How to cut your verbal corrections in half...overnight!

Every child needs correction. It comes with the territory. But how much is enough -- too much -- too little?

It's commonly known that 80% or more of teacher talk in many classrooms across the nation is focused at disciplinary and other corrective issues. As we ask parents and providers this question in our classes, answers range all the way from 60% to 100%! How about your situation?

Whatever your answer, would you like to cut your corrective words in half and be more effective at the same time? A couple of examples:

• ILLUSTRATION #1 - Tara is sitting at the table with her legs crossed. As she puts cereal in her mouth, she drops some on her lap because she is sitting too far from the table. Instead of talking to her again (You have already told her 10,000 times to sit forward in her chair!), you quietly walk up behind her, put your hands on her shoulders and gently help her sit forward with her legs down.
• ILLUSTRATION #2 - Tyler is goofing off again instead of building the log cabin that he said he wants to build. Rather than calling across the room to remind him to get busy, you go TO him, touch him on the shoulder and quietly look in the direction of the partially completed project. He quickly gets the message and returns to his work.

And just like that, you have cut back on your corrective words. Do this consistently, and you will reduce your verbal corrections by 50%.at least! What's more, you will find that this approach uses much less energy than verbal correction, even though you sometimes get up and go TO the child.

Children find Quiet Correction almost irresistible because they can't "tune out" Quiet Correction like they can (and frequently do) your voice. You will also find that children remember your guidance better because they become more sensitive to it in the absence of verbal direction.

In the end, you will find that, in both yourself and your children, "quietness builds confidence and confidence builds strength."