Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw – Ep 13

In my latest podcast episode, number 13 in this series, we take a quick detour from the subject of developing good character in our children for a topic that’s not far off from a conversation about character… it’s the subject of showing.  The topic of bullies and bullying is top of mind among children, parents and teachers, and there are valuable lessons for everyone when bullying is discussed.

In order to address this issue, I take a few moments in this podcast to actually read through my children’s book on life lessons titled SHOWING OFF.  The book is based on dialogue between 5-year-old Olivia and me, her grandmother, Min Min, and it talks about a child that Olivia meets in school who says mean things and degrades other children.  I explain during the course of the story that we have all encountered people like that, and that bullies and show-offs generally don’t feel good about themselves and that’s what causes their behavior.   My philosophy is that behavior comes from need, and the need to feel better about one’s self drives bullies to their bad behavior.

If you’re just being introduced to my children’s books for the first time, I have developed an extensive series of single-story e-books and multi-story paperbacks for social and emotional learning.   They are picture books that can be read as children’s stories would be read… at bedtime or repeatedly.  The characters recur which gives children a sense of connection and relatability.  The books are all here on this website under the books tab, and they were all created to help busy parents have the tools and the language to support social and emotional learning at home or in schools… it’s my way of continuing to be of service in the field of education.