Teaching with Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom Book

I found this book really helpful, and I'm looking forward to putting the ideas into practice next week when the students start school. The idea behind "teaching with love and logic" is that, instead of having a discipline system of rules and punishments, teachers address discipline issues on the basis of principles. This means that each instance is addressed uniquely. It also means that the kid is made to do most of the work in resolving the problem and thereby actually learns how to problem-solve... as opposed to the teacher doing all of the work of thinking about the appropriate consequence to fit the crime. What was revolutionary to me was the idea that consequences don't have to be implemented at the moment of the misbehavior. Instead, the teacher can acknowledge the appropriate behavior and inform the student that she will think about how to handle this and will let the student know of her decision at that time. This avoids plunging into a power struggle in the heat of the emotional moment.
The authors also stressed the importance of giving students choices. Saying, "Would you like to work quietly like you're supposed or would you like to go to the dean's office?" is not really a choice since it's obvious which choice is preferred. Instead, students need to be offered real, enforceable choices. For example, "Would you like to continue working with a partner quietly or would you like to work by yourself in a different area?"
I really liked the idea of informing students what you, the teacher, will do instead of trying to dictate what the students will do. So, instead of "Sit down, be quiet", you can say, "We will begin the lesson when everyone is seated and quiet." If students refuse to sit in their assigned seats, instead of entering into the expected battle, you can simply say, "I will mark present students who are in their assigned seats." This informs the student of the implied consequence and allows the student to make a good decision instead of being ordered around.
I think these new methods will take time to become second-nature, but, with the help of this book, I'm hoping to have a much calmer and smoother year.