Self help concepts to be taught in St. Regis
ST. REGIS – Staff and students at the St. Regis School District will be functioning in a more effective way this school year if they successfully adhere to concepts in a best selling book called “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”
The book, written in 1989 by author Stephen Covey, has sold over 15 million copies in 38 languages around the world. While the book and the author’s concepts were not originally intended for primary and secondary education, one St. Regis educator said he has seen it work for young people in the past.
Principal Joe Steele said implementing the seven habits at his previous school in Idaho proved to be extremely successful. He said the concepts changed the way student’s embraced their early education.
“It was wonderful,” Steele said. “The kids were much more attentive in class. They were more responsible and were accountable in the classroom and the school. Discipline (issues) went down and grades went up because they were practicing being proactive. So, when I moved over here, this was a program I believed in and thought we could implement here.”
Steele said the program would start at the kindergarten level. He said the reason he wants to start so young is to instill the values represented by the seven habits in hopes they become exactly that in St. Regis students, habits.
The first three habits are “be proactive, begin with the end in mind,” and “put first things first.” Steele said being proactive is effective in dealing with disciplinary issues.
“We teach kids, when they are sent to me, they are in charge of themselves,” Steele said. “There are a lot of things they have no control over that affect them and can cause frustration. Being proactive means they have a choice when it comes to how to respond. They can choose to be frustrated, upset or angry or they can decide to not let it bother them and have a good attitude.”
Steele said the second habit involves planning and thinking with a goal in mind. He said the second habit also asks students to envision what kind of person they wish to be in the future.
“It’s more than just having a plan,” Steele said. “It’s knowing where you want to go, setting goals and defining what kind of person you want to be.”
The third habit, “put first things first,” is about prioritizing and managing ones time. Steele said the fourth habit, “think win-win,” is about looking at long-term solutions.
“This teaches kids to compromise and that you don’t always have to get your way,” Steele said. “It’s about finding a solution that benefits everybody. We need to give kids the time and the tools to solve their problems.”
The fifth habit, “seek first to understand, then to be understood,” teaches problem solving and empathy. Steele said he has already used the concept to mediate differences in the classroom.
“When there’s an issue in the classroom, I take the student down to the teacher and we sit down,” Steele said. “The student has a chance to voice their frustration and then the teacher can express their expectations and a compromise is made. “
The sixth habit is “synergize,” which teaches teamwork by combining various people’s strengths. The last habit is “sharpen the saw,” which refers to establishing a balance between all aspects of one’s life.
“We take care of the four areas of our lives,” Steele said. “There’s our spiritual side, social side, emotional side and our brain. We have to create a balance and take a break to recharge.”
Steele said he has begun teaching the concepts to teachers who will gradually phase them in to the classroom during the school year.