Product reviews for From My Heart

Having read From My Heart and the author's thoughts around the significance of a values-based approach and the positive outcomes this invariably yields, I decided to focus upon values with the children in my class immediately following the Christmas break. We discussed desirable values and worked together to define these and suggest examples of them in action. It was really refreshing to listen to the children, not only speaking of times when they themselves had demonstrated given values, but how they had felt when they'd been on the receiving end of such values. They spoke so positively of the actions of others and how this resonated with them that, upon determining 5 key values we'd like to focus on (respect, generosity, kindness, listening, helpfulness), we decided to make our focus upon recognising when others are demonstrating such values as opposed to simply just trying to display them ourselves. 

This has led to the children taking a truly leading role in recognising and rewarding the demonstration of our values. I, the class teacher, am now utterly redundant as the children go about praising those exhibiting our values and awarding them appropriately using our class rewards system. I was initially a little sceptical about handing over so much control of our values to the children. I always wanted them to outline our values and recognise them being displayed by other people, but I thought that, if they were to take ownership of our class rewards system for example, children may try and curry favour with their closest friends and, consequently, selectively see positive values demonstrated only by these people. I couldn't have been more wrong. They are completely objective in who they recognise and reward for the use of values and, as such, are beginning to build a truly lovely collaborative, values-based environment. I even had one girl come to me this week to recognise the kindness shown to her at playtime by someone she'd previously had a number of quite explosive bust-ups with. 

I am really proud of our focus, not only in demonstrating our values, but in recognising the demonstration of our values in other people. I think this establishes the foundations for building positive relationships as it shifts and previously-held negativity and encourages us looking for the -˜good bits' in others. 

Thanks you Neil Hawkes for not only bringing the power of values to my attention, but for allowing each of the children in my class to begin their journey in recognising the Good that everyone they meet has to offer.