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Teach the Seven Habits Inside PBIS with Jonathon Wennstrom
Description
Jonathon Wennstrom, principal of a pre-K through fourth grade school in Livonia, Michigan, explains how his school blends Stephen Covey's Seven Habits into PBIS on its own, without the Leader in Me program. Respectful, responsible and safe become the umbrella, and the habits branch out from them, shown on a tree mural by the art teacher.
Wennstrom shares the proof he looks for: after a tornado drill, a student told a parent the family needed a plan at home. He also describes student-made public service announcements and a scripted, four-minute morning broadcast where two students lead pledges, a quote of the week and the book they are reading.
What you'll learn
- Use your PBIS expectations as the umbrella for a character program, and show students how each habit connects to them.
- Look for students using a habit at home or on their own as the sign that character education has taken hold.
- Let students make short public service announcements on classroom iPads, and share them by email before worrying about long-term storage.
- Script student-led announcements with two students, a pledge, a quote of the week and the book each one is reading.
- Defend character education with universal skills like perseverance, respect and responsibility, and present them as supporting academics.
Chapters
- 0:00 Seven Habits blended into PBIS without Leader in Me
- 5:00 Why character education matters more than test taking
- 6:03 Answering the objection to teaching values
- 7:42 Signs students have made the habits their own
- 10:21 Choosing universal traits for a diverse school
- 13:02 Student-made public service announcements
- 15:43 Running scripted student-led morning announcements
- 18:52 Read and connect to find your best ideas
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Questions this episode answers
Can a school teach the Seven Habits without the Leader in Me program?
Wennstrom's school did. Staff felt Leader in Me carried monetary and fundraising requirements they would struggle to keep, so they built a homemade version that blends the Seven Habits into PBIS, focusing on a monthly habit and a tree mural that links PBIS to the habits.
How do you know students have internalized character traits?
Wennstrom looks for students who use the habit without being asked. After a tornado drill one student told a parent the family needed a weather plan. Another told him he did homework before play to put first things first.
How do you answer people who say schools should not teach values?
Wennstrom says his school is very diverse, with about 15 languages, so he picks traits that are universal: perseverance, respect, responsibility and collaboration. He sees them as life skills that do not compete with academics and help students apply what they learn.
About Jonathon Wennstrom
Principal of a pre-K through fourth grade school in Livonia, Michigan.
Links and resources