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For Goodness' Sake: Supporting Children
& Teens in Discovering Life's Highest Values
by Michael Nitai Deranja
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Happier Children, More Balanced Children
[Portions of this book are available to read
on-line, including the Contents, Chapter
1, Sample Activities, and the
Conclusion.]
Today’s children need more than academic education
— they also need positive values for making the most of
their education and their lives. Selfishness, greed, and moodiness
are common — but treatable! — burdens for many children.
Michael Nitai Deranja offers simple-to-use, effective
activities to help children learn — from their own experience
— that expressing virtue actually brings them more happiness.
Ages 4 to 17 will have fun with these activities as they explore
seventeen different values, including cooperation, concentration,
integrity, willingness, and many others. As children learn through
direct, personal experience, these positive values become part
of their lives.
You will learn how to:
• Help children overcome one of the greatest obstacles to
learning — restlessness.
• Exercise firm, loving discipline.
• Communicate more honestly and effectively with children.
• Guide teens to discover true maturity, and still maintain
the enthusiasm of childhood.
For Goodness Sake gives you tools to bring
more depth of sharing into your home or classroom, and to help
children experience the highest expression of themselves.
Michael Nitai Deranja is the founder of the Living
Wisdom School, with California campuses near Nevada
City (including a high
school) and Palo
Alto, as well as campuses in Oregon
and Washington.
A devoted parent, he has also been a principal and classroom teacher
for the last 30 years.
What Others Are Saying
...
The author brings his years of teaching experience from the classroom
together in an outstanding blend of hands-on learning techniques.
This book is a must for teachers, and will inspire parents in
new approaches to Family Living with fun-filled games, and self
explorations, through visualization and imagination, stories,
service projects, as well as field trips and community participation.
All brought together in easy to apply approaches for both teachers
and parents. I particularly enjoyed the student commentaries and
contributions to round out their personal experience in growing
and learning together.
I highly recommend this book as a means of establishing
good communications and promoting self-direction in children and
teens; while emphasizing life’s higher values in everyday
living.
—Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D. Author, Children Learn
What They Live
For Goodness' Sake: Supporting Children &
Teens in Discovering Life's Highest Values is a sourcebook
of activities, advice, and tips on sharing values with children
from ages 4 to 17. Written by an experienced parent, principal
and classroom teacher, For Goodness' Sake covers how to exercise
firm yet loving discipline, how to communicate honestly and effectively
with children, helping children overcome the restlessness that
can interfere with their learning, and much more.
Activities emphasize such positive qualities as
self-control ("Stony Faces" divides participants into
pairs and has them look into each other's eyes; the first to smile,
laugh or look away loses) and strengthening one's will (a three
part activity that focuses on doing one thing at a time, finishing
what one starts, and trying one new thing a day).
A positive-minded blast of fresh air, filled with
helpful suggestions for parents, teachers, and youth caregivers
alike.
—Midwest Book Review
I am very well impressed with your book. It shows
the fruit of many years of experience, with excellent use made
of them.
—J. Donald Walters, author of Education
For Life and The
Art of Supportive Leadership
Making the most of an education is more about learning
what matters in life than it is about academics. Children need
positive values and practical tools to enable them to overcome
the common maladies and pitfalls of youth: moodiness, selfishness
and greed. Deranja is the founder of Living Wisdom School, with
campuses in California and Oregon. Insightful and solution-minded,
he offers proven ideas and activities to help children experience
the highest expression of themselves.
—East West Book Reviews
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