All children have hopes and dreams. Their innocent optimism from their early years to working their way through school is inspiring.
The responsibilities of educators and parents are to help children be 'response-able' in facing the challenges of life. A victim mentality eliminates any hope of successfully meeting their aspirations and dreams.
Children face obstacles -- some are daunting and others the normal ups and downs of childhood. Parents and others have an obligation to help children grow into maturity and learn that they can act in positive ways in good as well as in hard times. To reject the ability to live a life they have imagined results in a life lost, along with its potential and possibilities.
To be successful, children cannot adopt a victim mentality. When confronted with challenges, character matters -- responding effectively to address life's challenges. Schools must teach character development in an environment that holds children responsible and accountable. We all have only one life to live and we are able to respond to achieve an imagined life.
Praise for Rachel Joyce
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
“Joyce’s beguiling debut is [a] modest-seeming story of ‘ordinary’ English lives that enthralls and moves you as it unfolds.”—People (four stars)
“[A] gorgeously poignant novel of hope and transformation.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy
“A beautiful story which will grip you, make you laugh and cry, uplift your spirit and leave you feeling profoundly grateful and changed by the reading experience.”—Daily Mail
“Touching . . . [a] quiet, gentle, moving novel.”—The Observer
Perfect
“If only there were more novelists like Rachel Joyce. . . . [The character] Diana herself is faultless . . . a fully rounded hero, someone to fall in love with.”—The Telegraph
“A poignant and powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing.”—Tana French
Autorentext
George A. Goens, PhD, has written nine books and coauthored four on leadership, school reform, education, and social issues. He served as Superintendent of Schools and in other administrative positions, as well as, a leadership consultant to public boards and individuals.
Inhalt
Preface
Chapter 1- More Than Academics
Chapter 2- Students and Victim Mentality
Chapter 3- Response-able or Passive Victim
Chapter 4- Victim Mentality and Life
Chapter 5- Character Matters
Chapter 6- Being and Self-Efficacy
Chapter 7- Teachers, Schools, and Responsibility
Chapter 8- Parents, Children, and Responsibility
Chapter 9- Flourish or Languish
Chapter 10- Managing Life
Chapter 11- What is at Stake?