Creating a Safe and Nurturing Learning Environment

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Creating a Safe and Nurturing Learning Environment

• Physical Safety
• Policies
• Programming
• Partnerships
• Psychological Safety

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Verbal Judo

• Martial Art of the Mind and Mouth
• Gentle Art of Persuasion

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If It Makes You Feel Good
Verbal Judo

• ITS NO GOOD !!

Natural Language - Disastrous Tactical Language
- Safe
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Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)
Personal Space Body Language Setting Limits Para
Verbal Communication

• Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
• Emphasizes Verbal Intervention

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Techniques for Effective Aggression Management
(T.E.A.M.)

• ONLY AS A LAST RESORT

• Created by University of South Florida in
  conjunction with Florida Mental Health Institute
• T.E.A.M. is supported by research and statistical
  data

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Techniques for Effective Aggression Management
(T.E.A.M.)
Video from CD-ROM
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Bullying Behavior

• October 1, 2001
• Zero Tolerance for Crime and Victimization Policy
  Initiated

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Bullying Behavior ChartComprehensive Health
Education Foundation,1995Bully Proofing Your
School-Garrity, Jens, Porter, Sager, 1996
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Forms of Bullying

• Direct forms of Bullying
• Physical attacks
• Name-calling, insults
• Extortion
• Threats
• Unwelcomed touch
• Harassment

• Indirect forms of Bullying
• Repeated exclusion
• Rejection
• Disapproving looks
• Gossiping
• Harassment

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How Victims are Affected by Bullying . . .

• Drop in self-esteem to a self-defeating, fearful
  attitude
• Anxiety, fear, sadness, and possible depression
• Disrupted academic performance, lack of interest
  in school, and excessive absences
• Physical symptoms(e.g., stomachaches, headaches,
  fatigue)
• Panic and irrational retaliation

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The Serious Natureof Bullying

• Children being bullied need and deserve adult
  intervention and help
• Without intervention, the problem will not go
  away
• Bullies will keep on bullying unless adults do
  something about it
• Take Action Against Bullying-Lajoie,
  McLellan,Seddon, 1997

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How Do We Take Action Against Bullying?
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Bullying Prevention Goals

• Promote the development of empathy for children
  who are bullied
• Foster emotion-management skills
• Improve students recognition of bullying, being
  bullied, observing bullying
• Provide specific strategies and strategic
  language to support the victim and bystanders.

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Rationale

• Adults Intervention-Critical Strategy
• Negotiation and mediation are not effective in
  bullying/victimizing situations.
• The life-long outlook for students who use
  bullying behavior is bleak.
• The possibility of redirecting and interrupting
  the bullying behavior pattern is much greater the
  earlier in childhood it is addressed.

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Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders (new
initiative)

• Violence prevention program receiving an A
  rating from the US Department of Education
• Teaches the roles and responsibilities of the
  bystander to diffuse conflicts and crises in our
  schools
• Emphasizes the Four-Step Think First Model
• Provides a framework for dealing
  with/changing habits of thought that
  can result in violence
• Motivates bystanders to be
• problem solvers
• willing to break the code of silence in crisis
  situations
• responsible citizens
• Program delivery by trained police officers
  for 6th graders

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Conflict Resolution (CR)

• Major initiative of the Safe Schools Center
• The largest implementation of Conflict
  Resolution in the United States
• Conflict Resolution is a set of beliefs,
  attitudes, and behaviors that are necessary to
  establish an environment that is
• respectful
• supportive
• competence promoting
• Curriculum and teaching practices designed to
  build skills and inclination to use them

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The Best Way to Prevent Violence
Perceived humiliation is a powerful root cause of
violence in the workplace.
The best strategy to prevent workplace violence
is to create an environment of respect.
United States Secret Service
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There is no second chance
And no going back
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Tell Someone
Be A Friend
All calls are confidential and anonymous
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Potential Critical Incident at Royal Palm Beach
H.S.

• Positive Outcome
• Better communication between students and
• Administrators
• Teachers
• School Police
• Students understand their responsibility to share
  information they hear when it is potentially
  dangerous to others

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From the Map but once the first bullet is
shot there would be no turning back..and if I
cant do anymore, then I would just end it all
there. But I would hopefully pull through and
wreak havoc upon the ignorant fools
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Last day of school Lake Worth,
Florida Friday, May 26, 2000