Leader in Me program helps students build self esteem
Published: Thursday, September 08, 2011, 12:58 PM By Kathryn Roy The Republican
Submitted photo
Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy in Longmeadow is getting ready to start the school year with a new way of educating students.
“The Leader in Me” program is being launched in schools under Jewish auspices as a way to help students develop essential life skills and characteristics they will need to succeed.
Based on Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s bestselling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” the program, from Franklin Covey, will be integrated into all aspects of the school day.
The program is being administered through a partnership with area philanthropist Diane Troderman, the West Springfield-based Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts.
Staff at the academy completed the training in June. Other schools expected to undergo the training are Heritage Academy, also in Longmeadow, Lander Grinspoon Academy in Northampton and the Springfield Jewish Community Center Preschool.
The program, which is integrated into a school’s core curriculum, has been proven to result in higher academic achievement, fewer discipline problems and an increased engagement between teachers and parents.
Rochel Leah Kosofsky, who teaches Judaic studies and family education at LYA, was first introduced to the program at a one-day conference in March at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C., where the program was first launched in 1999.
“What was inspiring was to walk into a K-5 school to see engaged learners who you could see had really high self-esteem,” Kosofsky said. “The whole demeanor of the school was just amazing. When you think about what a school should look like, this is exactly what everyone aspires to.”
Kosofsky said administrators at LYA decided to undergo the training, which involved three intensive days in June.
“The whole premise behind the leadership training is that you can’t change anyone else; you can only change yourself,” she said. “Before you give these habits to students, you have to be living them.”
Kosofsky said the training was very effective and engaging.
“He mixed in a lot of different media,” she said. “We had large groups, we had small groups, we had activities, we wrote, we spoke. It wasn’t like he was just giving us training; he was giving us techniques we can use in the classroom.”
In addition to the three-day training, the program will continue to be taught to teachers and staff during school in-service days throughout the school year. Teachers kept in touch over the summer through email, telling their co-workers how they are using the “7 Habits” in their daily lives.
Kosofsky said the “ program will be fully integrated into the school day for students.
“We won’t be talking about what it means to be a leader, and then we’ll do math,” she said. “It encompasses every aspect of your day. That’s why it’s so important that the entire staff take the training.”
Kosofsky said program administrators say it takes three years to see a complete curriculum change, but that they will see results immediately. The end goal, she said, is to cultivate a new generation of leaders — children that feel empowered and have high self-esteem.
“They understand that being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in charge of a huge project, but any situation you walk into, you’re going to do the best you can,” she said. “It’s the idea of doing the right thing. The greatest gift we can give our students is the ability to do that.”