Today a reader, tomorrow a leader

Reading can change a child's world!

That belief inspired teachers Ashley Clark and Tracy Hager to begin the Pea Ridge schools Book Bus and volunteer their time this summer taking books to children where they live.

In the fall of 2014, three teachers began a journey of personal growth that has evolved into a district and community changing event. This journey began with the question, "How do I develop leadership skills in my students?" Research led them to the book, "The Leader in Me," by Sean Covey which is based on Stephen Covey's original book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

Once they found the book, they started a small book study that met weekly on Fridays before school. Through the book study, teachers saw how beneficial "The Leader in Me" character education program was for students, and wanted to learn more. By reaching out to The Franklin Covey Group, they were able to send a team of five teachers to attend "The Leader in Me" Symposium in Broken Arrow, Okla., last January.

"This symposium gave us more information, as well as opportunities to interact with teachers, administrators, parents, and communities who have already implemented 'The Leader in Me' program," Hager said. "While there, we learned how leadership development among students can positively and greatly impact their education and their sense of self-worth while building strong community ties.

"We heard numerous students share their first-hand accounts of how leadership skill development had changed their lives for the better. We were able to attend workshops, as well, with a variety of educators and administrators who were implementing the program in their districts. We talked about assessments and how to make those assessments meaningful and purposeful to the students."

One of the key factors in "The Leader in Me" is that students take ownership of their learning progress, Bowlin said.

They do this through goal-setting and self-reflection. By learning these skills at an early age, students will be more prepared to succeed with the new high school flex-mod schedule, Pea Ridge Manufacturing and Business Academy, and any desired post-graduation path.

Upon returning from the symposium, the teachers were eager to share what they had learned with all the teachers in both the Primary and Intermediate School buildings.

"We began building-wide book studies of 'The Leader in Me' so that all the teachers would be familiar with strategies that can be used to help students discover and develop their leadership skills," Hager said.

During the book study, teachers expressed their desire to tour other schools and learn as much as possible about using the leadership program in the classroom. Small groups toured schools in Morrilton, Rogers and Bentonville schools.

"During these visits, we saw how powerfully the school environment affected the culture of the entire school, district and community," Hager said.

It was then that the teachers began asking, "How can we bring this to our kids in Pea Ridge?"

Hearing how passionate the teachers were about bringing these opportunities to our students, Pea Ridge school superintendent Rick Neal began meeting with school leaders from other districts to gather information. From there he worked with our building administrators, master teachers, school board, and other community leaders to secure the funding and support for this initiative. With the support of the School Board, master teachers will begin implementation of "The Leader in Me" in kindergarten through fifth-grade during the 2015-2016 school year. The implementation process includes professional development so that staff members will learn to incorporate "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" in their own lives prior to instilling the seven habits in students. The training also includes intensive support from The Franklin Covey Group which developed "The Leader in Me" for students.

While Pea Ridge teachers won't officially begin implementation of "The Leader in Me" until the school year begins in August, one positive by-product of this program has been rolling through Pea Ridge all summer long -- the Pea Ridge Book Bus.

Driving this new idea was the concept "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader". Staff from all areas of the district pulled together with community members to make this happen.

"We were able to secure a bus, hundreds of gently-used books, shelving for books, money, and hundreds of volunteer hours by high school students and teachers throughout the district to put books in the hands of children all summer long," Bowlin said.

The Book Bus has given students and teachers an opportunity to connect outside of school and see each other thorough a different lens. The bus has not only highlighted the importance of reading and learning, it has taught both children and adults the importance of sharing and learning together. This is one of many ways our students and teachers are able to identify and use their own leadership skills. The Book Bus ran each week on Tuesday throughout the summer and made special appearances at community events.

For more information about The Leader in Me program, email Tracy Hager at [email protected].