There is at the heart of the concept of responsibility the beautiful idea that it is about response (RESPONS-ability)—which means it always has to do with relationships. Responsibility is inherently mutual. Jean-Jacque Rousseau stated it well when he proclaimed that there is no meaning of responsibility that does not carry mutuality. So often we treat and confuse responsibility with obedience—as if responsibility can be imposed. There is a failure in the structure of imposition because it lacks mutuality. Although we think we give responsibility, responsibility must be TAKEN if it is to be implemented—hence its mutuality. Responsibility has a counterpart: accountability. One reason that people resist imposed accountability is that the people at the top tell others what they are
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Perhaps the most respected, influential, and most cited journal in the field of education is the PHI DELTA KAPPAN. The publisher, Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK), is an international association whose mission is to promote high quality education, in particular publicly supported education, as essential to the development and maintenance of a democratic way of life. This mission is accomplished through leadership, research, and service in education. PDK has established a new category of membership designed to serve non-educators—parents and others interested in education. Subscription to the PHI DELTA KAPPAN is included in the membership. If you are interested in keeping informed of educational practices, theories, and controversies, you are invited to join Phi Delta Kappa International. For information, contact
READ MORE >>> →Promoting Responsibility & Learning – Volume 9 Number 2
#2 “Someday when you are a man”
#3 Internal vs. external motivation
#6 Awareness of the 4 levels and 3 practices
On this day, February 12, a few years after speaking to a school district in New Jersey, I asked the school principal (who convinced the district to have me present) how she originally found out about Discipline Without Stress. She told me that she heard me at a conference of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and had asked someone who was assisting with handouts about his reaction to the program. The Arizona principal told her, “Those teachers who implement the system are sad when school ends; those who do not are glad when school is over.” The New Jersey principal has been implementing the system for the past number of years and has convinced the entire district
READ MORE >>> →QUESTION: The Raise Responsibility System discipline approach is referred to as simple-to-implement. I find that I continually have to be aware of being positive, offering choices, and asking reflective-type questions. I wonder if others find using these three practices and implementation of the system “simple.” RESPONSE: SIMPLE does not mean EASY (at first). It is simple in that ONLY THREE principles—not a dozen or so—need to be practiced. In addition, the Raise Responsibility System has only three parts; TEACHING the concepts, ASKING reflective questions, and ELICITING a procedure to redirect impulses. Learning how to drive an automobile is SIMPLE, but it only becomes EASY after you have driven for awhile. Deciding ahead of time not to eat dessert at a
READ MORE >>> →QUESTION: After a presentation in Bermuda, the question was asked whether I am a traditionalist or a progressive. RESPONSE: Interesting question! I had never been asked this before. My guiding mission is to foster responsibility. This is the foundational characteristic of those values and practices necessary for a civil, enlightened, and democratic society. Therefore, if you desire to label me, you would call me a traditionalist. But then consider the following. W. Edwards Deming was the American who brought quality to manufacturing while simultaneously reducing costs. The most prestigious manufacturing award given in Japan is the Deming Award. Yet, Dr. Deming used a nontraditional approach—collaboration, rather than domination. In this regard, traditional approaches for promoting responsibility are not successful enough
READ MORE >>> →If you work to make your spouse lose so you can win, then you need to ask yourself a question: Do you really want to live with a loser? —W. Edwards Deming
READ MORE >>> →The amygdala (Greek for almond) is composed of two almond-shaped emotional storage areas above the brain stem. It developed before the thinking part of the brain developed and prompts immediate reaction—the so-called “fight, freeze, or flight” syndrome. As the amygdala does not differentiate between physical or psychological threat, so the mind often does not differentiate between fantasy and reality. You can tell yourself almost anything you want and you can believe it. Consequently, what you think has an effect upon how you feel. Other people can sense your feelings and your mood. They can even sense your feelings over the phone. Whether you have a negative or a positive feeling while you are talking, the other person can notice it.
READ MORE >>> →There is at the heart of the concept of responsibility the beautiful idea that it is about response (RESPONS-ability), which means it always has to do with relationships. Responsibility is inherently mutual. Jean-Jacques Rousseau stated it well when he proclaimed that there is no meaning of responsibility that does not carry mutuality. We too often treat and confuse responsibility with obedience—as if responsibility can be imposed. There is a failure in the structure of imposition because it lacks mutuality. Although we think we give responsibility, responsibility must be TAKEN if it is to be implemented—hence its mutuality. Responsibility has a counterpart: accountability. One reason that people resist imposed accountability is that the people at the top tell others what they
READ MORE >>> →========================================================== About the Book, "DISCIPLINE WITHOUT STRESS, PUNISHMENTS OR REWARDS How Teachers and parents Promote Responsibility & Learning" ========================================================== "This book should be required reading for student as well as credentialed teachers." Dr. Don Brann, Superintendent Wiseburn School District, Hawthorne, CA Co-Founder, California Small School Districts Association A descriptive table of contents, three selected sections, and additional items of interest are posted at Sample Chapters.
