Partnership

Positive Discipline® Workshops

Positive Discipline Workshops

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These workshops are offered each semester and led by Jinny Gonzalez, AMS Director of Early Childhood Programs, and Sveta Pais, AMS Director of Enrollment Management. Jinny and Sveta are certified Positive Discipline Parent Educators and their bios can be found below.
The experiential nature of these workshops lends itself well to  parents, grandparents, and primary caregivers who want to:
  • Help their children feel a sense of belonging and significance in their home environment, allowing them to contribute of their own volition. 
  • Engage each family member to be in a relationship that is mutually respectful and encouraging.
    Use “discipline” techniques that consider what the child is thinking, feeling, learning, and deciding about themselves and their world.
  • Teach children essential social and life skills such as respect, concern for others, problem-solving, and cooperation.
  • Invite children to discover how capable they are by encouraging the constructive use of personal power and autonomy.
Tools are based on Adlerian theory, an “encouragement model” that promotes kindness and firmness to help parents and caregivers get to the core of a child’s behavior, bringing more joy into the home and offering a sense of accomplishment.


Reading or listening to the audiobook of Positive Discipline: The Classic Guide to Helping Children Develop Self-Discipline, Responsibility, Cooperation, and Problem-Solving Skills by Jane Nelsen will not be required but will enhance participants’ understanding of techniques explored during the workshop. 

The next Positive Discipline Workshop at Austin Montessori School will be held on these dates: 
  • Session 1: Thursday, March 27, 2025
  • Session 2: Thursday, April 3, 2025
  • Session 3: Thursday, April 10, 2025
  • Session 4: Thursday, April 17, 2025
  • Session 5: Thursday, April 24, 2025
  • Session 6: Thursday, May 1, 2025 


I loved the class!! I’ve read A LOT of parenting books and this has been by far the best, and the workshop brings the material to life in a way reading alone can. I’m so grateful to be part of the AMS community and feel the support you all give us. Thank you!!! - Positive Discipline Workshop Participant, Fall 2024
The activities to get to know other parents were fantastic. It made the situations real and deepened my understanding of the material. I would love to take this workshop again and again! Well done, Sveta and Jinny! - Positive Discipline Workshop Participant, Spring 2024
Thank you very much for taking the time to teach us these valuable techniques and perspectives. It’s wonderful that Austin Montessori School provides growth experiences like these that also connect families on a deeper level. - Positive Discipline Workshop Participant, Spring 2024
The Positive Discipline course helped me become a better parent in several ways.  One significant benefit was learning to distinguish age-appropriate and normal child behaviors from behaviors that actually needed to be addressed. This leaves me with more emotional energy when I need it because I'm not wasting that most precious of resources - patience - on things that I shouldn't be worrying about in the first place.  Several role-playing exercises helped me see things from my daughter's perspective, making me more empathetic.  Another exercise that helped folks realize what their go-to solution is in times of stress or crisis (mine was "ease").  It makes me the "fun" parent but isn't a great long-term strategy.  Recognizing when I'm choosing ease has helped me to pick it less and choose better responses more.  The birth order chapter and discussion were also eye-opening. Get ready to understand better your kids and your own childhood and family dynamics.  Lastly, the feeling of community from sharing stories and tips with other parents was a welcome reprieve from the stresses of parenting. - Positive Discipline Workshop Participant, Fall 2023
All in all, I really learned a lot from the course. Thank you for all your effort and late nights...The other day, my husband heard me handle a tricky situation with our toddler, and he just said, "Wow!". He was amazed at how calmly I talked and moved while our toddler screamed in my face. Then, I redirected him so well that I surprised myself with how well it worked. Thank you for bringing peace to our homes! - Positive Discipline Workshop Participant, Fall 2023
It both validated and reset my approaches to parenting. I particularly liked the aspects of the class which helped me be more aware of my own internal reactions that lead to less than beneficial reactions to my child's behaviors. - Positive Discipline Workshop Participant, Fall 2023
The mistaken goal interview actually helped me solve a real parenting problem, and that has been wonderful. The "and" formula to acknowledge and redirect has been useful. And just the simple fact of seeing my kid's behavior as a request for belonging and significance helps me to be more patient. - Positive Discipline Workshop Participant, Fall 2023
Jinny has served as the Director of Early Childhood Programs at Austin Montessori School since 2017. She holds AMI 0-3 and 3-6 Diplomas and has almost 25 years of experience working with faculty and families in educating the whole child. She is also certified as a Positive Discipline Parent Educator.
Having led communities of children aged 0 to 6 years old, Jinny understands the profound transformation all adults working with children must undergo to be agents of change in the service of humanity. As Director of Early Childhood Programs, she enjoys cultivating a culture of dignity and love for Montessori among all faculty, support staff, and parents. Jinny firmly believes that children who experience such care and intentional guidance will one day transform the world.

Read the rest of Jinny's bio here.
This is Sveta's eighth year working at Austin Montessori School and her sixteenth year as an AMS parent. In her role as Director of Enrollment Management, she is responsible for coordinating admissions management, student retention, institutional research, and marketing.  
Sveta holds a BSc in Labor Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an MEd in Montessori Integrative Learning from Endicott College, an AMI Primary Diploma, and has completed the AMI Orientation to Adolescent Studies. Sveta completed a three-year course of study, earning a diploma in Educational Leadership from the Whole School Leadership Institute at Loyola University, Maryland. She is also certified as a Positive Discipline Parent Educator.

Read the rest of Sveta's bio here.

Austin Montessori School

5006 Sunset Trail, Austin, TX 78745
(512) 892-0253
info@austinmontessori.org
Austin Montessori School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex or gender, disability, or age in providing educational services, activities, and programs. Austin Montessori School complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), as amended, which incorporates and expands upon the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; and any other legally-protected classification or status protected by applicable law.