By Dani Greer
We've been talking about back-to-school the past week, but haven't mentioned one aspect we think is very important. Many youngsters will face that first big transition from being at home full-time to spending hours in a new, exciting, and maybe-a-little-scary place called school for a big part of their day. Even for older children, and especially for those families who move from place to place often, the first day of school can be a little worrisome for many reasons. It also ties into our theme of Safety for the month of September, and the release of our newest title,
What Does It Mean To Be Safe? by Rana DiOrio.
Recently, I was visiting the Facebook page of an old friend who had this message:
A special request to all you kids returning to school in the next few days: If you see someone who is struggling to make friends or is being bullied because he/she doesn't have many friends, or because they are shy or not as pretty or not dressed in the most "in" clothes -- please step up. Say hello or at least smile at them in the hallway. You never know what that person might be facing outside of school. Your kindness might just make a big difference in someone's life.
This is so true, and it's important to remember that often bullying isn't a fist-fight, but a low key insidious campaign that might do more harm in the long run than a punch in the nose. Adults, please be aware of this, and students, please demonstrate a positive example of strong and friendly behavior toward newcomers at your school. Many schools have anti-bullying information available, but even better is an active program and a desire to be a better influence.
At Davidson Middle and San Rafael High School in California, some students started school early for special training: to become mentors to new students and to help more than 500 new students during the first days of the semester. School board members noticed that most bullying occurred in the form of misinformation rather than physical fighting, so over 100 student mentors learned to became trusted sources of information. The goal was to create a sense of belonging that would impact attendance, performance, and discipline in future years. Other schools have similar programs.
How about your school? Do you have special programs for newcomers? Have your children faced the challenge of attending a new school? Do you do anything special to prepare them for it? Have you experienced troubles at new schools, and what did you do to overcome them? How can parents and teacher ensure the safety of all children? We welcome your ideas. Please leave us a comment!
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Our newest book, What Does It Mean To Be Safe? by Rana DiOrio is at press as we write this and will be available any day. We are so excited! Please sign up for our newsletter (top right on the blog) for more information about the book as well as additional thoughts and tips around the issue of safety for your children. It's an important topic, and an important month for us. We look forward to sharing more with you.
8 comments:
Part of any child's sense of safety and security is in his/her surroundings. A friend's young son was moving to a new schools within the same system and was terribly worried about finding his way to class and just being comfortable in a much bigger environment. Visits to the school in advance were very helpful and lessened the apprehension for that first day.
I was always one of the shy ones in school. I made my friends in the neighborhood instead, choosing to have a few really good friends.
School itself never bothered me, probably because I lived half a block away.
Morgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
At All Children Academics, our main focus is self-esteem and acceptance. Our curriculum focuses on Pamela Wolfberg's, "Integrated Play Groups," and supporting Inclusion in all aspects of a child's day! To make other children feel safe, it is important for teachers and parents to teach acceptance, and support friends of all backgrounds, disabilities, and appearances! A friends is someone who makes you feel safe, confident, and good about yourself! We are looking forward to What Does It Mean To Be Safe, as this is an important concept for parents and educators to teach youngsters!
Rana, I can't wait for this book to come out, it is sure to be special, and great like the others. Thank you for producing such valuable material for our kids!
This friendly plea to encourage our little ones to say hello or at least smile at the new faces they encounter is an important reminder for the little kids and us big kids too! I look forward to curling up with my 3YO and WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAFE and especially to the discussion that's sure to follow.
I loved the message to reach out to students who are struggling to make friends. Growing up, I moved throughout the bay area a lot which meant being "the new girl" several times over. I wasn't shy myself, but I remember that the "shy" people at my school were usually the most welcoming. Smiling and being friendly is such a simple, easy thing to do, and it is a amazing habit to learn young.
" Your kindness might just make a big difference in someone's life." Teaching children how to intergrate kindness in a their behavior is paramount. When children can "see" on another child's face the difference their kindnes has made, kindness becomes a way of life. They realize how good it feels to impact another person's life. This is how we change the world, one person at a time.
Thank you, thank you and thank you for posting!
I also saw this post on FB. As a former teacher, I know all too well how "unsafe" school can be for those students who don't "fit in." Sadly, it does require more than teachers and principals correcting this type of behavior. It takes parents and guardians at home who are not afraid to correct their children when they are wrong.
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