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Posts tagged “William Glasser”

September 28, 2014 4 Comments

So You Wanna Be a Pioneer

Dr. Leonard Bailey and his wife, Nancy, giving the opening colloquy talk at PUC, 2014.

School started this past week at Pacific Union College and on Thursday morning our first colloquy speaker was Dr. Leonard Bailey, of Baby Fae heart transplant fame. I recalled the controversy in 1984 that surrounded Loma Linda University and a doctor there who had transplanted a baboon’s heart into a newborn baby girl. Before the term viral became common, this story went viral.

I wasn’t sure what to expect this past week, in the days leading up to his talk. The first colloquy is always one of pomp and circumstance, with all the faculty marching in wearing their regalia, a loud organ laboring to increase the drama. It turned out that I enjoyed the talk, with two important elements standing out.

Element 1 – The Pioneer Angle

The pioneer moniker is heard somewhat frequently at PUC, since our athletic teams are known as the Pioneers, and this is the theme that was used to introduce Dr. Bailey. During his presentation he shared many video clips that brought you back to when the story was actually unfolding. Ted Koppel, Diane Sawyer, and other major media outlets covered the story from every perspective. Interviews and articles referred to Bailey as Dr. Frankenstein. Animal activists had a field day. If you were old enough in 1984, then you can remember what a big deal the procedure was.

I had forgotten that, without drastic intervention, 100% of newborns with a condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome will die. Bailey explained how if ever a disease merited transplant attention this condition certainly qualified. And so he outfitted a lab at Loma Linda and for eight years he worked with transplant techniques on baby goats and monkeys. The Baby Fae procedure ultimately led to human-to-human baby heart transplants, with infants growing up to lead normal lives as adults. Over 500 of these heart transplants have since taken place at Loma Linda, with receivers of new hearts, now in their 30s, living productive lives. Pretty amazing!

Bailey seemed to be a pretty humble guy to me (either that or he knows what humble is supposed to look like) as he described what it was like to be a pioneer. I was reminded of the price a person pays to be out in front. He talked about heading in a direction before others do, or even heading in a direction in spite of the blockades that others put up. He really was swimming against a strong current, yet look at all the lives that are now being saved because of his efforts.

William Glasser presenting at the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference, 2005 (Photo by Jim Roy)

As I listened I was reminded of Glasser’s efforts and the currents he swam against. Glasser was a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. (If I had it to do again, I think the title of the biography could include the word pioneer.) His rejection of the concept of mental illness and the labels used to transform symptoms into disease, his disavowing the therapeutic value of focusing on the unconscious mind or on past experiences, his recognition of the damaging effects of external control psychology, and the way he embraced the science of the power of choice, these and other key ideas all are testimony to his pioneering spirit. He was not necessarily unique in each of these pieces (nor was Bailey unique in his field – Does the name Christiaan Barnard ring a bell?), but the package of the ideas that Glasser assembled was incredibly unique.

Element 2 – The Donor Angle

For every newborn that receives a new heart and the life that goes with it, there is a newborn that donates that heart and the life that goes with it. For every family shedding tears of joy, there is a family shedding tears of indescribable grief.

Can you see the two small stitches holding things in place?

At one point during Dr. Bailey’s talk I was overcome with emotion as this equation (a life received = a life given) hit me between the eyes. Literally. You see, I live with two donor corneas. I can see because someone (a woman from Kentucky and a man from Chicago) shared a part of their body with me. I see because they cannot. Even as I write this I am choked up. What can I say? My mother passed on a degenerative disease to me (as I now have probably passed on to my children) that was causing my eyesight to get cloudier and murkier every month. Without intervention, as the Bible says, I was “seeing through a glass darkly.”

Me getting outfitted with new glasses.

Yet my joy at seeing clearer, seeing colors in all their gorgeous beauty, came at the expense of another. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those from whom I have benefitted. I have listed myself as a donor, although I am not sure how valuable anything is from a 60 year old. Still, if after I leave this earth I can be of help to another, I would really like to do that.

I am not gone yet, though, and if you are reading this you are not gone yet either. I encourage you to list yourself as a donor, but more importantly, I want to encourage all of us, myself included, to be a help to others while we are alive on this earth. One incredible way to help others is to live choice theory. It can be so powerful when a person lives a life of choice, rising above the slights and discomforts, acknowledging their feelings rather than being controlled by them, using the caring habits, and meeting their needs without keeping someone else from meeting theirs.

Love to all!

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Now priced at $17.63 on Amazon; 18 reviews have been submitted. (We’re closing in on 20. Yes!)

The eBook version can be accessed at –

https://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

The paperback version can be accessed at –

http://wglasserbooks.com

or from Amazon at –

http://www.amazon.com/William-Glasser-Champion-Jim-Roy/dp/193444247X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410617000&sr=1-1&keywords=champion+of+choice

Signed copies of Champion of Choice can be accessed through me at –

jimroyglasserbio@gmail.com

An Interview with Jim Roy

http://youtu.be/aMsS_Wh073o

This interview took place on September 11, 2014, at Lower Lake High School in Lower Lake, California. Chris Kinney, who led the interview, teaches Social Studies and Technology classes at the high school and has more recently been given the school’s broadcasting program. Besides being posted to YouTube the interview will also be shown on a local Clearlake television channel.

