Comments on: A Mission

By: Emma Grierson

Emma Grierson — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:01:35 +0000

I have undergone Restorative Teaching training and although the idea has its’ own description and ‘rules’ being the three ‘R’s - Respect, Responsibility and Relationships - the thing that rang true to me throughout the training was the council’s policy on Unconditional Positive Regard! The children whom I am in contact with everyday receive this from me and with consistent perseverance and modelling of this behaviour, I am receiving it back. Therefore a much happier work force and learning environment

By: Debbie

Debbie — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:53:49 +0000

This is an extremely powerful and encouraging post.
I commend your confidence, but more so your commitment to the young [and not so young] people of East Lothian.

By: Catriona Gill

Catriona Gill — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:25:25 +0000

As a person-centred counsellor who is currently undergoing initial teacher training, it fills me with great hope, to read this post.
Unconditional positive regard does have the potential for transformation in all human relationships. It is even more powerful when aligned with the conditions of empathy and congruence.
Person-centred theory holds that these three ‘core conditions’ are both necessary and sufficient for human growth and development.
If we are looking to create a developmental, process driven curriculum model for the future, perhaps these ‘core conditions’ should become important aspects of teacher training and CPD.
Congratulations for daring to have a vision.

By: Allsorts

Allsorts — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:18:39 +0000

It was only when I did some counselling training and read and practised some Rogers-based person-centred counselling, that I understood the transformative nature of unconditional positive regard. When I read Jackie Hill’s book Person-Centred Approaches in Schools I understood how I could change the way I perceived the interaction between myself and the pupils. It was no longer a battle for control, but a process of mutual progress towards a goal.

Although here you seem to limit the extent of your UPR to children, I wonder if it should also be extended to colleagues - even those who refer to children as “morons”? They all bring baggage to the job too, and just like the children, some may be experiencing unpleasant things in their lives which we do not know about. Shouldn’t our unconditional positive regard extend to them too so that when we challenge the unacceptable nature of their interactions with children, they are empowered to change rather than forced to defend themselves?

By: John Connell

John Connell — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:17:13 +0000

Good on you, Don!

I’ve disliked those in teaching who do not try to live up to the concept of positive regard almost from the day I first walked into the job - from the moment, in fact, that I heard a teacher of long-experience in my first school posting tell me that educating children was no different from training dogs.

Bad enough, but made worse by the knowledge, gained later, that she actually treated her own dog at home better than she treated some of the kids in her class!