Being Activities Director we operate under Leppicks Laws and the number one rule is to make sure that every event is safe. Like communication and support, safety is something that will allow a staff and student group feel free to learn because all the issues of safety are taken care of. As Hensely puts it " As humans we need to feel physically, emotionally, and psychologically safe to live our lives." (53). When we feel safe we can feel free to think about complex things and we are better able to reflect.
A school culture need to help students and staff feel connected to ones school site. When students and staff feel safe and feel they are a part of something their full potential can be better reached. It is sad to think that the awful events that happened at Columbine and Virginia Tech, among other schools that made students and staff feel uneasy about coming to school. School should be a safe environment. No one should feel afraid or unsafe to go to school, when those feelings are going on students can not be expected to learn at their full potential.
The section on bully behavior was very eye opening. " When a bully is at work, creativity, enthusiasm, self-efficacy, and collegiality decline. Compliance, hesitation, self-doubt, and isolation arise. " (57). This quote sums up what happens at any job or team or social event when someone is exhibiting a bully like behavior.
I liked the section about consistency. Routines and procedures are very important for students and staff alike. It is important to know what is expected of a person when they get to school. However, some rule and procedures need to be a little more flexible. Discipline needs to be an opportunity for teaching, not just giving out punishments.
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that students are unable to reach their highest potential if their safety is at-risk. In society, people who live in fear do not grow or move forward. They are often stuck in their circumstances. In a school environment, safety must be our #1 priority in order to ensure that learning can occur. Your comment about discipline being an opportunity for teaching reminds me of my former principal. He focused on using misbehavior as a "teachable" moment. With that said, we must not compromise the safety of others by simply using it as a teachable moment. We must learn the fine line between holding kids accountable for their actions and being effective with the consequences that we give out. We must seek the root cause of misbehavior and help students learn from their mistakes and hopefully prevent it from happening again.
It is interesting that bullying is an issue at all ages. I have always thought of it in terms of student behavior or parent behavior but not in terms of collegial behavior. The effects are the same no matter which group we are talking about.
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