Chris Kinney and Jim Roy

Chris, a former student of mine who completed his teaching credential through Pacific Union College, is an incredible example of what can be accomplished when belief, energy, and commitment come together. He wants to empower his students to achieve success and he sees the principles of choice theory as essential in that process.

After a recent class discussion one of Chris’s students shared the following on her/his Facebook page –

“Ok, I meant to post this last night, but I was really tired. Ok, so yesterday one of my teachers, whom I highly respect and look up to, gave a mind blowing speech on choice theory. He went on and on about how our education system is very messed up and is only a grade, not actually showing off the experience you learned in the class. It’s what your grade says, not what your brain says. He then went on about how everyone in life is only trying to fill their basic needs, which is literally in every case scenario. He then talked about how school is literally the only place that you will be told you fail in your life, and as soon as he said that my mind was amazed. I couldn’t believe how much all this theory made sense and actually should be in all schools. Sadly the state doesn’t want you to have experience and know what you’re doing; they want you to have a good grade on a test or a quiz.”

The principles of choice theory are empowering, and because of that it appeals to high school students, middle school students, and even elementary students. Like Glasser used to say, “There is nothing in choice theory that a six year old can’t understand.”

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Now priced at $17.44 on Amazon; 17 reviews have been submitted. (We’re not stuck on 16 anymore!)

The eBook version can be accessed at –

https://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

The paperback version can be accessed at –

http://wglasserbooks.com

or from Amazon at –

http://www.amazon.com/William-Glasser-Champion-Jim-Roy/dp/193444247X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410617000&sr=1-1&keywords=champion+of+choice

Signed copies of Champion of Choice can be accessed through me at –

jimroyglasserbio@gmail.com

September 16, 2014 9 Comments

Exciting, meticulous, enlightening, must-read . . .

Jim Roy

Dr. Sam Gladding

Dr. Sam Gladding, chair of the Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University and former president of the American Counseling Association, has written the following review of Glasser’s biography for psycCRITIQUES, a publication of the APA. His assessment may be especially interesting to those of you who have read the book.

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Theories evolve, but by the time they become chapters in books, they appear to have been developed and are mostly, if not fully, presented as complete. Furthermore, little attention is traditionally given to the theorists behind the ideas. In fact, most theory chapters, and even some excellent books (e.g., Corey, 2013; Sharf, 2012), only briefly describe the theorists behind the theories. Such brevity most likely has to do with word-count limitations and space considerations. Thus, most theory books will mention general facts and turning points in theorists’ lives but not a lot more. For example, a turning point in William Glasser’s life was his initial deep friendship with his mentor psychiatrist friend, George L. Harrington. However, what happened after the friendship grew cold? How did the break with Harrington affect Glasser and the development of reality therapy theory?

What is usually left out of most books and book chapters on the lives of prominent theorists is what motivated them to conceptualize human behavior and psychological interventions in the way they did. Timing and the matter of luck in the generation of ideas are seldom mentioned, such as Glasser’s fortunate naming of his theory reality therapy, which quickly became popular. Likewise, who influenced theorists inside their families and in their family life is usually not considered even though it is often quite relevant. As the late radio news commentator Paul Harvey would have asked, “What about the rest of the story?”

For those who want more complete information about psychological theorists, Jim Roy’s biography William Glasser: Champion of Choice is an enlightening, exciting must-read. Roy gives the most complete and up-to-date examination yet of Glasser and his personal and theoretical evolution.

William Glasser (1981)

Glasser’s Development

For many older mental health professionals, Glasser is associated closely with the titles of his second and third books, Reality Therapy (1965) and Schools Without Failure (1969).

After all, it was these books that launched him from a state and regional maverick psychiatrist to a nationally known, famous, and at times feisty theorist. For those who have more recently entered the mental health professions, Glasser’s works Counseling With Choice Theory (2000) and Warning: Psychiatry Can Be Hazardous to Your Mental Health (2003) may seem more relevant.

The story of William Glasser starts in Cleveland, Ohio, where he transformed himself from a chemical engineer to a medical school graduate and evolved as he moved west to become a University of California, Los Angeles-educated psychiatrist. Roy explains how Glasser and his theory grew in detail, especially after Glasser settled in Los Angeles and began working at the Ventura School for Girls, the only job he could get after his fellow psychiatrists shunned him for not following the mores of psychiatry.

The exciting aspect of Roy’s work is that he includes the setbacks in Glasser’s life as well as his triumphs. For instance, Roy relates how Glasser was ignored by the psychiatric community because of his opinions about mental health and mental illness and how his isolation affected him. He also gives readers insight into Glasser’s family life and his relationship with his first wife, Naomi, and their children. Glasser wrote most of his initial books by hand on planes because his commitment to his family kept him from doing so at home. Roy also describes how Glasser overcame shyness and an avoidance of public speaking. He paints a picture of the kindness and toughness of Glasser as a therapist, a humanitarian, and as a champion for what he believed in: mental health.

