Learn to speak the correct love language
Matthew was the Bouncer. His fist was ready to settle all and any problem. Mark was the Scowler. He could hold a scowl a full hour when offended. Luke was Despair personified. He dealt with difficulties by bowing his head on the desk in woeful despair. John was Paralysis – he would sit and pout all day, even skipping lunch, when something upset him. Obviously there were other things going on with these children than just having a bad day or waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Making these children learn was a daily challenge. And for the first four months of one school year nothing I tried by way of incentive – positive or negative - worked. I scowled back. I offered tickets to redeem for free play time. I gave them stickers. Some days I was so angry and frustrated that I stood in front of the class, and, as James Thurber would put it, begin “to quiver all over like Lionel Barrymore.” Rewards and incentives. It seems a simple matter. But what does research say? There are some ...