I have had the privilege of working with the Leader in Me program in two schools, one of which was a recognized Lighthouse School. During my time, I served as a teacher for the Student Lighthouse Team, guiding students in leadership development and empowering them to take ownership of school initiatives. Additionally, I held the role of Staff Lighthouse Team Leader, where I collaborated with colleagues to foster a leadership culture, plan events, and implement school-wide initiatives aligned with the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This experience has enhanced my leadership skills and deepened my commitment to creating student-centered, empowering learning environments.

Note: A Lighthouse School is a school that has achieved exceptional levels of leadership and academic excellence through the Leader in Me program, following the principles of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It serves as a model of success for other schools in creating a leadership culture.

The Six Pillars of Character are the core ethical values of CHARACTER COUNTS! These values were identified by a nonpartisan, secular group of youth development experts in 1992 as core ethical values that transcend cultural, religious and socioeconomic differences.

The Six Pillars of Character are: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. We recommend using the Pillars in your character education initiative in this specific order and using the acronym “T.R.R.F.C.C.” (terrific).

Each of the Six Pillars of Character help instill a positive school climate and a culture of kindness, making schools a safe environment for students to learn.

https://charactercounts.org/#

Help students set themselves up for success by practicing restorative practices that resolve conflict and hold individuals and groups accountable for their actions. This can be done with the use of behavior reflection using think sheets and contingency maps in addition to other methods and tools to help.

Students have the option to utilize calm down corners both in person and virtually to gather themselves. Students are referred to a class chart that lists the zones of regulation and if students feel they need to or are asked to remove themselves to de-escalate they can visit this area. In this area there will be items and tools they can use to help regulate.