Tap into the Tip Line
At the beginning of the year, I met with all of our high school students in small groups. I shared the "tip line" we subscribe to, talked to them about the importance of feeling safe at school, and asked them to respond to a three-item survey:
- If you have a problem at school, is there an adult on campus you feel comfortable coming to talk with?
- How do you feel about coming to school every day?
- Is there anything you would like (our school) staff to know about you so we can help you have a successful year?
The results were incredible. We identified several students who self-described as suffering from anxiety or depression, several described feeling bullied, a number of students described relationship struggles. It helped guide us during the year to provide supports for these students.
—Paul Hauder, superintendent/principal, Paisley School District, Paisley, Oregon
Don't Ignore, Intervene
I try to make sure my students feel safe, both physically and emotionally, by establishing and enforcing policies to ensure students' respect of others. When I am aware of instances of various forms of disrespect, I intervene. I try to be observant of students' emotional states, and I make sure that my students know they can talk to me, during or outside of class, about problems they are having in and out of school. If I feel I should share the information with an administrator, counselor, or other staff member, I will ask for their permission to do so. Through this, I believe my students trust me and know that, even if they have made poor decisions, I will advise and support them without judgement.
—Kelly Buechler, teacher, Turner High School, Carrollton, Texas
Try Just One More Time
Last fall, a student entered my reading classroom, slammed his backpack on a table in the far corner, and took a seat as far away from the rest of the class as he could. I knew if I was going to help him and his fellow high school students learn to read, I needed to convince them that it is worth trying just one more time. By the time they come to me, my students have experienced at least nine years of being a failure at reading, and they are fraught with negative emotions. The first thing I do is to absolve them of all responsibility for their lack of success. I inform them that, when they were being taught how to read, their teachers did not understand how the brain works when it comes to reading. I assure them that if they work with me to "retrain their brains," they will be able to read better than they ever have before. Students who don't feel blamed or shamed feel safer and want to help "prove" that the problem is not something inherent in themselves.
—Barbara Danis, literacy specialist, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, South Paris, Maine
Online Safety
I founded Digital Citizen Academy to educate students, educators, and parents on the issues resulting from technology use and misuse. Safety in the digital world requires that all adults be informed and act as guides to help children navigate the online environment. I speak on the topics of predators, gaming and social media addictions, hours of screen time, and the most recent science about how technology is impacting the brain. It is hard to know where to draw the line for safe, rewarding use or overuse of technology. However, while everyone needs to understand the benefits of technology, they also need to understand potential risks and the need for a healthy balance.
—Lisa Strohman, president and founder, Digital Citizen Academy, Cave Creek, Arizona
Learning Through Leading
We use a framework to teach every child in the school, regardless of his or her varying abilities and gifts, to become the best leader he or she can be. Students hold a variety of leadership roles in their classrooms and throughout the school. Every child has a leadership notebook in which he or she keeps track of important academic and personal goals. Because children view themselves as leaders at Mitchell, they feel safe because they know that they are the primary people responsible for making a difference in their own lives and in the lives of their classmates.
—Benjamin Day, principal, Andrew J. Mitchell Elementary School, Boulder City, Nevada
Know Their Names
As a high school principal, I made it a priority to know the name of every student in my building (and was able to pronounce it correctly). When you greet students in the hall and address them by name, it lets them know that you see them, know who they are, and care about them. This is the foundation of creating a safe school environment. When that foundation is built, students will be more likely to seek you out to share their concerns about school and life. It also creates an open line of communication so students can have a voice in how they feel the school can be more safe and secure.
—Jake Klipsch, program director of school climate transformation, Davenport Community School District, Davenport, Iowa
A Multi-Faceted Approach
At Holman Middle School, we understand that to help students feel safe requires a multi-faceted approach. Physical safety is addressed through drills and building improvements such as adding film that creates shatter-proof glass on all first floor windows, and doors that can be automatically locked throughout the building with the single push of a button. It's also addressed through PBIS protocols that have reduced student discipline incidents significantly over the last decade. But to effectively learn, students must also feel safe socially and emotionally. We teach mindfulness through our advisory classes and bring in organizations like NCADA and CHADS Coalition to teach students about mental health, signs of suicide, bullying, and drug use and abuse. And we're constantly striving to become more culturally proficient as a staff and building, to understand the community in which we work and live, and to build partnerships with parents and other community members and associations that support student education.
—Sarah Moran, principal, Pattonville School District, St. Ann, Missouri
A Smart Strategy
On the first day of school, we talk about the brain. We look at how science has shown us that our brains grow because of mistakes and frustration when we think the learning is just too hard. My message is that no one is smart; therefore, no one is dumb. Each of us starts where we are, then we make goals, next we start making mistakes, we start getting frustrated, and then we start learning, together. Safety in my classroom means that everyone gets to be who they are. Everyone, myself included, gets to celebrate their mistakes because, when working toward a goal, that is what will grow your brain.
—Brenda Hernandez, 2nd grade bilingual teacher, Poudre School District, Fort Collins, Colorado
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