This book blends theory with example, anecdote, and reflection to illustrate how the caring teacher, with a clear understanding of his or her own philosophy, teaching tenets, and possibilities can bring purpose, meaning, and spirit to classroom teaching. The 10 chapters focus on: (1) "The Teaching Profession: What Are You Doing and Why Are…

This highly practical book presents current developments in play therapy, including innovative applications for particular problems and populations. Contributors first discuss the latest ideas and techniques emerging from object-relations, experiential, dynamic, and narrative perspectives. Next, research evaluating the effectiveness of play…

This book explains how fears, anxiety, and stress develop in children, and how they can learn to successfully cope with these factors. It offers specific activities designed to assist in coping with a particular aspect of fear or stress. Part I, "Overview of Fears and Stress," contains activities to complement the various curricular…

This study examined students' perceptions of teacher burnout in relation to the occurrence of disruptive student behavior and teacher competence to cope with this behavior. It also examined whether three survey instruments could be adapted to enable students to report on their teachers' psychosocial wellbeing. Participants were students in their…

This study examined reasons for the recent wave of immigration to the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, area, interviewing Hmong, Somalis, Russians, and Hispanics/Latinos who were born outside of the United States. Interviews examined reasons for leaving the native land, what immigrants found when they arrived, and how they coped and adapted. Most…

Witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event affects everyone mentally and emotionally. Each person has a different way of responding emotionally, and this is a normal part of the healing process. This document discusses some of the ways people respond to trauma and how to deal with it. It lists ways to cope with depression, how to help others…

Identifying the attributes of the resilient student is a teacher's primary step in building resiliency in all students. This resource book provides teachers with practical, concrete applications and activities for reframing the actions of even the most at-risk students; and changing the focus from problems to solutions, from deficits to strengths.…

The purpose of this mixed methods study (N = 40) was to determine whether Student Teacher Performance (STP), as measured by a behavior-based performance evaluation process, is associated with Emotional Intelligence (EI), as measured by a personality assessment instrument. The study is an important contribution to the literature in that it appears…

Presenting an integrative model for treating traumatized children, this book combines play, art, and other expressive therapies with ideas and strategies drawn from cognitive-behavioral and family therapy. Eliana Gil demonstrates how to tailor treatment to the needs of each child by using both directive and nondirective approaches. Throughout,…

Children's anger presents challenges to teachers committed to constructive, ethical, and effective child guidance. This Digest explores what is known about the components of children's anger, factors contributing to understanding and managing anger, and the ways teachers can guide children's expressions of anger. Anger is believed to have three…

Resilience is a universal capacity that allows a child to prevent, minimize, or overcome the damaging effects of adversity. The construct of resiliency, the combination of protective factors that result in resilience, was addressed by the International Resilience Project (IRP), which set out to explore what parents, caregivers, teachers or…

In a study of 121 African-American urban adolescents, the use of spiritual support as a means of coping was found to be significantly related to psychological well-being and adjustment. The participants were high school freshmen in a midwestern city in an area where the student attrition rate had ranged from 55 to 65% over a 5-year period.…

Significant attrition, high stress levels, and burnout in education indicate that organizational cultures may not provide adequate support for educator resiliency. Teacher retention in a time of teacher shortages is very important. Resiliency development must become a major goal of preservice programs. Resiliency attributes include competence,…

Based on the formula of love, laughter, limits, and linkages, this book presents practical, parent-tested ways parents can help their adolescent children become emotionally intelligent. The book is presented in three parts. Part 1 concerns parent preparation for raising an emotionally intelligent teenager, discusses the importance of parenting by…

This study investigated the findings of a previous study on the effectiveness of the Fort Bragg Child and Adolescent Mental Health Demonstration Project, a program that provided a comprehensive approach to the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services to a population of military-related children residing within the Fort Bragg…