Having already read books on
parent-child communication and
parenting siblings by the same authors, I found most of this to be a recap of their previous advice, with the examples transposed from the home to the classroom. It was useful to be reminded of some of their key principles (such as acknowledging children's feelings, problem-solving together, and focusing on descriptions of specific incidents rather than general evaluations), but there was not much genuinely new material. The main addition was a chapter on 'the parent-teacher partnership', advising parents to always begin discussions by describing something positive about the teacher's work, before describing what they feel the child needs and sharing any relevant information about the child's home situation and behaviour. I was also struck by a couple of quotes on the inadequacy of punishment:
"When a child is punished he resolves to be more careful, not more honest and responsible." - Haim Ginott
"Punishment can control misbehavior, but by itself it will not teach desirable behavior or even reduce the desire to misbehave." - Albert Bandura
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