Using boundaries to build responsibility, cooperation, and mutual respect

Presentation for educators or parents by Dr. Jane Bluestein

Few things are as aggravating or exhausting as power struggles with kids. If you find yourself nagging, arguing or threatening, being ignored by your children (or students) or having your authority challenged, then this workshop is for you. (This also works with whiners, feet-draggers, and “space cadets”!)

Rather than focusing on how to react to oppositional, obnoxious, passive-aggressive, or disrespectful behaviors, we’ll concentrate on how to prevent these behaviors from occurring in the first place.

In this presentation, you’ll see how to create a win-win authority relationship in which you can generate cooperation without threats or punishments. We’ll explore practical, effective strategies for reducing stress and conflict in the relationship—including setting and maintaining boundaries, following through to build accountability, increasing positivity, building trust and mutual respect, and accommodating kids’ needs for power within limits that won’t make you crazy. We’ll also examine practical and effective alternatives to common patterns and traditions that tend to undermine our authority.

This program is applicable to kids of all ages, with strategies for educators, counselors, community workers, and other social service providers, as well as all parents, grandparents and other caregivers.

Participants will learn to:

  • Establish win-win authority relationships with students to reduce power-struggles, opposition, and indifference
  • Examine traditional approaches to discipline and classroom management that often create more problems than they solve, as well as more effective alternatives
  • Increase student success to minimize behavior problems that often emerge when kids believe they cannot be successful in school
  • Reduce negativity and stress in the classroom
  • Improve engagement and time on task by accommodating kids’ cognitive, physiological, and neurological needs
  • Improve school climate to minimize behavior problems based in social and emotional conflict (including reducing negative student interactions and bullying)
  • Develop simple, practical, and positive strategies for motivating student cooperation, commitment, and accountability
  • Increase time devoted to instruction and student engagement
  • Build relationships with and support from parents and colleagues

Information about related books:

The Win-Win ClassroomPositive Classroom Management
Parents, Teens and BoundariesHow to Draw the Line
The Parent’s Little Book of Lists: Do’s and Don’ts of Effective Parenting
The Beginning Teacher’s Survival Guide: Win-Win Strategies for Success
Creating Emotionally Safe SchoolsA Guide for Educators and Parents

Related links:

© 2012, Dr. Jane Bluestein

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