Glasser and one year old son, Joe. (1952)

Roy does not gloss over what made Glasser who he was and why his theory changed over time, for example, his embrace of choice theory as the underpinning of reality therapy. The fascinating aspect of the book is Roy’s direct reporting of events in Glasser’s life and his insights into how Glasser developed. Roy’s prose is crisp and interesting, especially surprising because he initially wrote this work as his doctoral dissertation. Roy did his homework by reading all of Glasser’s books, as well as his numerous articles. In addition, Roy interviewed Glasser 46 times over five years. He was as meticulous in his own way as Ernest Jones, the biographer of Sigmund Freud, was in his. However, Roy did not know Glasser for as long or as intimately as Jones knew Freud.

The Appeal and Limits of the Book

This book will have an appeal to numerous audiences. First, psychological theorists will find the text fascinating because they will be able to read about a modern theorist struggling to organize his ideas in a coherent and unique way. Adversity and affirmation are parts of Glasser’s life that Roy opens up to readers. Second, schoolteachers, personality theorists, and disciples of choice theory will find a treasure trove of information that will enliven their respect for Glasser and make them appreciate what he did even more. A lesser man would have done lesser things. Glasser stands as a role model because of his commitment to his ideas and achieving results. Finally, readers in the general public who enjoy biographies will find Roy’s text fascinating because it tells an engaging story about a famous man and how he became who he was. The book traces the steps taken by Glasser to rise from obscurity at a school for delinquent girls to notoriety as a defender of mental health.

Overall, the strengths of William Glasser: Champion of Choice are its readability and its attention to detail. This book is a developmental history of an unlikely psychiatrist becoming eminent internationally against formidable odds; Glasser influenced psychology and psychiatry, but he also made major contributions to humanity. The weakness of the book is that Roy’s story of Glasser is retrospective and subjective because much of it was related by Glasser himself, who was 78 when the interviews started. Although it appears that most of what Glasser says is brutally honest, few dialogues of Glasser’s discussions with his contemporaries are provided except in summary form. Therefore, it may be that some events in Glasser’s life, like his break with his mentor, Harrington, were more painful and troubling than what Glasser conveyed to Roy.

Nevertheless, this book is enlightening and exciting. It gives inside information that helps explain a complex man and his thinking more thoroughly. It helps the reader appreciate the battles Glasser fought and often won on his way to becoming prominent. Finally, the book brings Glasser to life as an advocate for the betterment of humanity, especially for those in less-than-the-best positions to speak for themselves, such as children, prisoners, people who are lonely, and individuals experiencing mental distress.

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Now priced at $17.32 on Amazon; 16 reviews have been submitted. (We’ve been stuck on 16 for a while.)

The eBook version can be accessed at –

https://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

The paperback version can be accessed at –

http://wglasserbooks.com

or from Amazon at –

http://www.amazon.com/William-Glasser-Champion-Jim-Roy/dp/193444247X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410617000&sr=1-1&keywords=champion+of+choice

Signed copies of Champion of Choice can be accessed through me at –

jimroyglasserbio@gmail.com

September 13, 2014 17 Comments

Two Lawnmowers

Jim Roy

There is so much choice theory in this picture.

Two lawnmowers parked in a backyard shed, their work done for now, resting as the grass grows once again, but ready to get back at it when the lawn once again needs a trim.

Two lawnmowers. One real, heavy, dusty, its grasscatcher hanging out the back; the other small, plastic, unimposing, a toy.

Of course, the picture captures more than these two objects. It captures something about a relationship, something about the caring habits, and something about lead management. You can see the lawnmowers; do you see choice theory sitting there, too?

When I get the mower out to mow the lawn, my grandson invariably grabs his mower and wants to join me. He will ask, “Grandpa, can I help you mow the lawn?” And I will answer with something like, “Yes, I could use the help. Thank you very much.” I can imagine an adult answering that question with “No, I need you to stay out of the way. Lawnmowers are dangerous and you need to keep your distance.” Or maybe “No, I don’t need your help. You can play on the lawn after I am done.” I don’t like those answers, though, since I really like my grandson’s help with the different projects in which I am involved.

As I mow he is pushing his mower across the grass, too. Sometimes out in front of me, sometimes behind me, sometimes off to the side. He has a system, a plan that he follows, much the same as me having a plan as I work to efficiently get all the grass cut. He laughs a lot as he darts around, and I do, too, for that matter. When I stop to empty the grasscatcher, he stops, too, and walks with me to the green trash can, where we empty the clippings.

This last time, after we were all done with mowing, I pushed the mower to the back of the property, where there is a shed that keeps stuff like lawnmowers. I pushed it up the little ramp and was about to shut the shed door, but noticed that my grandson was now pushing his little mower up the ramp, too. I asked if he was sure he wanted to leave his mower there, as he wouldn’t be able to play with it if it was locked in the shed. He said he understood that, but that he wanted his mower to be in the shed, too, ready for the next time the lawn needed to be mowed.

I suppose I could have said, “No, let’s not put your mower in the shed. That’s not where it goes.” But that didn’t occur to me. I was so touched by our two mowers sitting there together.

