is known internationally for providing thousands of educators and parents with practical, proven ideas to effectively manage children’s behavior in a manner that respects the dignity of each individual. Dr. Curwin is the co-author of the acclaimed book Discipline with Dignity, Discipline with Dignity for Challenging Youth and As Tough as Necessary: Countering Violence, Aggression, and Hostility in Our Schools as well as author of Rediscovering Hope: Our Greatest Teaching Strategy.  His most recent publication, Making Good Choices offers teachers eight ready-to-use strategies with objectives, materials, language, and examples-all designed to encourage students to accept responsibility for their own behavior, to recognize that mistakes can become opportunities for learning, and to help them learn how to formulate and live with classroom and community rules that promote responsibility, respect, and self-discipline.  His articles have appeared in Educational Leadership, Reclaiming Children and Youth, Instructor, Parenting, and Learning. Dr. Curwin has presented training, seminars and workshops throughout the United States and Canada as well as in Belgium, Germany, Japan, Singapore and Israel.  He was a recipient of the coveted Crazy Horse Award for having made outstanding contributions to discouraged youth.  Dr. Curwin is the parent of 3 children and 5 grandchildren.  He resides in San Francisco, California. 

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Dr. Allen Mendler

is an educator, school psychologist and parent of three children.  He has worked extensively with children of all ages in regular education and special education settings.  Dr. Mendler has consulted to many schools, day and residential centers, including extensive work with youth in juvenile detention.  Dr. Mendler's emphasis is on developing effective frameworks and strategies for educators, youth professionals and parents to help difficult youth succeed.  As one of the internationally acclaimed authors of the Discipline with Dignity books, Dr. Mendler has given many workshops and seminars to professionals and parents, and is highly acclaimed as a motivational speaker and trainer for numerous educational organizations.  He is the author or co-author of several books including As Tough as Necessary, What Do I Do When…?, Power Struggles: Successful Techniques for Educators, Motivating Students Who Don't Care, Connecting with Students and Discipline with Dignity for Challenging Youth.  His most recent book, Just in Time provides practical, easy-to-read tips and specific methods for preventing discipline problems.  His articles have appeared in many journals including Educational Leadership, Kappan, Learning, Reclaiming Children and Youth, and Reaching Today's Youth.  Dr. Mendler has been recognized for his distinguished teaching by the Bureau of Education and Research, and was a recipient of the coveted Crazy Horse Award for having made outstanding contributions to discouraged youth.  Dr. Mendler lives with his family in Rochester, New York. 

Send an E-mail to Dr. Mendler.

Drs. Curwin and Mendler are in great demand as presenters for national and regional conferences. Their presentations are fast-moving, thought-provoking and full of practical insights and ideas you can use immediately with your own students or children. Drs. Curwin and Mendler also offer on-site staff development training and consultations.

Ms. Willeta Corbett is a third generation educator, a proud descendant of Wilmer O. Gray for whom Gray Elementary School in Mesquite, Texas is named.  Willeta began her teaching career at age 19, teaching English in her hometown of El Paso, Texas.  After ten successful years of teaching, she left the classroom to become a staff developer.  Willeta has worked with every category of school employee for over fifteen years, designing and delivering training.  Her positive and enthusiastic presentations are informative as well as entertaining.  She takes great pride in her work with Discipline with Dignity which has been acknowledged by the authors in four of their books.  Willeta has lived in Germany and various army posts in the states.  She is the proud mother of one daughter, Vera, who is an education major at Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

Dr. Jerry Evanski has been a public school administrator at all levels, K-12.  He has written several books and has taught at the university level for many years.  Dr. Evanski received his master's degree in music education, his educational specialist degree and his doctorate degree in general administration and supervision from Wayne State University.  He created and teaches a series of courses at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan Brain Research in Education.  The video he created about the program won two Telly awards in 2005.  He is also a trained Super Camp facilitator, an internationally know accelerated learning program.  He has worked with Drs. Curwin and Mendler for over a decade and consulted on their As Tough as Necessary video series.

Ms. Mary Beth Hewitt has been in the field of education for the past 30 years. She has worked with students from grades K-12 in public, special, and day treatment settings as both a teacher and administrator. For six years she served as a principal for the Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES program for the emotionally disabled. An active supporter of mainstreaming and inclusion, Ms. Hewitt has developed and implemented a series of training programs for both special and regular education staff members. Over the past twelve years, she has trained over 19,000 teachers, para-professionals, mental health and support personnel in strategies and techniques to address the needs of children with challenging behaviors. She has also taught classroom management at Nazareth College in Rochester .  Ms. Hewitt has a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration and a Master's degree in Special Education with a concentration in working with students with emotional disabilities. She is a Senior Life Space Crisis Intervention trainer for Dr. Nicholas Long, director of the Institute of Psychoeducational Training , formerly of American University . Many of Ms. Hewitt's articles can be read in the journal "Reclaiming Children and Youth."

Mr. Brian Mendler is a special education teacher in Rochester, NY with extensive experience working with challenging students in both self-contained and inclusion settings.  In addition, he provides staff development training for K-12 educators and youth service workers throughout North America through Discipline Associates with the focus on how to be successful with even the most difficult students.   Mr. Mendler’s recent publication, Tips 4 Teachers, is an easy to read book for educators that offers specific, practical strategies from the Discipline with Dignity approach.  Brian contributed to our most recent book titled Just In Time written by Dr. Allen Mendler, co-author of numerous publications including Discipline with Dignity.  The publication provides practical, in-depth suggestions for teachers that offer solutions to problems with discipline and motivation.   While completing his Master’s degree at D'Youville college in Buffalo, Brian was accepted as a volunteer in the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program and has been passionately involved with this program since that time.  His work with students both at school and in the community has taught him that while the root of discipline and motivation problems in school comes from factors outside the control of the teacher, there is much that educators can do to influence change.  He is committed to teaching so that he can directly influence his students as well as providing staff development opportunities in the form of practical strategies to fellow educators who face the daily challenge of successfully handling disruptive, unmotivated youth.

Dr. Donald Price is a highly experienced teacher and trainer.  As an educator for the past 28 years, he has searched for ways to turn around the most difficult students.  He received his Master’s degree and Doctorate degree with a specialization in working with disruptive and defiant students from Pepperdine University.  Currently, Dr. Price is a secondary educator and serves as an Adjunct Professor for Cal State University and the University of Phoenix.  Because of his success in the classroom, he is in much demand to speak at local, state and national conferences.  Teachers appreciate his down-to-earth ideas and his enthusiastic and positive attitude.  Dr. Price is the parent of three children and resides in Irvine, California.

Ms. Colleen Zawadzki has been a Staff Development Specialist at OCM BOCES for sevn years.  Prior to that, she worked for more than 23 years in the Syracuse City School District.  There, she taught social studies, worked with at-risk students in a variety of settings, developed and implemented a program for teachers at risk, and was a staff development trainer.  Some areas of special interest to Colleen are best instructional practices, technology in the content area, middle level strategies, classroom management, and block scheduling and data analysis.  She gains great satisfaction from her her work with teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals and parents.  Colleen holds a B.A. from SUNY Buffalo, a M.S. from Syracuse University and a C.A.S. from SUNY Cortland.  She is currently supporting educators as they strive to meet state standard requirements. 

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