Leadership lessons
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on September 24, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Christian Duncan, 5, raises his hand to answer a question during story time in his kindergarten class at Wayne Preparatory Academy. His teacher, Sarah Sauber, is reading a story out of "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids" that teaches children to have a plan when working to achieve a goal.
Kindergarten teacher Sarah Sauber gathered her students onto a large beige carpet in the center of the classroom and prepared to read from the book "7 Habits of Happy Kids" by Sean Covey.
In the story of "Gob and the Bug Collecting Kit," the main character didn't have the $4 to buy the kit, so he went home and wrote out his goal -- to save money for the purchase -- and decided to sell lemonade.
After enlisting the help of friend, Jumper, the effort generated $20, which the two divided.
Jumper quickly spent his money, the teacher said -- on candy, a cheap yo-yo that soon broke. Gob, meanwhile, went home and reviewed his list, putting aside some of the profits for savings, purchased the bug collecting kit and had money left over to treat his now-broke friend to a dollar movie.
"Why? Because he stuck with his goal," Ms. Sauber told the class. "Why is it important to plan ahead? When we come here, does Ms. Sauber have a plan? If I didn't, it would be crazy and silly in here."
Walk into any classroom at Wayne Preparatory Academy and find references to the new charter school's mission -- creating a legacy of leadership and learning.
The K-4 school, which opened in August with 350 students, set out to be unique in its approach, board director Dr. Ken Benton said.
Instead of the occasional character lesson that might be introduced, the idea of leadership is infused in all areas at Wayne Prep, he said.
"It's part of the curriculum in terms of working with the children on leadership skills," he said. "All through the day, it's kind of the underlying theme as we teach our children.
"The parents I have talked with love it."
The school's program is based heavily on "The Leader in Me," a book by Stephen Covey, who also wrote "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People" and versions for teens and children. Interestingly enough, the leadership book also features numerous references to a similar program that has been highly successful at A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh.
"Our board was very passionate about wanting to truly create leaders in the community and we know we can start as early as kindergarten," said Dr. Todd Forgette, managing director. "It aligns well, from a school perspective, with the 21st century skills (they're required to acquire)."
In addition to being implemented at every grade level and in every classroom at Wayne Prep, a four-week leadership class for parents was also introduced this month.
"Every grade level is actually learning about the seven habits," Forgette said, explaining that the information is introduced in an age-appropriate format.
On this particular day, the schoolwide theme centered around Habit No. 2 -- "Begin with the End in Mind."
Amy Preskitt turned the topic into a homework assignment, having the students write down the object lesson, discuss it with their parents and have both student and parent sign it.
The paper's message -- "I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my school's mission and vision. I look for ways to be a good citizen."
The third-grade teacher was enthusiastic about the leadership component at the school. She said she was already familiar with the concept from doing her graduate studies, which focused on the leadership style of teachers and how it affects students.
"I was excited to come here and be able to implement it," she said. "I implement it in my home and I have used them for years. You can bring it into all levels of education."
Mrs. Preskitt said she especially appreciates the common theme throughout the building.
"I could go into anyone's class and implement it," she said. "Our habits are in every classroom."
Forgette said the program kicks off each day and is a nice lead-in to the general curriculum.