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Chapter Two: ‘What Parents, Business Leaders, and Teachers Want from a School
“They wanted children to grow up to be responsible, caring, compassionate human beings who respected diversity and who knew how to do the right thing when faced with difficult decisions.”
It really does take a village to raise a child capable of thriving in the 21st century workplace. What has to happen is that the village must point a collective finger to the village and hold the entire village responsible for its young people.
In this chapter Covey delivers a moving testimony through the pen of A. B. Combs, school turnaround specialist and current principal, Muriel Summers. Covey inserts an occasional comment, but for the most part it is all Summers and that’s all good.
Summers recounts a powerful story of surveying the village stakeholders and putting in place a new school mission. That mission was a new beginning for the school and the sure pathway to the school’s becoming one of the most imitable schools in the world. The mission was simple: develop leaders one child at a time.
The year was 1998 and Summers’ boss gave her one week to turn around the fledgling magnet school which had little or no drawing power. Summers first gathered the stakeholders at the fulcrum of the situation: the parents. She quickly discovered that parents were not at all concerned about academics. Instead, they were more concerned about their kids walking away with the soft skills necessary to get along with their peers and to make something of themselves.
After consulting with the parents, Summers turned to her own staff to see what teachers wanted for the school. Teachers were clear. They wanted to impact their students in much the same way that special teachers in their lives impacted them.
Next, Summers and the Combs staff rounded up business leaders to hear their advice on the workforce of tomorrow. She discovered, “Most business leaders know all too well that deficiencies in both character and basic life skills in their employees are costing their companies dearly every day and they are desperately hoping that schools can help out in both regards.”
Summers then considered the results of checking in with students, and weighed her question from the Covey seminar on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Can these 7 Habits be taught to young children?
With the schools future on the line and the needs of the village gathered, Summers answered the question. She proposed a new school theme, a new mission that embraced The 7 Habits.
A.B. Combs Elementary School has never been the same. In fact, the rebuilt magnet school has nearly tripled its student body and draws an abundance of top-notch applicants for open teaching positions. Combs also draws visitors from all over the world who desire to see leadership training at its finest.
“They wanted children to grow up to be responsible, caring, compassionate human beings who respected diversity and who knew how to do the right thing when faced with difficult decisions.”
It really does take a village to raise a child capable of thriving in the 21st century workplace. What has to happen is that the village must point a collective finger to the village and hold the entire village responsible for its young people.
In this chapter Covey delivers a moving testimony through the pen of A. B. Combs, school turnaround specialist and current principal, Muriel Summers. Covey inserts an occasional comment, but for the most part it is all Summers and that’s all good.
Summers recounts a powerful story of surveying the village stakeholders and putting in place a new school mission. That mission was a new beginning for the school and the sure pathway to the school’s becoming one of the most imitable schools in the world. The mission was simple: develop leaders one child at a time.
The year was 1998 and Summers’ boss gave her one week to turn around the fledgling magnet school which had little or no drawing power. Summers first gathered the stakeholders at the fulcrum of the situation: the parents. She quickly discovered that parents were not at all concerned about academics. Instead, they were more concerned about their kids walking away with the soft skills necessary to get along with their peers and to make something of themselves.
After consulting with the parents, Summers turned to her own staff to see what teachers wanted for the school. Teachers were clear. They wanted to impact their students in much the same way that special teachers in their lives impacted them.
Next, Summers and the Combs staff rounded up business leaders to hear their advice on the workforce of tomorrow. She discovered, “Most business leaders know all too well that deficiencies in both character and basic life skills in their employees are costing their companies dearly every day and they are desperately hoping that schools can help out in both regards.”
Summers then considered the results of checking in with students, and weighed her question from the Covey seminar on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Can these 7 Habits be taught to young children?
With the schools future on the line and the needs of the village gathered, Summers answered the question. She proposed a new school theme, a new mission that embraced The 7 Habits.
A.B. Combs Elementary School has never been the same. In fact, the rebuilt magnet school has nearly tripled its student body and draws an abundance of top-notch applicants for open teaching positions. Combs also draws visitors from all over the world who desire to see leadership training at its finest.