Safety

The issue of safety in a school impacts everyone on the campus. Sometimes the issue is not just between students; conflict and intimidation can also occur between adults.

In my current position as an elementary school teacher, I have found that building meaningful relationship with my students help to combat bullying. As the teacher, we have a choice of simply teaching the assigned curriculum and calculating grades, or we can spend time with our students and get to know them. Coaching sports after school and monitoring recess really helps support this process. Some children need more mentoring and direct teaching to behave in positive ways. It is difficult to tell who those children are without getting to know them.

Bullying amongst adults is a very sad problem and has no place in any educational setting. Unlike with students, it can be more obvious who the adult bullies are. I believe I might know one: the teacher who has fewer duties, gets new supplies first, demands things of others, are avoided by other teachers. It is an important role of the administrator to recognize these behaviors and put a stop to it. The same should be said when the parents at the site are bullying teachers, administrators, other parents, and even students. They make threats to get what they want and belittle people who are working hard to educate their children. All of these interactions create a toxic environment in which no one can thrive.