Technology and innovation in education has moved at warp speed for so long now, that we might be on the verge of entering upon a period where “everything old is new again”. About the only constant in the whirlwind of educational reform is change (and many times, it seems, change simply for change’s sake). As long as Race To The Top and NCLB markers (aka standardized test scores) are the primary drivers for determining a successful school from an unsuccessful one, we will continue to settle for a myopic and very narrow view of what’s important and what’s peripheral in our schools. And that is a short-sighted shame! It would hopefully be apparent from studies conducted in the last 30 or 40 years just how vital school climate improvement efforts are for all markers of school “success” (grades, graduation rates, student voice, student engagement, teacher satisfaction, and equity/parity indicators). Indeed, recent exciting and groundbreaking neuroscience investigations have also shown a fundamental relationship between good school climate and academic success. The National School Climate Center (NSCC) provides thorough, valid & reliable, data-driven resources that promote the much broader and much more expansive answer to the question: “what do we want our children’s education to provide?”
In its direct work with schools, NSCC consistently advocates for ways to promote the vital importance of educating our youth to be “Upstanders”. Though bully prevention efforts serve as an entry point to engage youth as upstanders, almost everyone agrees that school-based bullying tends to be a “canary in a coal mine”; that is, student bullying behavior can usually point to more profound issues and challenges connected to school climate. That is why, to date, we have engaged over 2400 schools nationwide in our Upstander Alliance Program. In the desire to highlight the central importance of educating the “whole child”, in the quest to elevate the social/emotional/civic aspects of a students’ development, NSCC is committed to supporting and celebrating Upstanders. Recently, many schools provided video resources in our “For Good” video contest to inspire others in our journey to be Upstanders.
Though the nomenclature might differ for other groups, our basic definition of an Upstander is someone who actively works to do the socially responsible thing in all situations, including bullying situations. Our student leaders at NSCC collaborated with us to identify those qualities of an ideal Upstander. With their lead role, we created the following characteristics for someone who wants to assert: “I am an Upstander”.
I am an Upstander because:
· I talk about who I am and what I believe with others.
· I talk about what I expect from others.
· I talk about what I can and can’t do, what I’m willing to do and what I’m not willing to do.
· I believe that students working together can change the climate of the school.
· I have a vision of where I want to go, and where I’d like my team/school to go.
· I listen to and learn from others.
· I consider what’s best for others in deciding my actions.
· I know what I need to learn and I find ways to learn it.
· I find out what others need and help them meet their goals.
· I know that there are students who are excluded, lonely and bullied.
· I follow through on my commitments.
· I face problems and conflicts honestly, and use many resources to solve them.
· I have a personal support system.
· I have some responsibility to support and protect my peers.
· I look to others for examples of their leadership.
· I openly appreciate those who help, guide & support me.
In a nutshell, all of the positive qualities of an Upstander are included in the amazing trait of empathy. It’s the gift of an empathic person to know what another person might be experiencing and react/respond accordingly. It’s the great gift of an empathic person to withhold judgments or blame in situations until they understand what another person is feeling. And it’s the amazing quality of an empathic person to fully embrace that powerful Native American prayer that states: “Great Spirit, Grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his/her moccasins”.
Empathy is the bedrock, the solid foundation from which Upstanders draws strength. Even when the perception is that an Upstander is being weak or backing down or “soft”, the empathy that they practice is powerful and transformative. It’s the ability to practice empathy that gives an Upstander the fortitude to literally change the world.
What a powerful and great example of empathy, mindfulness and Upstander behavior we get from members of the school community at The Harley School in Rochester, NY. Harley’s academic programs are as rigorous as the most competitive schools in the nation. Their commitment to academic excellence and intellectual growth are reflected in their successful college admission and graduation rates. AND, The Harley School is fully aware that this is only part of a great education. This school community knows they cannot merely measure their progress in standardized test scores. Rather, an emphasis on preparing students to be global citizens, a desire to make community service learning a central part of all instruction, and a celebration of diversity in all its forms, all serve as determiners of achievement and success. And all of these values find their core in a dedication to the promotion of empathy. Harley School is so sure that empathy has to be at the core of all they teach and upon which they stand that they have created The Center for Mindfulness & Empathy Education at The Harley School.Immersing students in both global and local initiatives and experiences, education ceases to be a detached, ephemeral pursuit of facts and figures. And I would like to believe that, by advancing a students’ ability to empathize and be part of a larger world, real education takes place.