READ MORE >>> →Kerry continues her post: Teachers DO make a difference. THE TRICK IS TO BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF THE THINGS WE SAY AND DO IN EACH NEW MOMENT BECAUSE WE NEVER TRULY KNOW WHICH OF OUR “SEEDS” ARE TAKING ROOT. Several times now I have had the privilege of teaching some of the children of the children I taught myself as a beginning teacher. This has been a wonderful “lesson” for me in terms of letting go of worry and simply concentrating o the moment at hand. As it turns out, these particular parents who have returned to me now were children that caused me endless worry twenty years ago—ones that I felt I just couldn’t help, ones that I felt
READ MORE >>> →The Raise Responsibility System is not a magic strategy and you won’t necessarily see dramatic improvements occurring overnight in the more challenging children, but I do believe there is always a “response” inside the child. It’s just that we don’t always see that response. Kerry continued by sharing several passages from a particular chapter in the book, “Gentle Roads to Survival” by Andre Auw. The chapter most encouraging is Chapter Six entitled, “Seed-Planting and Harvesting.” The main idea is about the importance of maintaining a “seed-planting mindset” in any work with people, as opposed to always being on the lookout for “the harvest.” Although this book is not about teaching, the thoughts expressed can be applied very well to teaching
READ MORE >>> →The Raise Responsibility System will work with anyone who has achieved enough cognitive development to reason. Asking a student for assistance because you need that person’s help, or asking, “What would an extraordinary person do in this situation?” or employing any of the other techniques described in the book prompt changes in behavior for those who are behavioral challenges. QUESTION: There will always be the one student (or more) who will not respond to the Raise Responsibility System . Is there something different that should be done to encourage that student to understand the system? Will time and persistence take care of the problem? KERRY RESPONDED: I think that the answer to this question you have asked is very much
READ MORE >>> →QUESTION: I just finished reading the epilogue in your book on the problems of using a business model for education. What a breath of fresh air! Thank you for your insights and wisdom. My school district is the only one in the state running on a business model. It's kind of not working. Can you send me any hard facts that you might have supporting either side? RESPONSE: Thanks for your comment. I have no hard facts. There is nothing to "fact" about. It is a state of mind. I want to clearly differentiate effort for learning and effort of any other kind—especially employment. For example, in my book, the word "homeWORK" is only in the index. I use the
READ MORE >>> →The human appetite is insatiable. You know this if you are a parent. An infant's first three spoken words are "mommy," "daddy," and "more." This is a paradox in humans. If we focus on total satisfaction, the result becomes dissatisfaction because our desires are rarely satiated. Some people never achieve enough money, time, food, gambling/gaming income, or whatever else they desire. If we allow ourselves to succumb to our natural appetites, happiness eludes us because it is the nature of life to want more. However, a person oriented to happiness is satisfied when reigning over this natural desire. A relationship with oneself will never be optimal without this paradoxical realization. Each of us has a responsibility to have a good
READ MORE >>> →When I present to a school or school district, or when my In-House Seminar Package is purchased, the client receives a 75-page Resource Guide. In it, I share one of my favorite stories. I share it with you here. Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840) is still considered one of the greatest violinists of all time. One day, as he was about to perform before a sold-out house, he walked out on stage to a huge ovation but felt that something was terribly wrong. Suddenly he realized that he had someone else’s violin in his hand. Horrified, but knowing that his most prudent choice was to begin, he started playing. That day he gave the performance of his life. After the concert, Paganini
READ MORE >>> →Itzhak Perlman, the prodigy violinist who contracted polio as a child, was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor. He is considered the classical world’s most accessible virtuoso and, although he had no intentions of conducting, he found later that teaching and conducting were very important to him. He believes that the most important thing is listening—really listening. Because he listens better now, he has more of an awareness of what he is doing. This is particularly important to him in his teaching as well. He related how his first teacher would tell him what to do because if he didn’t she would “chop his head off.” His second teacher had a totally different way of teaching. When the violinist would play
READ MORE >>> →Promoting Responsibility & Learning – Volume 9 Number 1
#4 Help people feel important
#5 Keys to success by Malcolm Gladwell
#6 Suggestions for traveling teachers