Customer Reviews

Teaching Children to Care: Management in the Responsive Classroom

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This book focuses on creating an environment of caring for one another in the educational setting. It focuses on respect and responsibility for people within the context the classroom, which will then extend (hopefully)beyond. An excellent choice for a new teacher or someone who has been teaching and wants to teach children to be responsible for their own behaviour instead of taking on the role of constantly managing others behavior. Students are encouraged to problem solve and respect group decisions. This philosopy requires commitment on the part of the teacher to constantly teach respect and responsibility for self and others along with the curriculum. The philosophy is positive one and one children readily respond to since it honors and challenges them to think about how their behaviour effects others and themselves.

With our increasing awareness of the need to deal with school violence, I return to Ruth Charney's book. It provides a rich and meaningful description of the process of building a classroom community through routines and language that strengthen children both academically and socially. The steps she describes can be applied to any grade and are grounded in a belief in children's intrinsic good nature. It is a valuable resource for educators and parents.

I have been a first grade teacher for 4 years in an area where the students are very diverse. I have learned over the last few years that it is a teacher's responsibility to teach these children academics but more and more it has become our responsibility to teach them how to care and survive in society. This book has helped me to do just that. I have read this book every summer before beginning a new school year and have had 4 successful years. It gives great examples and senarios. It is a book that can be easily read on the beach or during the school year.

After reading this book I've concluded in 1960 - 68 I must have attended the most progressive Pennsylvania rural farm school! Back then we began every day with a greeting to our teacher and classmates, a sharing called "show and tell" rules for behvaior - called The Ten Commandments" were posted on the blackboard and our student work was displayed daily and at PTA meetings - oh and we also had individual education goals - it was called the homework list posted daily! I think if we have reached the point in America that teachers need to teach children how to say hello, how to behave towards others, etc. we are in BIG trouble as a nation. These are skills we learned in church and in our home and yes back then out teachers and principal read from the BIBLE every day! This book is trying to reinvent the wheel and in the process stealing the ideas of Maria Mountessours- such as circle time each morning, work stations, display art - all of which she knew in the 1800s. I do not recommend this book. I recommend teachers read Maria's work and work for the day when teachers are free to clearly state when something is morally right or wrong!