Principles of self-expression with accountability are taught, and then students and faculty are given the opportunity to express how they are feeling and what they are thinking about themselves and things that are happening to them. Expressions of blaming, accusations, and ridicule are re-phrased, and students and faculty are taught how to express themselves and how to listen to others and have a conversation, not an argument. The purpose of the disclosures is for clarity and insight which lead to intimacy and understanding. This approach to communication and to each other carries over into the classroom where a more effective orientation toward teaching can occur. It asks faculty to teach students the course, not to teach the course to students.
Accountability is a central theme of honest communication.
Acting out verbally and physically is a common pattern among adolescents. Left unaddressed, this pattern interferes with or prevents them from expressing their true feelings and in turn, interferes with or prevents them from knowing what they are saying. They, of course, get only more frustrated by the responses they then get, and none of the involved parties feel heard or cared about in any meaningful or effective way. In this era of global violence, teenagers mirror the societal tone and approach themselves and each other with aggressive hostility and suspicion. They are surrounded by cultures that increasingly are verbally and physically abusive.