Compassion is an old idea made new, because science has caught up to ancient literature and philosophy to prove that "the only way out" of resentment, anger, harmful or unskilled behavior is through compassion. It makes you protective rather than controlling and when this occurs, you simply stop using fear and shame to modify unskillful behaviors, which dramatically advances focus and productivity.
This beautifully illustrated book shows how everyone can make a difference with a simple act of compassion and positive attention toward any challenging person or situation. Compassion plus attention gets it done!!
There is probably nothing more challenging for any adult - professional and/or parent - than feeling the stresses of day-to-day life and work pressing upon them and simultaneously having a child or several children needing an appropriate dose of time and attention.
There is an old, worn out authoritarian model - still being subscribed to - that says that if you give a child too much positive, affirmative attention, you will spoil them and teach them to be self-absorbed to the point of being arrogant and narcissistic. Even though research has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the “lack of positive regard, affirmative attention and unconditional love” that actually instills those unwanted, self-absorbed behaviors within an individual, we still think withholding love and attention will somehow correct unwanted behaviors.
It's been said that life is like a carousel slide projector. The size of one's carousel depends on all the un-resolved snap shots of our life experiences. The carousel keeps going around and around inserting one unresolved scene after another - being played out in real life time - through our repeat experiences. Over and over until we are able to resolve, re-frame and/or forgive.
Healing Today's Children ...and Ourselves means that through our children, we get to live out anything in our past that we have not resolved, re-framed or forgiven. As we do our own personal work, our children automatically experience immediate freedom from generational legacy's of pain, shame and fear.
Whether we are an adult working in a professional setting with children, or a parent, when we have children in our immediate field of influence, anything that's not inwardly resolved within ourselves will most assuredly be played out.
This book gives you concise, simple ways you can immediately begin "thinking differently" to positively affect children and heal anything unlike what is wanted.
"I was touched by your movie. We all know that good teachers make a positive difference each day. Sometimes we just need to be reminded."
- Doris Voitier, Superintendent, St. Bernard Parish Schools and recipient of the JFK Profile in Courage Award
"I have read this story before but still had to use my shirt sleeve while watching it. In a high school, compassion for others is huge, for both staff and students. I have seen the power of compassion come alive and change a whole culture of a high school. 'The key is sustaining it.' In regard to your book, I have really discovered that kindness and compassion are closely linked to school culture and student success. Much of my work with kids has been about tapping into school's greatest and most under-utilized resource (kids) 'coaching' kids. I have witnessed first hand incredible transformation when the compassion you refer to in your book is extended in the form of 'giving' to others. It becomes a win-win for all, and this is the school culture shift I'm referring to. This is not new news to you, I'm sure"
- Jim Lekas, Counseling Department Head and Boys Varsity Soccer Coach
WestView High School, Portland, OR
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Testimonial for Making a Difference with the Power of Compassion
from Peggy M. Bryan, Mentor Program Coordinator Wilkes County Schools, North Wilkesboro, NC
The Mentor Program in our county sponsored a meeting for first, second, and third year beginning teachers. It was a late afternoon meeting so we made sure we had a variety of good refreshments for our teachers.
Teachers were then given the opportunity to network with teachers who taught in the same subject area. They also had time to share teaching strategies and techniques with their networking group.
Teachers had been asked ahead of time to share a success story with their mentor. Mentors read several stories aloud to emphasize teaching with compassion, persistence, being a cheerleader, high expectations, being consistent, being creative, encouraging students, the importance of parental involvement, diversity, motivating students and so on.
The theme throughout the meeting was making a difference and using compassion to understand the students in their classes. So our next activity was to share the video from the "Make a Difference Movie" featuring Teddy Stallard. There were about 200 people in the room, yet everyone was silent and mesmerized as the movie unfolded. Though the "Teddy Stallard Story" movie is less than 10 minutes, it teaches such a valuable lesson to beginning teachers... that their actions make such a difference in the lives of their students. Needless to say, many of the teachers were reaching for a Kleenex when the movie finished.
Finally, I shared with them that it was evident from their success stories that they are making a difference and that they truly care about their students and are teaching with compassion. I shared with them several qualities I believe every successful educator needs. I also asked them to look for "Teddy's" in their classrooms and to know that each of them had within them that spark of compassion and concern and love that drove them into education in the first place. I challenged them to fan that spark into a flame that will warm their schools and their classrooms and nurture their students now and in the future.
Since our overall theme had been "Making a Difference and Compassion in the Classroom," we concluded our meeting by presenting all our beginning teachers with a copy of the book Make a Difference with the Power of Compassion by Mary Robinson Reynolds and Elizabeth Silance Ballard. The book also included a DVD of the "Make a Difference Movie" which they had just seen. The group applauded and expressed thanks for the meeting and the book.
Mentors received a lot of feedback from the teachers as they visited them during the next week. They loved the book and DVD and many expressed that they could use the information from the meeting and the book to help make their classrooms an even better place for students to learn.
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