So where’s the choice theory? A lot of you, as you read this, have already come up with multiple examples. Here are a few that come to my mind –

The Relationship
My grandson and I have a really good relationship. I enjoy being with him and I like it a lot when he wants to help me. He talks a blue streak as we work, some of the talk related to the job, but a lot of it not. And while sometimes he actually can hand me something I need or carry a board to where it is needed, not all of his “help” is actually helpful. But I want him close, I want his “help”, all of it.

The Caring Habits
Words like accepting, encouraging, and listening come to mind as I think about our mowing the lawn together. Yes, he is just pushing a toy around, and yes, I could respond in kind, but I don’t think our two mowers would be sitting in the shed together right now if I used one of the deadly habits like criticizing or complaining.

Lead Management
My grandson loves helping with projects. A few weeks back I constructed 75’ of new fence. It was a grueling job that involved the removal of the old fence, disposal of the old boards, removal of the old fence posts, and the digging of the new holes. It was hot, too. And yet he was with me a lot of the time. Out there in his Crocks and his underwear, talking, listening, handing me stuff, and doing stuff on his own. He is growing up to be an involved, helpful young man, not because we are making him be that way, but because we are open to his being involved. We are supportive of his interest and his efforts. At times we invite his participation or try to persuade him to join in the work. Usually, it is more about accepting his offer to help.

The picture of the two mowers captures what is possible when we place a high value on relationships and keep the caring habits in mind. Whether young or old, people thrive when the elements of lead-management are present.

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Me and Chris Kinney.

The talk at Lower Lake High School this past Thursday evening (9-11-14) went well. Chris Kinney, a teacher at the school and one of my former students, organized the event and recorded it, too. There are administrators and teachers at the school that want to head in a choice theory direction and Chris is fueling and supporting that vision. I will be sharing more about this in an upcoming blog. Well done, Chris! It was a great evening all the way around!

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We have been stuck on the number 16 when it comes to Amazon book reviews for Champion of Choice. It would be great for the book, and by extension the ideas of choice theory, if that number could go significantly higher. Reviews don’t have to be long and they are simple to do.

Now priced at $17.23 on Amazon; 16 reviews have been submitted. (We’ve been stuck on 16 for a while.)

The eBook version can be accessed at –

https://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

The paperback version can be accessed at –

http://wglasserbooks.com

or from Amazon at –

http://www.amazon.com/William-Glasser-Champion-Jim-Roy/dp/193444247X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410617000&sr=1-1&keywords=champion+of+choice

Signed copies of Champion of Choice can be accessed through me at –

jimroyglasserbio@gmail.com

September 10, 2014 No comments

Mistakes, Mischief, and Mayhem

Jim Roy

There are some things we just never forget!

The phrase “mistakes, mischief, and mayhem” turned out to be one of those things for me. I first saw it in Jane Nelsen’s book, Positive Discipline (1981, 2006), twelve years ago, and it made such an impression on me that it has become a part of my management paradigm, a kind of beacon that, combined with choice theory, helps to point me in the right direction.

Nelsen felt that classroom behaviors can be categorized as either mistakes, mischief, or mayhem, and that our management strategies need to keep these levels of behaviors in mind. For the sake of clarity, the following definitions will help –

Mistakes – misbehaviors that are just that, mistakes. It is easy for us to forget how complex a classroom can be. There are so many expectations regarding how students relate to one another, how they relate to things, how they relate to places, and how they relate to time. Additionally, each of them comes from unique backgrounds that differ greatly. Most of the “misbehavior” in classrooms fit into the mistakes category.

Mischief – misbehavior that has an element of intentionality. It may not have a meanness element to it, however it is distracting, probably draining to the teacher if not corrected, and takes away from the learning environment.

Mayhem – misbehavior that breaks a rule and crosses the line of civility and respect, whether the behavior is directed at fellow students, teacher, or things within the classroom. Mayhem behaviors involve disrespect, disobedience, and/or destruction. These are serious misbehaviors that require a student response, maybe in the form of an action plan to prevent the misbehavior in the future, which also may involve steps to restore what their misbehavior harmed (e.g. – relationship, trust, broken object).

It becomes plain that misbehaviors are not all equal and that a mistake is vastly different than mayhem. Treating each of these misbehaviors on the level they deserve can greatly affect the learning atmosphere of the classroom, and will allow teachers to head home each day without a pit of worry and tension in their stomach.

One common mistake for teachers is to treat any and all misbehavior as mayhem. Teachers may not know about the concept of Procedures or have forgotten about their value and treat all behavior, or lack thereof, on the level of Rules. A student forgets to walk into the classroom after recess – Bam! – he broke a rule; a student leaves her desk and gets a drink during a teacher presentation – Bam! – she broke a Rule. Treating everything like mayhem creates a controlling, tension-filled space that foments rebellion in all kinds of forms.

It is freeing to teachers when they acknowledge that most misbehaviors are simply mistakes that can be prevented or corrected through the use of Procedures. Mistakes don’t have to be about getting in trouble or being punished. Procedures are taught, reviewed, and rehearsed, and when students forget a Procedure they are reminded of it and probably asked to rehearse it correctly.

