Book Review
We Can Work It Out!
Creating Peace in the Home
By Fran Schmidt
I was on the phone with Fran when she excitedly told me of a handbook she had written for parents. After working for years in schools and with various parent organizations, she acknowledged that parents want to do right by their children. They want the help parenting books offer but often find themselves torn between reading a parenting book and cooking dinner, doing laundry or carting their children to activities. There just isn't enough time to read a book.
Fran asked parents what they wanted. They told her they wanted a simple, easy to read book that had very practical hints, tips, and skills that they could immediately reference and use. So Fran wrote just that booklet!
We Can Work It Out: Creating Peace in the Home offers parents countless tips on parenting, discipline, sibling rivalry and conflict resolution in forty-eight pages. She introduces the Foozles, characters that represent the hurtful words and actions that people often use in frustrating situations. Her poster, "Stop Foozles!" encourages children and parents to cool off, use their brain, and think before reacting.
As an added bonus, Joey Martinez' delightful graphics bring home the points that Fran is making in this easy to read, bulleted booklet. You can get We Can Work It Out by calling Fran Schmidt at Peace Education International, Inc. 305-673-8299.
This Book Review originally appeared in the August, 2002 issue of Teachers Net Gazette.
About the Author
Susan Fitzell is a nationally recognized speaker and author of several educational resource books. She has over two decades of experience with differentiated instruction, teaching youth with special needs, students with behavioral and anger management issues, and students who experience bullying. Susan’s company, AIMHI Educational Programs, focuses on building caring school communities. http://aimhieducational.com/