Downtown's staff read and discussed Jodi Picoult's 2006 novel "Nineteen Minutes," about a school shooting sparked by bullying.
Here are other ways Downtown improved its environment to combat bullying: • Adults are visible as much as possible to eliminate opportunities for mischief. • Keeping the building well-maintained is a priority. When staff members see something in disrepair, they immediately make a request to fix it. • The first two weeks of school each year, teachers are required to explain to their students why those chose to become teachers. "Most teachers really have a compelling story," Douglass said. "I feel that, especially with the older kids, if children can see you in a light other than as a teacher, if they hear that you also had a struggle that you overcame, I just think it helps build connections with them." • During those first two weeks, teachers also are required to play icebreaker games with their students so they learn more about each other. "Whey they actually know one another," Douglass said, "that acts like an inoculation against the bullying. So when you know my favorite color, my favorite movie, my favorite food, I'm more of a person to you. That also helps teachers design lessons around themes that the students are passionate about." • Downtown's cafeteria manager started a Celebrity Server program, where well-known local folks visit the school, help serve breakfast or lunch and interact with the students. "The kids notice, 'Gee, all of these people who come to see us went to college, so maybe that's something I want to do too,'" Douglass said. • Higher Learning Day allows Downtown students to leave their school uniform at home and wear their favorite college gear instead. "It helps our kids visualize what their lives can be," Douglass said. "Oftentimes, children make poor choices if they haven't imagined a myriad of positive outcomes, if they just see the sad outcomes right around them at home. So this helps them make better day-to-day choices and treat themselves with respect and others with respect." • TSYS, a Partner in Education, helped Downtown start its Ready to Race program, in which classes earn rewards for good behavior. • Downtown created a form for its staff to use when investigating a bullying allegation, so each case is handled with the same procedure. "We're trying to recognize patterns," Douglass said. • The school empowers bystanders. "If someone laughs and adds to the insult, they are bullying too," Douglass said. "So our children know to say, 'You can't do that. That's bullying. We don't do that here.'" All of which impresses school district officials, such as Blackwell, when a principal is dedicated to doing what it takes to combat bullying. "The person in the building makes a difference, having ownership of the duties and responsibilities," he said. "I truly believe all of our principals care about safety and the care of kids, but there are various degrees."
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Author Leatha D. Williams
Ms. Williams started her teaching career in Knoxville, TN in 2003, after receiving Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Science in Secondary Education degrees from the University of Tennessee. She has taught in Fulton and Cherokee counties, but she joined the Pebblebrook family in 2014 and is proud to call Cobb County her home. She enjoys reading, writing, painting, hiking, collecting famous author action figures, and spending time with family and friends, but mostly she loves sharing the joy of language with a new group of kids every year! Ms. Williams is among professional writers at Edusson that write a tailor-made Persuasive essay outline. Ms. Williams lives in Leicester, UK with her husband, her beautiful daughter Isabel, two annoying orange cats, and Chico the Chihuahua. |