HEALTH & WELLNESS A Clinical Psychologist’s Tips for Creating Safe Schools By Dahlia Topolosky Recently, I led a session for fifth graders at a local private school on the topic, “Putting Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes.” As part of the workshop, each child was invited to share an instance where they had felt disrespected (“Last week, a boy told me that I was the dumbest kid he ever met.”) and a peer was invited to reflect on what that student might have felt in that moment (“He must have felt really embarrassed.”). Incorporating lessons into school curriculum, such as this one on empathy, can help children learn to respect others coming from various cultures, religions
and socioeconomic backgrounds. As a result, they are less likely to engage in negative behaviors that can cause physical and emotional harm. What else can we do to make our schools places where our children feel safe? Too often I hear of stories of children who feel excluded, teased or bullied. Too often I hear from school staff that it’s difficult to monitor what happens between children outside of the classroom. While parents must continue to teach their children tools for responding to teasing or bullying, at the end of the day it is also the schools’ responsibility to create an environment where all children feel
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safe. Students should be able to feel at ease everywhere on campus— in the cafeteria, in the library, in the rest rooms, on the bus and on the playground. While there are many steps that schools can take, here are a few suggestions for teaching the socio-emotional skills (like empathy) necessary to create safe environments for their students: • Run groups where students learn and are able to role-play the value of respect. • Improve training for school staff to keep an eye out for unkind or inappropriate behavior. • Provide better supervision in settings where there is little or no adult monitoring or supervision, such as bathrooms, the gym, playgrounds and the cafeteria. • Model respect in the way teachers speak to students and discuss religious or cultural differences. • Communicate clear consequences to students for mistreating others. • Facilitate friendships for students who have a hard time finding friends, and provide “jobs” for these students to do during lunch and recess so that they do not feel isolated. Let us work harder as a community to ensure that all students feel safe. Along with our desire to equip students
with strong academics and train them using advanced technology, it is our responsibility to emphasize the skills that foster a respectful learning space. Dahlia Topolosky, PsyD. is a licensed psychologist who works with children, adolescents and adults at Integrative Therapy of Greater Washington, a private practice in Rockville, Maryland. She provides assessment for psychological and learning disorders and integrates a variety of techniques including person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness techniques, and expressive arts to address issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, trauma, PTSD and anger management. Dahlia runs groups for parents on effective parenting and implements socio-emotional curricula in schools. Dahlia enjoys singing and playing guitar and, most importantly, spending time with her husband and four children.
February 16, 2017 • 20 Shevat, 5777
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