So much of education reform concentrates on the disciplines and strictures that might (strong emphasis on might) result in higher test grades, increased graduation rates and drops in disciplinary issues. Thus, we impose long periods of time spent on test prep, strict codes of conduct that promote zero tolerance, and even the implementation of school uniforms with the hopes of discovering the “magic bullets” and “missing ingredients” to making schools successful. The Harley School figured out what kind of a school uniform would help out in their quest for a well-educated student. The tagline for their Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education reads: “We don’t have a school uniform. But we do require you to walk in someone else’s shoes”. What a discovery! There is a school uniform that aids in promoting a positive school culture!
The philosophical/ethical argument of the “seamless garment” holds that there must be a consistency in the application of moral principles that value the worth of all human life. Made popular in the 1970’s by Roman Catholic theologians, this theory maintains that issues such as abortion, capital punishment, militarism, euthanasia, social injustice, and economic injustice all demand a constant and balanced praxis if we are to remain true to our valuing of all life from conception to death. In essence, the seamless garment theory states that “you can't protect some life and not others."
In an all too familiar way, the Trayvon Martin tragedy reminds us just how deeply the scars of racism impact our everyday lives. On the surface, if we simply describe the scenario of a teenager walking home in the evening with the hood of his sweatshirt covering his head, nothing out of the ordinary seems to call out for any special attention. However, if we contextualize the specifics: a young, urban African-American male, walking alone with a hoodie concealing his face, a myriad of preconceived notions start to flood our “reality”. Our xenophobic impulses kick in and we are suddenly face to face with our fear of “the other”. President Obama even alluded to this knee jerk reaction when he spoke of his grandmother’s fears of passing a black man on the street: “…if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know...there's a reaction that's been bred into our experiences that doesn't go away and that sometimes comes out in the wrong way, and that's just the nature of race in our society.”. And that debilitating, depressing and, often, denigrating reaction to race in our society is the epitome of the disjointed, distorted, and disturbing response we witness with issues around class, poverty, gender, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and religion that we see played out every day.
Trayvon Martin, even in death, has challenged us to re-evaluate our sense of equity, our sense of power and privilege. Through a horrible tragedy, we are given the opportunity to assess once again our capacity to empathize, to embrace differences, and to defend those who are not sharing in equal rights. We are offered the opportunity to profess, as we have been taught by our Native American kin to “never judge another person until we have walked a mile in their moccasins”. And the hoodie has become symbolic of every form of unfair treatment to all different groups.
As Director of Education at The National School Climate Center, I am privileged to collaborate with school communities on the essential issues of how to structure our academic institutions to best serve the needs of those who will be our “change agents” both now and in the future. I am fortunate to listen and learn and partner with students, teachers, parents, and community members to ensure that all our youth have the tools and skills to become democratically informed, successful, and civically engaged citizens. We concentrate on questions like: How does our school deal with conflict? How do we deal with bullying and unfair treatment of others? How do we celebrate our differences? How do we practice restorative methods of discipline that educate instead of castigate? How do we embrace different learning styles and different contextual realities? Most of this boils down to educating ourselves to accept that: “we are in this together”. The African concept of Ubuntu perfectly captures what we need to embrace as our essential task. When I can accept that "I am what I am because of who we all are", then we can start to create a societal fabric that is truly a seamless garment. Far from simply adapting slogans, pep talks, canned/cookie-cutter or other “cockeyed optimist” approaches, this work is sometimes gritty, sometimes difficult, sometimes uncomfortable but always enriching (especially for me!). And, I am rapidly learning that it is essential if we are to avoid future tragedies such as Trayvon Martin.
