Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, Ed. D.

Or "Hug It Out, Bitch."

I was recently hired to work as a teacher's assistant at a Montessori pre-school. The school operates on a combination of Montessori and Adlerian philosophies, the latter of which I knew nothing about. To learn a bit about it, and to save dozens of tiny children from complete psychological destruction in my incapable hands, I borrowed Positive Discipline from the Parent/Teacher Resources shelf at the school.

If any of you teach youngsters, this is an awesome resource. It teaches a style of discipline that empowers rather than belittles, and ultimately minimizes the negative long term problems associated with a punishment-centric method of discipline. She heavily emphasizes the true meaning of the word 'discipline' as being "to instruct and understand" (think 'disciple'), as opposed to the "punish and enforce" meaning that the word has gathered along the way. This particular edition is geared towards younger kids, but Nelsen has published other Positive Discipline books specifically for teenagers, single parent households, etc.

I'll leave you with this nugget of etymological goodness: the word educate comes from the Latin educare, meaning "to draw forth."

And, in case you were wondering, it's the best job ever.

Rating: As a resource for a parent or teacher, 8/10. As a pleasure read, not so much.