Discipline for Character Development

Kevin Walsh's 1991 guide from Religious Education Press approaches discipline not as punishment but as a formative tool for building character and moral responsibility in children. Written for teachers and parents — particularly those in faith-based educational settings — it draws on both educational research and Catholic religious education philosophy to offer practical frameworks for nurturing virtue. The faith-aligned approach will resonate with Christian educators who want their classroom management to connect to something deeper than rule-following. The honest caveat is a real one: verifiable details about specific content are thin, confidence is low, and over three decades of evolving educational research have passed since publication. This is worth seeking out if you are specifically in the Catholic religious education tradition, but approach with the awareness that it is dated and sparsely documented.