The hoodie that purportedly targeted Trayvon for suspicion and derision is a powerful symbol for all of us. It is that object that “set him apart”, that made him “the other”. So the query posited in solidarity marches throughout the nation: “Do I look suspicious?” is rightfully and aptly asked by young African-American males. As study after study proves, they are wrongfully profiled, wrongfully searched, wrongfully singled out for discrimination, and wrongfully judged, and their treatment hurts us all. When President Obama stated that, “…if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon”, I’d like to believe that his larger meaning was much broader than race and included the concept of Ubuntu. That is, when an injustice was done in this situation, all of us were harmed and, therefore, all of us are called to respond. In a tremendous show of solidarity, this refutation of “the other” is also proclaimed by Muslim women who in their Million Hijab March assert that: “hoodie or hijab, racism is racism”. So, the challenge given to us by young African-American males (and young Islam females), then, is for us to broaden our vision, open our eyes, embrace the diversity in our midst and realize that we are all diminished when any of us is humiliated or diminished, when any of us is tortured, violated or oppressed. Trayvon’s hoodie, now more than ever, needs to become our “seamless garment”, energetically and vociferously refuting the societal message that some lives are worth “less than” others and, instead, teaching our youth the inherent value in all of us.
For many of us the first day of school is right around the corner. Students and educators across the country are gearing up for another year and this year the issue of bullying and cyber-bullying is not only on the student’s minds but educators as well. This year, 160,000 students will skip school each day in fear of getting bullied. With these numbers as high as they are, it's not a big surprise that academic achievement is an increasing challenge in most schools. If you want take part in making a change in your schools academic achievement and pinpointing where exactly this begins, then you can't miss the first National Conference on School Engagement.
National Center for School Engagement Presents: The National Conference on School Success
Date: October 26-28, 2011
Location: Denver, Colorado
With regestration all conference participants will be given one year free membership to the School Climate Resource Center –Operated by the National School Climate Center
One year ago today, Carl Walker Hoover took his own precious life only 11 days before his 12th birthday after being bullied incessantly with anti-gay taunts. Since his tragic death, Carl's mother has been a tireless advocate for greater awareness of this rampant harassment in our nation's schools and has pushed for stronger anti-bullying legislation. You can help by signing GLSEN's petition in support of the Safe Schools Improvement Act (H.R. 2262), which will require schools receiving federal funding to enact policies to prohibit bullying and harassment, and provide them with resources to prevent and respond to incidents when they occur.
This past January, the country was shocked by the brutal bullying of 15-year-old freshman Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide after months of harassment. Today, three of the nine students who face charges connected to the case were arraigned in court, entering not guilty pleas. As the community looks to make sense of this tragedy, one truth is abundantly clear: our children need better supports to put an end to this toxic abuse when it occurs and prevent future bullying from taking place. The Safe Schools Improvement Act will help ensure that policies and practices are in place to keep our children safe.
Effective, school-wide, sustained programs are the next critical piece. If you are in need of bully prevention supports as a student, educator, or parent, please visit BullyBust today to access free resources, join a nationwide community of educators in the Partner School Program, and sign the STAND UP pledge to show your commitment. You can also sign up for our newsletter to receive concrete supports on bully prevention, student engagement, and creating positive school climates.
Spread the word, and check the status of bully prevention legislation in your state. Together, we can put an end to bullying.
The Center for Social and Emotional Education (CSEE) is proud to be partnering with the Broadway musical WICKED to bring the Witches of Oz to life in classrooms across the country with critical bully prevention supports for the fall 2010 BullyBust Campaign. Elphaba, the misunderstood green witch at the heart of WICKED, will help students learn how to put an end to bullying for good as the spokesperson for BullyBust. Schools can get involved with the cause by joining the Partner School Program, which will provide classroom-based supports including WICKED-themed activities, resources, and a national “Defying Gravity” essay contest this fall.
Show your support for the cause! Use the code "CSEE" when purchasing tickets for WICKED on Broadway (online or at the box office), and a portion of the sale goes back to BullyBust! Read the full press release here.
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