Coolidge Elementary School students and families learned to embrace leadership skills in the classroom and at home during the school’s recent Leader in Me Family Nights, a framework based on Stephen Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
The framework teaches students life skills, including leadership, responsibility, problem-solving, adaptability and communication.
Through spirit assemblies, schoolwide events and in-class activities that integrate the concepts into curriculum, students are empowered to take on leadership roles, become active listeners, set goals and support their peers.
“We have seen our students really take to this framework and display empathy, responsibility and collaboration in a short period of time,” Coolidge Principal William Wong said. “We are glad to see our families are interested in extending this learning into the home and finding new ways to support their children.”
During the Feb. 22 and March 8 family nights, Coolidge teacher Christina Torres discussed some of “The 7 Habits of Happy Kids” – such as taking initiative and beginning tasks with a goal in mind – to teach families what students are learning in class and how to support these habits at home.
The goal, Torres said, is to ensure these students understand the habits and how to apply them, which can empower them to tackle challenging tasks – such as homework and chores – on their own.