Sarah Shares: Positive Parenting

Tonight Greene Towne will host the first event in our annual Parent Education Series, featuring Dr. Lisa Dissinger speaking about the Power of Positive Parenting. Dr. Dissinger has been the consulting psychologist with Greene Towne for 22 years. I’m grateful to Lisa for sharing her expertise through this venue, and to be able to share with the broader community the valuable resource she brings to Greene Towne’s students, faculty and families. 

The notion of positive parenting relates directly to Montessori practice of intentional use of positive language and guidance to help children to develop self discipline—to help children to understand the impact that their actions have on their environment. We do this by using a combination of kindness and firm, clear messages that are shaped in the positive, and through examining the world through the child’s perspective. Montessorians believe that “Beneath every behavior is a feeling, and beneath every feeling is a need. When we meet that need rather than focus on the behavior, we begin to deal with the cause and not the symptom.” Often our job is to understand children’s needs and help them to be heard. When we give children the ability to take care of themselves and get their needs met in a caring and responsible way, we are setting them up for success, now and far into the future.

Our parent speaker series is organized by a committee of the Greene Towne Parent Association on topics that are timely and of great interest to young families. Many thanks to parent Larae Idleman Cunningham for coordinating this year’s series. Topics to come this year include healthy eating habits, and bringing Montessori philosophy and practice home. Since its founding, Greene Towne has served young families in Center City. Our speaker series is one way that Greene Towne’s expertise and leadership in early childhood education can continue to benefit those in and outside of our school community.