Posts from the “Jim Roy posts” Category
December 20, 2012 1 Comment

It’s THE better plan

The phrase “the better plan” did not make it as the title of the book. Soul Shapers took that distinction. The Soul Shapers title was better than The Blindfolded Dolphin, however it could be misleading if a reader thought that it was his/her role to shape the souls of the children in his/her care. During one of our conversations regarding the title one of the Review editors informed me that the subtitle of the book would be A Better Plan for Parents and Educators. I was glad that the phrase “better plan” was going to be on the cover, but wondered aloud why it was going to be printed as “A” better plan, rather than “The” better plan. She explained that “A” made it sounded more open and allowed for their being other good plans, too. Proclaiming it as “The” better plan made it sound like it was THE way and that there weren’t other ways that might be good, too. I replied that the phrase “the better plan” was not my idea. I didn’t come up with that emphasis. I got the idea from the following quote –

“Those who train their pupils to feel that the power lies in themselves to become men and women of honor and usefulness, will be the most permanently successful. Their work may not appear to the best advantage to careless observers, and their labor may not be valued so highly as that of the instructor who holds absolute control, but the after-life of the pupils will show the results of the better plan of education.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 57

In referring to “the better plan” in this blog I have often written it as ” . . . the better plan . . .”, rather than “The Better Plan.” I have surrounded the phrase with ellipses to emphasize that it is a part of something bigger, some important things that come before and something important that comes after. One of the important things that comes before is the idea that our motivation is internally driven, not externally controlled by others. I believe God designed us with freedom to choose and that ultimately He died on the cross to preserve this freedom. Another important thing that comes before is a description of a teacher that prefers control and compliance, rather than guidance and freedom. An important thing that comes after is the reference to “the after-life.” which to me means both the life we lead after we leave school and, most importantly, the life we lead eternally. That this topic has eternal implications makes it really important to me.

I grew up a PK – that is, a preacher”s kid. My dad passed away before Soul Shapers came out in 2005. If he had lived long enough, I think he would have been very pleased at its being published, although the concepts of internal, rather than external, control would have been a stretch for him. His upbringing as a child and the views of his generation, in general, would have led to a steep learning curve with these non-traditional ideas. I don’t know that he always got it right when it came to non-coercive living and leadership. One thing he did get right (and he had many) was his value of and support for Christian education. When it came to “his” church school he talked the talk and walked the walk. He was always involved in a project to raise money for the school. (Many of these were smaller projects, but some were bigger, like the time he planted and harvested 50 acres of sunflowers.) His Education sermons frequently included a reference to what he called an “education blueprint” that, I now assume, could allegedly be found in the Spirit of Prophecy. As I mentioned in Soul Shapers, after 35 years in Adventist education, and after a lot of time spent in the Spirit of Prophecy, I am not aware of a blueprint for SDA education. The phrase . . . the better plan . . . comes the closest to it as far as I know. To me . . . the better plan . . . captures the idea that children (and adults for that matter) are in the process of forming their own characters and as significant adults in their lives we have the privilege of guiding, modeling, inviting, persuading, and inspiring them to form characters that serve others and honor God. And so I have embraced . . . the better plan . . . I like it, in fact, enough to name this blog after it.
December 18, 2012 2 Comments

Soul Shapers vs The Better Plan

On the home page of . . . the better plan . . . blogsite I described how Soul Shapers, published in 2005, “renewed the conversation.” I used the word “renewed” intentionally as a shout out to William Glasser, who re-started the conversation in 1965, and especially to Ellen White, who emphasized the conversation at the turn of the last century. The ideas in Soul Shapers struck many readers as new and radical, but I will be the first to admit that the ideas were around long before I came along.

