Misbehavior And Punishment Are Not Opposites That

If You Want Your Children To Improve, Let Them Overhear The Nice Things You Say About Them To Others.

I've Come To The Frightening Conclusion That I Am The Decisive Element In The Classroom. It's My Personal Approach That Creates The Climate. It's My Daily Mood That Makes The Weather. As A Teacher, I Possess Tremendous Power To Make A Student's Life Miserable Or Joyous. I Can Be A Tool Of Torture Or An Instrument Of Inspiration. I Can Humiliate Or Humor, Hurt Or Heal. In All Situations It Is My Response That Decides Whether A Crisis Will Be Escalated Or De-escalated And A Student Humanized Or De-humanized.

If We Treat People As They Are, We Make Them Worse. If We Treat People As They Ought To Be, We Help Them Become What They Are Capable Of Becoming.

When Children Feel Understood, Their Loneliness And Hurt Diminish. When Children Are Understood, Their Love For Their Parent Is Deepened. A Parent's Sympathy Serves As Emotional First Aid For Bruised Feelings. When We Genuinely Acknowledge A Child's Plight And Voice Her Disappointment, She Often Gathers The Strength To Face Reality.

Whenever I Hear About A Child Needing Something, I Ask Myself, 'is It What He Needs Or What He Wants?' It Isn't Always Easy To Distinguish Between The Two. A Child Has Many Real Needs Which Can And Should Be Satisfied. His Wants Are A Bottomless Pit. He Wants, For Example, To Sleep With His Parents. He Needs To Be In His Own Bed. At Christmas He Wants Every Toy Advertised On Television. He Needs Only One Or Two.