What Can You Control?

What Can You Control?

I am so proud to be the principal of a Leader in Me Lighthouse School.  Leader in Me is a program for children based on Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  When your school has made the 7 Habits and their highly effective practices part of its culture, you can earn Lighthouse status.  One of the principles we teach our kids is "Habit 1: Be Proactive."  Part of teaching this habit is to teach kids that you have to focus on your circle of influence or what you can control.  

I have found that many teachers who are very stressed, very discouraged, or very uninspired are not practicing this idea.  As a teacher for twelve years, and now a rookie principal, I have seen countless policies, laws, and assessments impact this profession of education that NO educators had any control over.  How a school is judged, rated, or ranked; how children are assessed or measured; and how teachers are held accountable are just a few of the major things we, the educators, have little to NO control over.  In an environment like this, it becomes very easy to become defeated and frustrated, but I am challenging myself to practice Habit 1: Be Proactive and to focus on the things I can control.  

I can control my attitude each day.  I can control rather or not I got to school with a smile on my face and encouraging words in my mouth.  I can control rather I study, research, and take risks to challenge my staff and students.  I can control how hard I work, how much effort I give each day, and how positive I chose to be.  I control my perspective and my outlook.  

If your state is anything like mine, the target is always moving, the "test" is always changing, the way we are measured is always "updated."  It is so easy to want to throw in the towel and just settle, but I can control that.  I will give my best effort each day.  I will be supportive of my staff and encourage them to focus on what they can control.  I believe this will create an incredible school culture that can only result in great student success.

What can you control?  What are ways you encourage this in your school?  Let me know!

lemoinej2@wfpsb.org
@JCLemoine1