educators see The Leader In Me as a better way of doing what we are already doing, rather than just one more thing to do
Chapter 6: Bringing It Home
- How engaging parents expands the impact of The Leader In Me
1. How does the alignment of schoolwide, classroom, and individual goals facilitate progress?
Goals give us focus and direction. By setting goals, we can measure progress and SEE our school moving forward towards achieving each goal that we set. Teachers already set SMART goals. Many teachers also set professional goals and/or personal goals that they share with their students. We have grade level goals (ex: 7th vs. 8th grade PBIS challenges) and school wide goals (both academic and behavioral). Many teachers have their students write individual goals as well. So making a point of aligning all of these is as the book points out “a better way of doing what we are already doing, rather than just one more thing to do.”
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of the leadership notebooks where students can track their progress and explain their progress to their teachers and parents. The ownership of being part of the goal setting and data tracking process is huge. Having the staff model the 7 Habits will show students and families that we believe in what we are teaching the students!
When we align our school, classroom and individual goals it forms a framework that guides our choices and behaviors. It brings focus to what it is we want to accomplish.We can't fix everything at once, so setting school-wide goals for specific changes we want to see this year, will impact classroom goals and give direction to student and teacher individual goals. When everyone is working toward the same goal, it creates a sense of community.
ReplyDeleteModeling the 7 Habits consistently and teaching them to students shows that they can count on us to do what we say we will do.It strengthens their trust in us. Many of our students come from difficult circumstances. Their behaviors and language mirror what they have learned at home. While we can't change their circumstances, we can make a positive impact by living the 7 Habits and teaching them.
As students go home with the language and habits they are taught, parents will begin to ask questions. Sharing with parents can take many forms. The school website, teacher websites, newsletters, and social media should be including messages about the 7 Habits and how it is transforming our school.
Aligning school, classroom, and individual goals will not only help us measure progress and guide our choices / behaviors, as already stated, but will also create an environment where we are all working together as a team. Plus, we will be teaching our students how to set obtainable goals. I really enjoyed chapter 5 because the text outlined how to create effective goals: be specific, have a deadline, check on progress frequently. I do set goals for myself and my students, but I rarely take the time to explain how and why I created the goal. This would be a valuable process for the students to take ownership of.
ReplyDeleteJust like modeling the goal setting process, when we model the 7 habits we are teaching our students and our parents. Both will be seeing the behaviors we expect at KGMS as well as how they help create a positive environment. The hope would be that some parents catch on and begin modeling the habits as well, especially those we see frequently such as Watch Dogs and PTA volunteers. These parents could make a big impact in moving toward using the 7 habits at KGMS.
Also, just for fun, I tried out some of the habits with my own children. We sat down at lunch one day and talked about what our family "mission" or "goal" would be. With no help from me, both my children agreed that it is important for us to be happy, healthy, and kind. We also talked about working together as a team and being proactive. Yesterday my daughter picked up a big tree limb in the yard and threw it in the woods and said, "Look, I'm being proactive!" She rarely does anything without being told first, so this was a huge change.