The impetus for this book and accompanying workshops came from my experiences as a school psychologist, in the classroom teaching children and later, leading workshops for teachers and parents. I was struck by how much children wanted to learn and how strongly teachers wanted to teach. The trouble was, the largely authoritarian system they all had to function in had flaws that prevented them from doing either.

My epiphany occurred when I met renowned child psychologist Rudolf Dreikurs in 1965. His revolutionary approach to understanding children and their behavior set in motion a life long interest. The concepts he espoused – things like democratic methods, encouragement, consequences, and class meetings – opened up exciting new directions. I have been using these techniques for over 35 years. I have seen how they can turn children on to education while improving the relationships with their teachers. I know that they work. I know they will work for you.
I have tried to back up the theoretical aspect of the book with very practical techniques that will easily put the
theories to use. To accomplish this, nothing is more practical than the class meeting, something a large part of the book is taken up with. Learning how to conduct these meetings on a regular basis, as well as how to include your students in them, is the key to having a disciplined classroom that is truly free from stress.

I deeply believe that if teachers understand and embrace these ideas, if they have respect for their students and
trust in the possibility of their cooperation, it can not only change the classroom by the way we prepare our children to face the challenges of the adult world.

Stan Shapiro

Stan Shapiro, M.A.

Stan Shapiro is a well-known teacher and parenting expert, psychotherapist, lecturer and author (Classrooms That Work, Practical Parenting, and Parent Talk). He is the Founder of the Ontario Parenting Education Center, the past Director of the Alfred Adler Institute of Ontario, and a former Course Director in the Faculty of Education at York University. Stan also founded Classrooms That Work – a professional development program for teachers.

Stan became committed to parenting and teacher education while working as a school psychologist in Dayton, Ohio during the mid 1960’s. He began studying with Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs, a student of renowned Psychiatrist Alfred Adler. Dreikurs was involved in adapting Adler’s principles to teaching and raising children. Stan worked to set up some of the first parenting workshops, which were based on ground breaking ideas such as respect for children, understanding the motivations for misbehavior, encouragement, and finding alternatives to the traditional disciplinary tools of punishment and rewards. Forty years later, this approach can be seen in virtually all of the parenting and teaching programs being offered today.

Stan has led countless workshops with his practical, easy-to-understand and humorous style. From the inner-city schools of Detroit to a Cree School in the far northern town of Kuujjuaraapik, he has fought tirelessly for the idea that teachers and students can and should work cooperatively to create a positive classroom environment. At the same time, as one of North America’s top parenting experts, he has worked to stress the importance of making parenting education available to every community.

He has two children and five grandchildren.

Written works include:
Classrooms That Work, A Teachers Guide to Discipline Without Stress
Parent Talk, 50 Quick, Effective Solutions to the Most Common Parenting Challenges
Practical Parenting, A Common Sense Guide To Raising Cooperative, Self Reliant and Loving Children
Practial Parenting Study Guide
These publications deal with skills and suggestions for teachers and parents on how to improve their relationship with children and together form a partnership in establishing a cooperative atmosphere within the classroom and home.