As the students study the Enneagram, they gain insights about one another that they didn't see before. They also observe their family dynamics. If we have a common objective in mind, things can go more smoothly than you can imagine. But if we are at cross purposes, putting all our energies into opposing tasks, things can get pretty messy. I try to make them think practically about how to solve problems efficiently.
Hard workers appreciate hard workers.
In ninth grade we offer a one semester course one day a week in the study of the Enneagram which we present as a nine point model for recognizing different qualities of innersense, especially life focus for personal meaning. This is a graded course factored into a student's grade point average. I am of the belief that students should not be evaluated about their personal feelings and values. I have found, however, that students are able to understand how applying a psychological model is similar to applying any other model we use, for instance, to study math or history. The model is a map describing certain aspects of who we are so we can talk objectively about ourselves with other people and get feedback.