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Student Violence, Where Do We Begin?
School violence is a real issue and is interrupting our schools and society in general. As an educator it’s important to take any steps you can to improve the character and safety of our schools. The question is: What can we do to prevent this disruption?
Adolescence is a crucial time for young people to improve their ability to handle their emotions and communicate with others. Many of our school clients are implementing our online Character Building Character Building training modules, which include titles like; Bullying – You Don’t Have to Take It, Conflicts, Communication and Relationships , and Hurting with Words . This online training is specifically designed to help teens learn real-world social skills in a peer like environment. These interactive video-based online training modules directly address common stressful encounters teens deal with. It also prepares them to confront difficult situations involving sexual harassment, bullying, emotional abuse and even physical violence. The range of topics is sure to bring out lively discussions among students and teachers and increase their ability to manage their own emotions in the future.
Additional common prevention measures that can easily be implemented in your school include:
- Report to the principal immediately any threats, signs of or discussions of weapons, signs of gang activity, or other conditions that might invite or encourage violence.
- Invite parents to talk with you about their children’s progress and any concerns they have. Send home notes celebrating children’s achievements.
- Learn how to recognize the warning signs that a child might be headed for violence and know how to tap school resources to get appropriate help.
- Encourage and sponsor student-led anti-violence activities and programs ranging from peer education, teen courts and mediation to mentoring and training.
- Offer to serve on a team or committee to develop and implement a Safe school Plan, including how teachers and other school staff should respond to emergencies.
- Enforce school policies that seek to reduce the risk of violence. Take responsibility for areas outside as well as inside your classroom.
- Insist that students not resort to name-calling or teasing. Encourage them to demonstrate the respect they expect. Involve them in developing standards of acceptable behavior.
- Students engaged in work that is challenging, informative, and rewarding are less likely to get into trouble.
- Learn and teach conflict resolution and anger management skills at a level they can respect. Help your students practice applying them in everyday life. Discuss them in the context of what you teach.
- Incorporate discussions on violence and its prevention into the subject matter you teach whenever possible.
- Encourage students to report crimes or activities that make them suspicious. We must realize that we all have a part in preventing violence in our schools we must get involved and understand what is relevant to the student. Staff should review courses and use excerpts to help reinforce current events that the students may be involved in.