Paul Brownlow

Covey Book Response

The Covey text has interested me from the start. The personal stories and comparisons help to illustrate the points he is trying to make. The only real problem I have with the book is his constant repetition of the same ideas. It seems as though his book could have been more concise and still had the same results. His ideas about cooperative teamwork interested me the most. He made several strong points that contradict the way I lead my high school band program, and has caused me to rethink the way I will do things in the future. For example, Covey stated that competition and team building do not go hand in hand. When I was in band, I used external and internal competition to excel. Therefore, I tried using this in my teaching style to motivate the students to do their very best, not only as individuals but also as a group. The only problem was this competition was not making the group feel like a cohesive, cooperative unit. My plan from the start of this year has been to work on team-building skills in the high school band. Today, I involved all of my students in coming up with their goals and purposes for being in the band. I heard several different ideas, many of which I did not even think of before we did this project. Their reasons were all sincere and mainly positive. Their enthusiastic response to this new idea surprised me very much and showed me how much they do care in the development of a strong music program. My next step will take place next week when we take these goals and purposes and incorporate them into a mission statement that everyone can relate to and feel good about.

Asked by Paul Brownlow (brownlpj@norshore.net) on November 03, 1998.

Answers

I commend you for taking what you are are learning from this program and trying out new things in your work. Let us all know what you discover.

Answered by Karen S. Rigdon (dbrigdon@northwinds.net) on November 08, 1998.

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-- Anonymous, November 11, 1998