Getting a book published, especially to newbie writers like myself, is an interesting adventure that involves important details. It is great when a company like the Review & Herald wants to print your manuscript, however when you sign their thick contract you agree to give up the rights to your book and a number of the significant decisions that go with getting the book published. For instance, you give up the right to title the book. They do that. The working title I labeled the manuscript with was The Better Plan, which I thought was the best option of several I had thought of. They started to edit the book and said they would get back to me regarding the title. When they called me several weeks later (I remember that I was waiting for a flight in the Oakland airport terminal when my phone rang) they suggested that the book be called The Blinfolded Dolphin. (You may recall that I share an example on page 33 of Soul Shapers in which I describe one of the demonstrations during the dolphin show at Marine World.) I said “what was that?” I wasn’t sure I heard correctly. Yes, in fact, I had heard correctly. Someone on a committee must have really liked the dolphin story. I responded that I didn’t think it was a very good title, that the dolphin story was a very minor moment in the book, and that it didn’t really represent what the book was trying to express. I could tell the person on the other end was miffed at me, but they said they would think about what I had said.

Soon thereafter they chose the title, Soul Shapers, and a little while after that the first copies, ten to be exact, arrived at my house. I really did like the tone and visual feel of the cover. Designers know what they are doing. I struggle with that kind of thing. A closer look, though, past the tone and visual feel to the actual details of the cover gave me a bit of pause. Along with the Soul Shapers title, which appeared in rich lettering, was a cookie cutter in the shape of a heart. The heart connection was touching, but the sharp metal of the cutter had just one purpose – to force its way into soft dough and make it into a specific shape. When you read Soul Shapers you come to realize how opposite the goals of the book are compared to the role of a cookie cutter. Adults should not be in the business of forcefully shaping children into their preconceived pictures. Instead, adults have an opportunity to model, to guide, to persuade, to inspire, and to invite. By the time I saw the book for the first time, 5,000 copies of it had been published. Very few people have brought the disconnect to my attention, although people quickly agree if I bring it to their attention. The key to remember is that we really aren’t shaping kids souls. Every human being on planet earth is in the process of forming their own character. When we keep that in mind it really does change our roles as teachers, parents, and leaders.

I’ll share one more thought on . . . the better plan . . . in my next blog.
December 16, 2012 2 Comments

Welcome, Soul Shapers

The book, Soul Shapers: A Better Plan for Teachers and Parents, was published in 2005 and since then has done well as far as books go. The first run of 5,000 copies is almost sold out and I am beginning to plan a follow-up book. Maybe it will be called something creative like Soul Shapers II. The book generated a buzz of interest and discussion. Word of mouth testimonials and recommendations seemed to fuel sales. Principals bought copies for their teachers and quite a few superintendents bought copies for their entire conferences. I traveled around the country a bit and talked to various groups about the facsinating connection between William Glasser, a well known educational theorist and writer, and Ellen White, one of the founders of the Adventist church who wrote a greal deal about education as well. Besides presenting to groups throughout the U.S. and Canada, I was privileged to travel to locations as far away as Thailand to explain the principles of choice theory within a Christian framework. Attendance at the Soul Shaper breakouts at the NAD teachers’ convention in Nashville during the summer of 2012 confimed an on-going interest in the Soul Shaper ideas. As a result I became convinced that some form of communication, a digital clearinghouse for non-coercive leadership, was needed for teachers and parents and anyone else, for that matter, in need of choice theory support.

The Better Plan blog/website is meant to be that digital resource. As I have gone around the country and met teachers and administrators who are inspired by a non-coercive approach I have so much wanted to stay in touch and keep the conversation going. I have stayed in touch with a few, but not nearly enough of you. Even more importantly, I would like this website to allow many of you to share ideas and anecdotes with each other. I plan on inviting several of you to contribute to this blog and to add to the conversation in which we need to engage.

Besides becoming a part of this conversation yourself, I hope you will alert friends and colleagues to The Better Plan’s existence. Let’s increase the energy regarding choice theory and internal motivation.

In my next blog I will explain why this site is titled The Better Plan, rather than Soul Shapers, after the book’s title that started the whole thing.

Have Choose a Good Day!