POSITIVE DISCIPLINE (PD - www.positivediscipline.com) is a model for learning social-emotional competencies for child guidance, classroom leadership, parenting education, discipline, and organizational development.  Practiced in 88 countries around the world, the books and workshops by Dr. Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott, MFT promote self-discipline: doing the right thing when no one is watching, forcing, or bribing, and in the face of opposition.  Using kindness and firmness together, and encouragement for both children and adults, PD tools invite the intrinsic motivation to develop characteristics and life skills long term to create relationships of mutual respect. Positive Discipline aligns with the Montessori approach of following the child, as well as Element’s philosophy of self-directed learning and the development of mastery, autonomy, and purpose.

Element Education, along with twenty schools worldwide in the 24-25 school year, has again been selected to pilot the Positive Discipline Lab School project. PD Lab Schools are recognized for their commitment to broadly implement Positive Discipline. Lab school teachers and staff receive ongoing training in PD and work closely with a Positive Discipline Certified Trainer or Lead Trainer to support program development. Positive Discipline experiential activities for students are used to model and teach social-emotional and academic competencies, and the PD Class Meeting model engages students through integrated practice to solve real-life problems.

Community Montessori regularly hosts complimentary Positive Parenting workshops so parents can also learn and use the model in the home learning environment.