Students, some only in Grade 2, filed up to the podium one by one last week at the National Congress on Rural Education in Saskatoon.
They were there to share their academic and personal goals with dozens of strangers attending the conference.
The students are all participants in Loreburn Central School’s Leader in Me program, which is designed to instill self-confidence, develop leadership skills, encourage goal setting and prioritize tasks for the kindergarten to Grade 12 school in Loreburn, Sask.
For Grade 6 student Rhian Dorward, that means improving her multiplication skills by working on sheets every night before bed.
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She is also involved in a club that holds regular meetings, does fundraising to buy equipment for the school and runs a concession stand at schools events.
“No suggestion is a bad one,” she said.
Her mother, Stacey, said the program has led both Rhian and her sister, Jordyn, who is in Grade 4, to get more involved.
“I’ve noticed a big difference in confidence, and they seem to know exactly what they need to do within the school,” she said.
“They just seem to lead a little bit more instead of being followers … accept everybody as individuals and that everybody’s opinion counts.”
Heather Norrish, who has taught at Loreburn School for 25 years, said the program has had positive results with students learning to interact with one another and solve problems.
“Kids take charge of their own lives rather than having someone always telling them what needs to be done,” she said. “They set focus on what’s important and get those things done first.”
One boy interested in rodeo approached the school administration with his idea to add a roping activity to the playground, advising officials of the equipment costs and how it would work.
The equipment was later bought and the boy led students through their roping lessons.
“He had purpose and was proud of it,” Norrish said.
“It was an opportunity for him to do something good.”
Leader in Me draws on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, written by educator Stephen Covey:
- Be proactive.
- Begin with the end in mind.
- Put first things first.
- Think win-win, mutual benefit.
- Seek first to understand.
- Synergize, creative co-operation.
- Daily self renewal.
karen.morrison@producer.com