Harry Wong emphasizes that the first two weeks of school should focus on learning Procedures. Once students “get” the idea of Procedures and know the Procedures needed to get the school year started the classroom environment is then ready for students to “soar!”

Using Procedures to provide helpful classroom structure will prevent most of the usual behavioral issues, although there may still be students who are mischievious in class in a way that distracts from the learning. It is common for mischief to include clowning and various forms of pranks. Mischief can be reduced and eliminated by 1) consistently implementing the Procedures, and 2) creating a need-satisfying classroom. By need-satisfying I mean a classroom where the teacher is intentional about helping students meet their need for purpose, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. In other words, planning activities, events, and opportunities for students with a high need for power to meet that need, and students with a high need for fun to meet that need, and so forth. As teachers we don’t just hope this happens or merely allow it to happen, we plan for it to happen.

Lastly, we hope that mayhem behaviors never occur in our classroom, but inevitably they do. Kids sometimes behave poorly, sometimes very poorly, and when they do we must confront the behavior and assist them toward forming better behaviors. It is important that teachers convey compassion to the student being confronted, but this compassionate spirit should not prevent dealing with such behaviors decisively. Mayhem behaviors (e.g.- defiance of the teacher, attacking another student verbally or physically, willful destruction of school property) may involve a time out or in-school suspension and may involve the student developing a plan to restore what was broken and prevent further incidences in the future. As the teacher I need to have a sense that the student understands the importance of kind and safe behavior and that s/he can make a commitment to kindness, respect, and cooperation. We can’t expect perfection, however we can expect a willingness and a desire to grow in these areas.

And so the 3Ms of classroom behavior are Mistakes, Mischief, and Mayhem. Treating each of them for what they are will go a long way toward student success this year!

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Chris Kinney, who teaches at Lower Lake High School, and who was featured in the August 20, 2013, blog (Good Morning, Mr. Kinney) right here in The Better Plan, invited me to come and talk to people at his school about the new Glasser biography and about choice theory in general. So, I will be doing just that tomorrow evening, September 11, from 6:00-7:00 pm. He put together the following flyer, which is really well done. I would love it if local choice theorists could attend this event!

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The quickest and cheapest way to access William Glasser: Champion of Choice is to purchase the eBook version at the following link –

http://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

Now priced at $17.73 on Amazon; 16 reviews have been submitted. (We’ve been stuck on 16 for a while.)

September 7, 2014 8 Comments

Off and Running with Glasser and Wong

Jim Roy

Classes begin on Sept. 22 at PUC and one of the courses I will be teaching this Fall quarter is Classroom Management. Pre-service teachers worry ahead of time about whether or not they will be able to manage a classroom and after entering the profession, those teachers who leave teaching mostly do so because of issues relating to management. Classroom management is a very important skill set for teachers to possess. I enjoy teaching the class, even as I feel the pressure of the responsibility to teach it well and teach it right.

There are basically two different paradigms from which to consider classroom management – either you view the world operating according to external control (reward / punishment) or you see it operating according to internal control and the principles of choice theory. There are many different approaches and management models to choose from, but each of them sits on one of these paradigms.

I am using two books as texts for the class that I haven’t used before. The first is Choice Theory in the Classroom (1986; 2001), which I am quite familiar with, and the second one is The Classroom Management Book (2014), which is brand new.

I chose these books because I think they will help students understand and appreciate the essential elements of classroom management. (A big THANK YOU to those who posted their essential elements in the last blog. I am going to share your insights with my class.) Some of the elements I would like to include –

+ Know yourself – Recognize that your beliefs about motivation and behavior (which you can change) form the frame within which all of your classroom management pieces fit.

+ Prevention rather than cure – Seek to create a need-satisfying class in which students want to be. Focus on positive relationships all the way around. Focus on instructional organization. Focus on teaching and rehearsing the Procedures needed for the room to run smoothly.

+ Natural consequences rather than punishment – If students do break a rule, help them learn to take responsibility for their behavior and restore what they have broken.

I plan to start with Glasser’s Choice Theory in the Classroom and have him help us understand the concepts of choice theory and how the internal control model of human behavior really is the only model that honors the way our brains work. I think role plays in class will help us get the essential points in better ways than me lecturing the points.

Bill giving a talk in Ventura, CA (2006)

I am glad I re-connected with Choice Theory in the Classroom. I have known about the book, of course, but I haven’t tapped into it like I am about to. Here are a few key points from the book. You can almost hear Glasser’s voice –

“We cannot pressure any student to work if he does not believe the work is satisfying.” (12)

“We are far too concerned with discipline, with how to ‘make’ students follow rules, and not enough concerned with providing the satisfying education that would make our overconcern with discipline unnecessary.” (12)

“When we talk about better discipline with no attempt to create a more satisfying school, what we are really talking about is getting disruptive students to turn off a biological control system that they cannot turn off.” (58)

I then plan to transition into Harry Wong’s new book, The Classroom Management Book. I have been using Wong’s classic The First Days of School for a number of years, and I really like that book, but I decided to go with his new book. The new book is so strong on Procedures and how to teach them. I can supplement what the book doesn’t cover, but I really want the students to have access to what he does cover. I think experienced teachers will want to check out his new book, too.

