Our faculty is “on board” and we have purchased your book for nearly all of them. I also have joined the DisciplineWithoutStress Mailring and found it a wonderful resource as well.
Some teachers are experiencing a loss of comfort level when first starting. Any suggestions?
RESPONSE:
Anything new is different and has an effect on one’s feeling and comfort. Most adults naturally prefer something with which they are comfortable rather than doing something in a different way. Anything new to adults feels odd at first—until new neural connections become well established.
People who use the approach of being positive (instead of being negative negative), offering choices (instead of attempting to dominate), and asking reflective questions (rather than telling) soon discover how much more effective they themselves become, how their stress is reduced, how their relationships improve, and how much more enjoyable life becomes.
To quote Phelps Wilkins, a principal in Mesa, Arizona:
“The teachers who incorporate Dr. Marshall’s principles are sad at the end of the school year because they don’t want their students to leave. The ones who do not use the system can’t wait for the school year to end!”
The practices are not established just by thinking of them.
WITHOUT PRACTICING THEM, THEY REMAIN JUST THOUGHTS.
I am guided by my own experiences. I have found that “with the risk comes the reward.” Trying something different promotes self-growth. This type of growth is one of the pleasures of living.
Then there is that section in the book about reducing perfectionism: YOU CANNOT LEARN AND BE PERFECT AT THE SAME TIME. (p.150) Therefore, I am not afraid of making mistakes. I view them as learning experiences—which naturally makes them more comfortable.
More information on this topic is available at http://marvinmarshall.com.
