Thinking Win-Win is hard for me. It requires thinking!

Habit 4 is Think Win-Win. It is not simply win-win. It's about developing a habit of considering the other person's needs as well as our own. As habits go, it's a difficult one. Not only do we have to change our common paradigm of needing to negotiate, compromise, and even manipulate others so we get what we want, but we need to always be thinking about what others need. We even have to ask them sometimes to tell us what they need.

A really good explanation of Habit 4 can be found at:

http://sidkemp.hubpages.com/hub/The-Seven-Habits-A-Practical-Summary-Habit-4-Win-Win.

This is Sid Kemp's blog on the 7 Habits. He does a great job helping us to understand using the habits in everyday life.

I've always been a competitor. I played a lot of sports and had to compete with others for positions on the team. One sport I participated in was wrestling. I had to earn my spot before every match by beating the teammate who wanted to wrestle at my weight class. Sometimes, I would talk him out of competing with me, with trying trying to go against someone a weight higher. Thinking win-lose can be tiring.

So can thinking lose-win. So often we pick lose-win because it's easier. We do the extra work, give in to our kids (students or our own), or take care of the hard chore ourselves because we think it's less difficult. What we miss is that the more we give in, the more we go for lose-win, the less of ourselves is left. We need to have the courage to take care of our needs, too. there are consequences for taking what appears to be the easy way.

Habit 4 is hard for me. I have to think in order to think win-win.

BIG ROCKS

• A huge THANK YOU to Angie for filling in during Sarah's absence. She did an outstanding job handling write-ups and parents and learning some of what we do in the office. I think she'd agree that there's more to it than meets the eye. Thank you, Angie! Now we need to support Angie as she begins to learn her students and their needs.
• We have a lockdown drill on Tuesday at 10:30ish. We know there are some people who have trouble hearing the PA. We want to document the drill based on what happens when we try it with the PA as is. We'll see how it goes. Please lockdown in the regular way when you hear the announcement or otherwise know the drill has begun. We will come looking for you within a few minutes of calling the drill. As far as students are concerned, we are drilling to see if they are ready to follow our directions. Your direction to them in the drill is to hide and be silent. The district has not given us new parameters for lockdown drills.
• A big thanks to Lauren, Annette, and Judy for getting the new signs up in the building. They look great! And the 7 Habits are displayed again! Check out the Cooper Facebook page for pics!
• Charles Fonbuena contacted me and we met on Monday. He has a new student planner he'd like  us to help pilot. We can pilot up to 5 in each classroom or, if there some of you who would prefer to not pilot, there can be more for more students to try in piloting rooms. I will have them in my office if you're interested. If you choose to pilot, Charles would like to get some feedback from you after 9 weeks of use. I'll create a GoggleDoc for the feedback.
• Terry's surgery is expected to be rescheduled for April, hopefully around the 14th. We should be able to get the testing schedules done by then so we have smooth sailing while I'm out. If April 14 works for the doc, I'll be back mid to late May. Late May. Early June. We'll see.

The schedule for this week:

Monday:          MLK Day

Tuesday:          8:00 Center EPT
                         8:45 LEAD Time
                        10:30 Lockdown Drill
                         3:45 Lighthouse Team meeting
                         4:30 Staff Forum re: budget for next year
                         6:00 Parent Lighthouse Team meeting
                         6:30 Community Forum re: budget for next year

Wednesday:     Illuminate training (8:15-11:15 for Robin, Judy, and Victoria)
                         7:30 7 Habits training (Terry at LCTC all day)
                         8:00 IST
                         Noon, 7 Habits training (Sarah at LCTC)
                         3:45 Planning Team

Thursday:         Iowa/CogAT testing ends
                         8:00 Staff Meeting
                         1:00 EPM (Terry and Sarah at CO)
                         6:00-7:30 Staff party at Bar Louie

Friday:             Teacher Workday, home optional
                         8:00 Title I Meeting at CO
                         2:00 LEADS Meeting