I just recently received the latest edition of Educational Leadership, the journal for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the entire journal is devoted to the topic of motivation. I will be having the students read several of the articles, including the keynote (lead) article by Daniel Pink, entitled Motivated to Learn: A Conversation with Daniel Pink. The title reminded of the many journal articles back in the day that featured control theory or choice theory and had as part of the title A Conversation with William Glasser. As it so happens, even though this current journal has been devoted to the topic of motivation, and specifically motivation within the school environment, not one of the articles references Glasser or mentions him in any way. It is true that his ideas and beliefs are splashed throughout the journal. Schools wanting to improve instruction and embrace educational “best practice” are heading the way Glasser pointed for years. That really is the important thing.

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Discipline is helping a child solve a problem.
Punishment is making a child suffer for having a problem.
To raise problem-solvers, focus on solutions, not retribution.
L.R. Knost
(Thank you Bette Blance for sharing this on Facebook)

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One way to keep Glasser’s legacy alive is to let colleagues know about The Better Plan blog. Think about it.

http://thebetterplan.org

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Now priced at $17.73 on Amazon; 16 reviews have been submitted.

The eBook version of William Glasser: Champion of Choice can be accessed at the following link –

http://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

The paperback version can be accessed at the following Amazon link –

http://www.amazon.com/William-Glasser-Champion-Jim-Roy/dp/193444247X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409718917&sr=1-1&keywords=champion+of+choice

For U.S. customers, get a signed copy of Champion of Choice for $20 + $6 (shipping). Send your check, along with any special instructions (e.g.- if the book is a gift), as well as your shipping address, and I will get the biography out to you right away.
Please include your email address, just in case I have questions about your order. My address is P. O. Box 933, Angwin, CA 94508

Get a signed copy of Soul Shapers: A Better Plan for Parents and Teachers for $17.

September 3, 2014 7 Comments

Well . . . this is frustrating . . . in kind of a good way

Jim Roy

I just learned about a new book by Allen Frances that Harper Collins has published. It is called Saving Normal: An Insider’s Revolt Against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life.

The Harper Collins ad for the book proclaims that it was written by “the most powerful psychiatrist in America” and that it is “a deeply fascinating and urgently important critique of the widespread medicalization of normality.”

Dr. Allen Frances

The actual description of the book, when you find it on Amazon, reads as follows –

Anyone living a full, rich life experiences ups and downs, stresses, disappointments, sorrows, and setbacks. These challenges are a normal part of being human, and they should not be treated as psychiatric disease. However, today millions of people who are really no more that “worried well” are being diagnosed as having a mental disorder and are receiving unnecessary treatment. In Saving Normal, Allen Francis, one of the world’s most influential psychiatrists, warns that mislabeling everyday problems as mental illness has shocking implications for individuals and society: stigmatizing a healthy person as mentally ill leads to unnecessary, harmful medications, the narrowing horizons, misallocation of medical resources, and draining of the budgets of families and the nation. We also shift responsibility for our mental well-being away from our own naturally resilient and self-healing brains, which have kept us sane for hundreds of thousands of years, and into the hands of “Big Pharma,” who are reaping multi-billion-dollar profits.

Frances cautions that the new edition of the “bible of psychiatry,” the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5), will turn our current diagnostic inflation into hyperinflation by converting millions of “normal” people into “mental patients.” Alarmingly, in DSM-5, normal grief will become “Major Depressive Disorder”; the forgetting seen in old age is “Mild Neurocognitive Disorder”; temper tantrums are “Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder”; worrying about a medical illness is “Somatic Symptom Disorder”; gluttony is “Binge Eating Disorder”; and most of us will qualify for adult “Attention Deficit Disorder.” What’s more, all of these newly invented conditions will worsen the cruel paradox of the mental health industry: those who desperately need psychiatric help are left shamefully neglected, while the “worried well” are given the bulk of the treatment, often at their own detriment.

Masterfully charting the history of psychiatric fads throughout history, Frances argues that whenever we arbitrarily label another aspect of the human condition a “disease,” we further chip away at our human adaptability and diversity, dulling the full palette of what is normal and losing something fundamental of ourselves in the process. Saving Normal is a call to all of us to reclaim the full measure of our humanity.

It is a little bit frustrating for me (not a lot, but a little bit) that Harper Collins is pushing Saving Normal. I contacted the editor at Harper Collins when I had the Glasser biography manuscript halfway completed, a book that covers the same topics as Saving Normal, and was told that no one was interested in the life story of William Glasser. I disagreed, pointing out Glasser’s long and well-known career, the many books he had published, some of them huge sellers, the worldwide organization he had formed, the over 65,000 people that had participated in Glasser training workshops, and the many Glasser Quality Schools he had inspired throughout the United States.

I contacted this same editor when the manuscript was finished and he surprised me by saying he would love to read it, although he reminded me that he didn’t see Harper Collins getting involved. Still, I was a bit buoyed by his interest in the book. He ended up being very complimentary of the manuscript, emphasizing that it was very well written. I took it as a compliment when he expressed that he didn’t think it needed much editing. In spite of his belief that it was well written and interesting, he wished me luck in finding a publisher.

