of Mind openly in designing strategies for achieving the vision of their
school as a home for the mind (Costa, 2007). See also Appendix B.
Parents and Community
Because parents are children’s first teachers, it is much more likely that
students will learn the Habits of Mind if they are modeled, recognized,
and reinforced at home as well as in school. Many schools have included
the Habits of Mind in their reports of progress. In parent-student-teacher
conferences, for example, students lead the discussion and share indi-
cators of their growth in the Habits of Mind by providing evidence and
artifacts of their questioning, metacognition, flexibility of thinking, persis-
tence, listening to others’ points of view, and creativity.
Parents, too, look for ways in which their children are transferring
intellectual growth from the classroom to family and home situations. In
Waikiki School, for example, parents of kindergartners watch for indica-
tors of caring behaviors at home and report such incidents to the teacher.
Some schools and school districts have created parent handbooks with
the intent of having families practice the Habits of Mind at home. In this
excerpt from a handbook for parents in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the Habits
of Mind have been translated into language parents can easily relate to:
Skills for a Lifetime: What’s It About?
Do your family members...- explore the consequences of their actions before they
decide to do something?
•try to see things from other people’s point of view?
•tackle problems and try to figure things out for themselves?
•talk together about situations, asking questions and listen-
ing to each other?
•speak up (in a courteous way) for what they believe is right,
even when it’s not popular?
•realize that they can’t believe everything they hear, read,
or see on television?
•work hard, and not give up on tough problems, puzzles,
homework, jobs?
284 Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind