Study Group Summary

The group was on fire with the start of this book. During our first meeting, we explored Lawrence Kohlberg's Six Levels of Moral Development. A discussion about the importance of Level VI behavior in the classroom developed and different ideas/situations were discussed that pertained to individual classrooms as well as the building/district.

Quotes from the reading that evoked discussion/ideas:

"It's [Room 56] a world where character matters, hard work is respected, humility is valued, and support for one another is unconditional" (Esquith x).

"You must always try to see things from the child's point of view and never use fear as a shortcut for education" (Esquith 6).

"A classroom based on trust and devoid of fear is a fantastic place for kids to learn" (Esquith 13).

"We need to show our children that proper behavior is expected, not rewarded" (Esquith 17).

"We need to raise the bar for children precisely because so many kids are behaving so badly" (Esquith 24).