Since Harper Collins didn’t want to publish the book, or at least one of the editors didn’t want to publish the book, I have very much wanted to prove him wrong. I very much want a lot of people to be interested in Glasser’s story and the development of his ideas. Allen Frances, it turns out, is known for chairing the taskforce that produced the DSM-4, so his prominence is earned. Still, I see Glasser’s contributions to psychiatry, psychology, and education as so much more significant. That Harper Collins would jump on Frances’ bandwagon after so many years of working with Glasser, well, it’s just a bit frustrating.

It is good, though, that Saving Normal has been published. It is now one more voice reminding readers that the ups and downs of life, the challenges and disappointments, the sadness and grief, are not indicators of mental disease. It reminds us that human beings possess a resiliency capable of working through problems, rather than running to Big Pharma. It’s not a cheap book at $45, but I welcome it to the “discussion.” Did I mention that it’s presence is a tad frustrating?

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Now priced at $17.73 on Amazon; 16 reviews have been uploaded so far.

The eBook version of William Glasser: Champion of Choice can be accessed at the following link –

http://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

The paperback version can be accessed at the following Amazon link –

http://www.amazon.com/William-Glasser-Champion-Jim-Roy/dp/193444247X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409718917&sr=1-1&keywords=champion+of+choice

Get a signed copy of Soul Shapers: A Better Plan for Parents and Teachers for $17.

August 26, 2014 3 Comments

Glasser Biography Now Available as eBook

Jim Roy

The screen of my iPad, which now includes the new eBook version of Champion of Choice.

The biography, William Glasser: Champion of Choice is now available as an eBook.
The eBook version costs just $10 and is quickly available at the following link –

http://www.zeigtucker.com/product/william-glasser-champion-of-choice-ebook/

I bought a copy on my iPad yesterday and the process went fine. I was pleasantly surprised actually on how nice the book looked on my screen, as well as on how well the links worked as I looked through the book. The picture section turned out great, too.

When you go to the Champion of Choice eBook screen, you will be asked to choose an option, either .epub or .mobi format. I had never heard of either of these formats, but Googled both of them and felt pretty sure that the .epub format was best. As it turned out, it was. You are then asked to Add To Cart your eBook purchase. You go through the standard credit card process and then receive a thank you for the purchase message. I wasn’t sure what to do then, as nothing was automatically downloading. I soon received a follow-up email, though, which provided me a download link. Once again, I was given a choice as to where I wanted the book downloaded. One of the options was downloading it into iBooks, which I selected. It downloaded quickly and appeared in my iBooks section like all the books I have purchased through iBooks.

As I said earlier, I am very pleased about how the book looks and performs. It works seamlessly on my Apple platform. I don’t know how it works on the Kindle platform. Maybe one of you can try that out and let the rest of us know.

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Thank you, Chris Kinney, for arranging this upcoming event. I am looking forward to it!

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The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become.
Heraclitus

August 23, 2014 6 Comments

You Are Missed, Bill Glasser!

Jim Roy

Bill, at home, ready to visit about whatever is on your mind. (Photo by Jim Roy)

William Glasser passed away a year ago today. His legacy includes a long and successful career in which he influenced countless people on how to be mentally healthy and happy in their relationships with others. As the creator of Reality Therapy, Glasser challenged the therapeutic status quo and began to melt the complexity of human psychology; as the creator of Choice Theory, he provided a model of human behavior that even a child can understand, a model that acknowledged basic human needs and wants.

Everybody needs one essential friend. William Glasser

Although anticipated, his passing left a void organizationally and more importantly, left a void personally within the hearts of those who were seeking and continue to seek to understand his ideas about motivation and behavior. Organizationally, people have stepped up to maintain and even grow the structure of Glasser, Inc. Time will tell regarding the extent to which the organization flourishes or not. For many of us personally, though, this same process is going on within our own hearts and minds. In what ways and to what extent are Glasser’s ideas flourishing within us as individuals? What do his ideas mean to us personally?

Relaxing in the living room with the TV on, although still ready to talk about life. (Photo by Jim Roy)

For me personally, the principles of Choice Theory continue to influence my thinking a great deal. Of course, it is one thing to think something and quite another thing to consistently apply that thinking in your life, but Choice Theory brings me back to a good starting point when I get off track. Before becoming acquainted with Choice Theory, I was very capable of choosing to depress and to withdraw in general. Now, after learning about Choice Theory, not so much. Glasser’s ideas have been a kind of psychological immunization against the common mental distressers for me.

It is almost impossible for anyone, even the most ineffective among us, to continue to choose misery after becoming aware that it is a choice. William Glasser

His explanation of the importance of the relationships in our lives has been very significant for me, especially the idea that our ability to influence a person is directly dependent on our level of connection with him/her. For parents and teachers this is the gold standard of advice. As long as we are connected to our kids we have influence with them. When that connection is severed, usually due to our anger or disgust or coercive approach, so, too, is the influence. It is crazy how flippant we can be with this kind of connection!

