A story for Teacher Appreciation Week

I knew it the instant I walked into Edith Mather’s kindergarten in the fall of 1956: I’m going to be a teacher. There was something about that classroom that was so wonderfully exciting, so inviting, so safe. It wasn’t just the room, of course, but the warmth, enthusiasm, and dedication of a brilliant teacher who greeted me as I cautiously peeked into that room for the first time.

It was a wonderful year! Behind every vivid memory there is the teacher who told us stories and taught us to tie our shoes, took us to the pond to see the tadpoles, and helped us learn how to share, put things away, and wait for our turn. She provided a learning environment rich in colorful and stimulating resources and activities, and yet had the grace and patience to allow me to indulge my preoccupation with “painting at the easel,” even when it was the only thing I wanted to do for weeks at a time. She handled the rare discipline problem with gentle good humor and managed to treat each of us as though we mattered more than anything in the entire world.

Although I had some marvelous teachers in the years that followed, Mrs. Mather was a tough act to follow. (Read more…)

About the new site:

This site launched at the beginning of December 2012 with a new look and a lot of new features. I have since added a good bit of content as well— material that was on the old version of the site as well as some brand new stuff.

Although the appearance and structure of this new site has changed, my intentions have not. The point of my work has always been to inspire positive and practical ways to connect with one another in caring, emotionally safe environments. With an emphasis on adult-child relationships, nearly all of the material on culture and community, learning, teaching and parenting, motivation and behavior, and self-care can be applied to adult relationships as well.

CITEA participants: Click here for handouts and slide presentations.

Featured links:

• Click here to see what’s new in this site update. This is a recent blog post that details some of the new features on this site as well as a bit of the final details involved in getting it launched.

• We have two featured podcasts this month: Click here to check out “Bully is a Four-Letter Word” with Dr. Jo Ann Freiberg, or click here for “No Kidding About Bullying” with Naomi Drew. You can also click here for the full listing of the 23 podcasts on the site so far. Be sure to click on the  Program Notes above the photo. They’ve all been updated with new graphics and new links.

• Click here for information “Conflict in the Classroom,” this month’s featured presentation.

• Click here for free downloads of our “Pads” on the Back™ Templates with 8 different ways to acknowledge the people you value and appreciate in your life. We now have 42 templates available in 40 different languages.

• Oh, and if you don’t know who I am yet, click here for my bio, here to see where I have spoken, or here to see a short video.

Or just click on one of the links in the navigation bar and find an article, handout, blog, podcast, presentation, or product you can use. There is plenty more to come in the coming weeks, as I look forward to continuing to convert pages from the old site and add new content here as well.

Please support this Site

The content on this site is free. You are welcome to download, copy, distribute, or use the material with proper attribution in any way you feel will be helpful. (Click here for legal and karmic stuff related to using these resources.)

Your support will help us continue to maintain the site, add new content, hire translators and tech support consultants, and keep the site ad-free. Any support is much appreciated. Click here for more information or to donate.

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