Jim Fay, the cofounder of Love and Logic, states “the Love and Logic philosophy teaches character. Character is built out of a formula that involves three things: A child making a mistake, an adult feeling empathy and compassion for the child, and the kid learning from the consequences of his or her actions.”
Humanex Academy employs the Love and Logic approach to behavior management. Students at Humanex are encouraged to be themselves but to do so in an appropriate manner for school. When teenagers make mistakes, as they inevitably do, the staff members react in a consistent and empathetic way. We avoid power struggles with students who have made mistakes. Rather, we encourage them to solve problems in their own way, as long as that solution is appropriate for the school community. We never shield the child from the mistake, but create a safe environment where the student can fail and then learn from that mistake without the arbitrary negative repercussions of a zero tolerance policy.
Humanex’s staff strives to give natural consequences with empathy. Rather than internalizing their feelings about making a bad choice and learning from that mistake, students who receive punitive consequences externalize and blame others, failing to learn from their experiences. Love and Logic provides a way for staff to create a consequence that fits the student and the action and that he or she can learn from.
Humanex teachers also are trained in how they first react toward students who are getting their needs met inappropriately. Knowing and implementing these de-escalation techniques means that many of our students who acted out in the public schools are able to learn and practice positive conflict resolution skills.
Much of the way we implement Love and Logic is focused on getting students to think about their own behavior rather than having the staff think about it for them. When successful, the student ceases to place blame on the staff member who created the boundary and starts thinking about his or her own role in the problem. Effective Humanex teachers do this by asking questions that get the student to start thinking rather than reacting.
Overall, the Love and Logic approach leads to a safe and supportive school environment where students truly learn the skills needed for a happy and successful life after high school. For more detailed information about the benefits of this approach go to
www.loveandlogic.com.