Professional Development

Teachers are facing ever-increasing pressure to improve standardized test scores in their classrooms. With evaluations and job security on the line, teachers often face the discouraging and sometimes hopeless task of raising the level of academic excellence in students that are facing extremely difficult circumstances in their personal lives.

Recent research is revealing the powerful impact that Social and Emotional Learning is having in the classroom. Schools and districts which have adopted and fully integrated an evidence-based SEL curriculum are showing an average 11 point increase in standardized test scores and an average 30% decrease in discipline referrals. 

In this workshop, educators will discover the missing piece in education: the education of the heart. Once the heart of the child embraces respect, honor, kindness, empathy, forgiveness and self-control, the mind of the child is positioned to learn.

This workshop examines the philosophy behind Manners of the Heart and is a hands-on exploration of an all-school implementation. Teachers and administrators will receive a detailed and practical explanation for all aspects of the Heart Education that is making a difference in the lives of thousands of students.

Do you find classroom management more difficult than in years past? 

We believe it is because the definition of education has changed drastically since Webster’s 1864 edition defined it as “not so much the communication of knowledge as the discipline of the intellect, the establishment of the principles, and the regulation of the heart.” Today’s definition states “the act or process of imparting general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself and others intellectually for mature life.” 

The education of the heart has been negated. 

In this workshop, we’ll explore how and why education morphed into something less than it was meant to be and find practical solutions to restore education to its original intent. 

In this workshop, educators will: 

• Move beyond conventional ways of educating children 
• Learn how to help students develop self-discipline
• Learn how to Instill the desire in their students to be the best they can be rather than number one 
• Learn preventative discipline strategies

Wouldn’t you enjoy a school environment filled with young people who are intrinsically motivated to achieve? In the early ‘70s, specialists began telling us the secret to educating children, in and out of the classroom, was to build their self-esteem. Books on the subject skyrocketed to the top of best-seller lists, encouraging us to be friends with children, not authority figures. Discipline was out, praise was in. We stopped encouraging children to persevere until they achieved greatness. Instead, we told them they were great just for being. The sticker revolution in education began.

Here we are forty years later faced with plummeting test scores, escalating violence, rising suicide rates (even among our youngest students) and paralyzing entitlement. And respect? A thing of the past. 

At Manners of the Heart we have found that without respect teachers cannot teach, children cannot learn, and schools cannot educate. The evidence is clear—self-esteem was not the cure, but the culprit. Your students need self-respect, not self-esteem. 

We can help you create a respectful classroom environment that enables children to learn. 

Educators will learn valuable tips on how to:     

• Define "The Perfect Teacher"
• Offer students an "others-centered" approach to life and learning  
• Coach instead of cheerlead
• Decrease discipline referrals 
• Increase academic achievement