'The 7 Habits' local residents are talking about

FALLBROOK – Three years ago, La Paloma Elementary, and the other schools in the district, introduced a new concept, The Leader in Me, a program based on the books "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" written by Franklin Covey and "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by his son, Sean Covey, both national best sellers.

On May 18, La Paloma was honored to have Connley Skeen, senior consultant with FranklinCovey Education, to get feedback on the Leader in Me program. Panel interviews were set up with teachers, administrators, parents, and most importantly, the students. Each group had an opportunity to express how this process has impacted them and those around them.

These are the 7 Habits local residents have seen on many school marquees:

1. Be proactive – Take responsibility for your life
2. Begin with the end in mind – Control your own destiny or someone else will define your mission and goals in life
3. Put first things first – Prioritize, and do the most important things first
4. Think win-win – Have an everyone can win attitude
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood – You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen sincerely.
6. Synergize – Work together to achieve more.
7. Sharpen the saw – It's "me time". Renew yourself regularly.

The goal is to have each child who learns these seven habits apply them every single day of the rest of their lives.

Principal Julie Schlueter said, "At La Paloma we Synergize because we know that we're better together! If you'd like to synergize with us, please call the school at (760) 731-4220. Together we can inspire greatness in our students and in our school!"