School Spotlight: Longfellow Elementary

For Principal Norma Perez-Gwynn, The Leader in Me process has done more than positively impact the lives of students at her school. It has also impacted her personally. She shared, “Every single day, in all areas of my life, I can be a better leader and help others lead.”

Perez-Gwynn started implementing The Leader in Me process at Longfellow Elementary in 2012. She said that as she has applied the 7 Habits in her own life and leadership, she has noticed a difference in her approach as a principal.

“The greatest habit for me is Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. I can easily learn what needs to happen and then tell people what to do,” she said. “Or I can sit and listen to hear their input and thoughts, and we usually come up with a better solution.”

Habit 5 is only one of the 7 Habits that help create the warm, friendly environment at Longfellow Elementary. Perez-Gwynn said in the two years since implementing The Leader in Me, she has had only three teachers transfer and two retire out of 52 total teachers. She attributes this low rate to the school culture created by the language of the 7 Habits and The Leader in Me. The teachers enjoy being at school, putting in extra effort to improve themselves and making a difference for their students.

Longfellow Elementary was recently highlighted by Houston Independent School District in a video that shares even more of the great things happening because of The Leader in Me.

Click the image or link below to watch the video:

http://blogs.houstonisd.org/news/2014/06/19/leader-in-me-leading-longfellow-es-students-to-academic-excellence/#more-14638