Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Preventing School Violence: Guidelines for Teaching Civility and School Harmony

Preventing School Violence: Guidelines for Teaching Civility and School Harmony, is an amazing resource that reminds the reader of the importance of establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships among the school community: teachers, administrators, students, families, and the community at large. As educators, we are responsible for modeling civility in our schools, by creating significant connections with others. This book provides the reader with profound scenarios, approaches and strategies to promote civility and encourage school harmony, and to explore what dignity for all really means. Review Preventing School Violence: Guidelines for Teaching Civility and School Harmony, focuses on the need for these both in the school and home. One thing I really liked was the emphasis on positive thinking and how to incorporate that into class discussions. Through lessons, activities, personal vignettes, conversations and reflections, the reader will have a thorough understanding of what our society is confronting every day, and how we can begin to really address, and solve the problem of anti-social behaviors. When you reach the final chapter of the book, you will have learned how we can bring about social change, while realizing the worth of each individual. As I did, the reader may well come to recognize the importance of supporting schools as the building blocks of character development and civility. Most importantly, I think, as a former teacher and administrator, the reader comes to realize the imperatives for presenting lessons and how we must utilize reflection, interaction, cooperation and collaboration in all our efforts and actions... to ensure success in our endeavors for thwarting school violence by our teaching and modeling what it is to be civil.--Barbara Hayes, EdD, Molloy College, former dean of undergraduate education studies and present field supervisor Civility and character education are not an automatic occurrence in today's classrooms. Dr. Schiering has written an excellent guide for educators to help their students understand the importance of these two social cognition areas. This book is a viable resource for educators, parents and students. It provides, from start-to-finish, guides for teaching civility, and ways to prevent school violence. This book thoroughly covers aspects of the processes in helping our schools prevent violent behaviors. It is practical, useful, and written in a clear and concise conversational manner. The book presents research-based material on the topic of violence, and civility activities that are easily implemented in any classroom. The author's narratives give relevance to the emphasis of the main theme, and this book is an important resource for all educators and parents.--Angela T. Sullivan, EdD, adjunct professor, education graduate department; Concordia College, Bronxville, NY Dr. Marjorie Schieiring's Preventing School Violence: Guidelines for Teaching Civility and School Harmony, is a complete, and well-documented treatise on what teachers can do in the face of the epidemic of school violence that grips our nation. The book is probably the most comprehensive manual on school violence prevention workshops that has ever been written, but it is far more than that. Schiering's secret is that civility is more than something we teach; it is who we must become. This well constructed work will quietly strike at the heart of the reader, infusing hope on every page. The book's message is that the secret to stemming school violence calls for a revolution in how we treat each other, not just in classrooms, but in life.--Kevin Sheehan, EdD, Associate Professor of Education, Molloy College: Co-author and Author Dr. Marjorie Schiering's Preventing School Violence: Guidelines for Teaching Civility and School Harmony is a "must read" for all educators. She begins with a definition of violence and promises to end with instructional techniques. Dr. Schiering