In 1989, business-based thought leader Stephen Covey wrote and published what many refer to as one of the pre-eminent books of the self-help generation. Covey’s worldwide phenomenon known fondly as The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People has sold over 65 million copies since its first pressing and has spawned a host of popular spinoff’s over the years, including The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families.
The “Highly Effective” series of books went on to spin off another piece of writing which has resonated with schools for over a decade. And though Covey himself passed away in 2012, the FranklinCovey organization has continued to think upward. The Leader in Me: How Schools Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time has become a positively influential work for educators across the globe – including Fort Thomas’ own elementary schools.
When then-principal of Woodfill Elementary Keith Faust was searching to create school plans and inspire his teachers who were already receiving great accolades for the school, he decided to bring Covey’s “Seven Habits” philosophy to his faculty in hopes that the lessons learned would translate into their classrooms.
With help from grants from the Fort Thomas Education Foundation, FranklinCovey’s “Leader in Me” process, a further offshoot of the “Seven Habits,” became a mainstay of the school’s growing commitment to success. FTEF grants helped to purchase the materials needed to get the program off the ground and Faust and his team began to include every member of the Woodfill staff – from teachers to custodians to cafeteria workers.
After indoctrinating the Woodfill staff into the “Leader in Me” process, Faust and his team then gave teachers free reign to take their new processes into the classroom. “I think giving teachers the permission to internalize this and then interpret the material the way they wanted in their classrooms is what really helped this program grow to what it is at Woodfill today,” says Faust.
The program involves valuable learning (and living) skills as exhibiting active listening and synergizing students to work together in team ways, valuable lessons which are just as beneficial in the playground as they would be in an office board meeting. Woodfill’s success with the program even leant them to become a “Lighthouse School,” designating them in an upper echelon for their achievements integrating these habits.
“Leader in Me’ taught me to work with others better,” says Highlands sixth-grader Renae Eberenz of her time at Woodfill with the process. “It also helped me with both my confidence and being more organized.”
While Faust has since moved from the principal’s chair to the office of Assistant Superintendent, the system still continues to reap benefits under current principal John Gesenhues. “The ‘Leader in Me’ process is really a way of life culture for Woodfill that makes the school run to the highest capacity that it does,” says Gesenhues “It’s a lifeline of our school that connects everything academics, culture, student life, participation and staff morale. It really is our way of being –the secret sauce that binds everything together.