From Conflict to Conciliation How to Defuse Difficult Situations

Debra Eckerman Pitton is an Associate Professor of Education at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, where she teaches middle school and secondary methods courses, and supervises student teachers. In addition, she conducts mentor training workshops for school districts across the country, and regularly presents at conferences. She has taught language arts at the middle school and high school levels, and interpersonal and group communication at the community college level. She has also served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and learning.William Watson Purkey is Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Co-Founder of the…  More International Alliance for Invitational Education.nbsp; The Alliance is a non-profit educational group dedicated to creating and maintaining truly welcoming schools.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; William was born in Shenandoah, Virginia and went on to become a soda jerk, theatre usher, life guard, book store clerk, fish store manager, railroad yard clerk, gandy dancer, U.S. National Park Ranger, junior high school teacher, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist in the United States Air Force, and tenured full professor at two major universities.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; In addition to receiving the Board of Governors' Award for Excellence inTeaching, the highest award for teaching given by the University of North Carolina System, he also received the 2005 Excellence in Education Award presented by the Royal Conservatory of Music for his work in encouraging learning through the arts.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; William'snbsp;mission in life isnbsp;to invite others to laugh, learn, and live fully.nbsp; He now lives in Greensboro, North Carolina with Imogene, his bride of 54 years.nbsp;  Less

John M. Novak is professor and former chair of Graduate Studies in Education at Brock University, Canada. An invited keynote speaker on six continents, Novak is the author of numerous articles, book chapters, and ten books and monographs. He is the past president of the Society of Professors of Education.