Glasser and Albert Ellis, 2005. (Photo by Jim Roy)

Glasser’s biography, Champion of Choice, became available less than four months after his death. So close. People that knew him and worked with him for many years have affirmed the book’s accuracy, which means a lot to me, and people that thought they knew him well have indicated they learned new things about his life from reading the biography. Of special importance to me, though, is the possibility that readers will learn about the principles of Reality Therapy, Choice Theory, mental health, and the whole idea of getting and staying happy.

If everyone could learn that what is right for me does not make it right for anyone else, the world would be a much happier place. William Glasser

Today (Saturday, Aug. 23) also happens to be my Sabbath, a day designed for rest and contemplation. Glasser’s ideas have certainly been a part of my spiritual journey and have strengthened and enlarged my concepts of total well-being, love, freedom, purpose, and joy. He has been a mentor to me and I will take solace in reflecting on our time together and the positive ways he influenced me – cognitively, emotionally, and even spiritually.

You are missed, Bill. You are missed.

Glasser’s writing space, minus his computer, where so much of his creativity was put to the page. (Photo by Jim Roy.)

I invite you to respond to this post and share what Glasser or his ideas have come to mean to you since his passing a year ago. I think you need to register on WordPress to submit comments, but the registration is super easy. No big deal. I encourage you to do it and share.

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Now priced at $18.20 on Amazon; 16 reviews have been uploaded so far.

August 20, 2014 3 Comments

5 Must-Have’s to Start the School Year

Jim Roy

Quotes About Moving On 0234-236 (Quotes About Children) (16)

One – Treat students like they were your own kids
When our own children are at school we want them to be treated with love and compassion. We appreciate it when an adult seeks to know the full picture before simply handing down some form of discipline. It means a lot to us when our child is given more than one chance to be successful.
The law says that schools and teachers serve in loco parentis, which means in place of the parent. It is true that not all parents know how to treat their children well, but as teachers, let’s take in loco parentis to represent the best parents possible. More than once I have seen parents who admit to their child’s teacher that they have no idea what to do with their kid. Besides teaching students, we can help parents, too, by modeling love and compassion and structure to them.

Two – Plan lessons that matter to kids
When we sit down to plan lessons we may need to ask “Why would this topic matter to my students?” One of our biggest challenges as teachers is to present the learning in a way that interests kids. Relevance is the gold standard for all learning; there is no way around this. The fact that some students like to fill out worksheets doesn’t mean that it’s good for all students (it’s probably not even good for the worksheet students). Glasser felt that knowledge you write out on worksheets or spit back on objective tests was throw-away knowledge. For him, real learning had to do with application and answered the question, How could you use it in real life?

Three – Intentionally create a need-satisfying classroom
Choice theory describes how every human being is driven by a unique set of basic needs. While we are born with these needs, we are not born with instructions on how to meet them. So from birth we are searching for the people and things and activities that help us feel that our needs are being met. Teachers, both elementary and secondary, can count on the fact that students will be engaged in the process of meeting their own needs as best they can. Some students have learned to meet their needs in ways that are socially acceptable and effective. Some students are seeking to have their needs met in ways that are not effective. It is such a huge gift to students when teachers help them to understand the concept of the basic needs and the ways in which the needs can be met.
For instance, you will have students with a high power need in your classroom. Instead of trying to beat their power, though, with your power, think about designing classroom activities that fulfill this need for students. Classroom management based on reasonable structure and procedures, rather than on reward and punishment disciplinary measures, will meet the basic need for freedom and autonomy.

Just remember that human beings are driven to have their basic needs met in six different areas –
Purpose and meaning
Love and belonging
Power and success
Freedom and autonomy
Joy and fun
Survival and safety

These are the areas that we need to be aware of and be intentional about.

Four – Teach for mastery rather than sorting for grades
One way that students can have their need for power met at school is when they are successful in assignments and projects. It is important for teachers to provide students with coaching and multiple chances at improvement. It’s not enough to give an assignment, grade it, and then sort students according to their performance. That isn’t teaching. Teaching occurs when we work to get every student over the learning bar into the success zone.
Get rid of the perception that students should be graded after one attempt. The important thing is that they “get” the concept and can apply it in real-life situations. If it takes more than one attempt to get it, that’s ok. That’s the process of teaching and learning.

Five – Create non-coercive structure on which your students can count
Choice theory doesn’t mean students do whatever they want, whenever they want. Choice theory isn’t based on a laissez-faire approach.
Students, like the rest of us, need and appreciate reasonable structure. We need to be explicit about how things work in the classroom and the order in which simple things are done.

Like Harry Wong reminds us –

Teach the structure, rehearse it, and consistently expect it.

Wong’s new book, The Classroom Management Book (2014), is loaded with over 50 classroom procedures, along with things to keep in mind as you implement them.
Teachers can love the concepts of choice theory, but if they don’t have clear procedures not even choice theory can save them.

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Now priced at $17.45 on Amazon; 15 reviews have been uploaded. Can we make it 20?

Now priced at $18.20 on Amazon; 16 reviews have been uploaded. Can we make it 20?

Get a signed copy of Soul Shapers: A Better Plan for Parents and Teachers for $17.

Posts tagged “William Glasser”

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