Of the St. Louis American
On a recent 80-degree-plus morning in a clammy basement classroom at Beaumont High School, about 15 rising ninth graders were schooled on becoming academic successes – no matter their current lot it life.
The class is 8th-grade Summer Transition, a program mandated by St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Creg Williams to prepare students for high school.
The lesson is how to become a highly effective teen and the tool is
the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens which was written by Sean Covey.
Covey is the son of Stephen Covey, author of the popular The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
And although Sean is not of African descent like authors of other critically acclaimed books aimed at edifying black youth, the book has won the confidence of many educators and students alike.
“It tells us real facts and things we need to do in real life to be successful and it tells us what to put first in life so we can do what we need to do,” said Bradee Kelly, a rising 9th-grader and former Langston Middle School student in the summer transition program at Beaumont High School.
Zachariah McGhee from Mel Carnahan Middle School in South St. Louis is also in the class and said the book gave him a lot of good information and helpful hints without going overboard.
“It has taught me to put things first,” McGhee said.
“If I had to clean up at home I might watch TV first then clean up. Now I’m learning which one I should put first,” he added.
The book has been used at the St. Louis Juvenile Detention Center and was later adopted as a proactive approach for reaching youth by St. Louis Public Schools.
Alfreda Brown, founder and CEO of Center for Social Change and Employment (C-SEA) introduced the book to the juvenile court system.
She along with SLPS employees Yvette Gilleylen and Linda Bell and Flossy Henderson of the Gear Up program are credited with getting the book into the SLPS system.
“A lot of times at early ages children can’t accomplish academic success because of behavioral problems, so we want to introduce seven habits that will change their behavior,” Brown said.
Beaumont High began using the book three years ago with 9th grade students. This year it’s being administered exclusively to rising 9th-graders in the 8th-grade Summer Transition Program.
The program is designed to introduce students to high school and prepare them for academic success with a variety of enrichment programs that include social skills, self-esteem and self-confidence.
Ronald Brunson, 8th-grade Summer Transition Administrator, said the book is perfect for reaching those goals.
“A lot of our students do not have an understanding of the success process, so 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens serves as a roadmap to them on how to get from point A to point B on the success ladder.”
Brunson said many white suburban youths and others in affluent neighborhoods are exposed to the contents of 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens at very young age, which gives them a foundation and a mold for character development and makes success an option.
“Not all our children have that opportunity for that type of exposure, but 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens augments those opportunities that a lot of our children do not receive,” Brunson said.
Kelly said that book can be just as useful for inner city students in St. Louis Public Schools as those in affluent suburban districts.
“I think the book is for everyone because no one is perfect,” Kelly said. “People in the county may think they are better, but they have to go through stuff just like us.”