By ANTHONY VARNI
Principal, Dent Elementary School
In light of the unfortunate and frequent school violence posts that continue to attempt to disrupt our school days, we continue to conduct our various safety drills and preach the importance of using kind words and making good choices to our students. The below is an attempt to shed some light on our stance in educating our students to choose kindness and report when they see or hear something that does not sound right.
One of the phrases we share with students is “Think before you speak and think before you do.” Students get caught up in what they play while at recess. Whether pretending to be their favorite superhero battling “bad guys”, playing in a game of tag, or competing in a game of soccer or football, sometimes tempers get lost and words come out that students do not truly understand the gravity of what they say.
When students are upset, they sometimes react by saying something to “hurt” the other person by way of “shock.” Examples of this are, “I hate you,” “I’ll kill you,” or a four-letter profanity. When this occurs, students must report this, in the moment, to a trusted staff member. They cannot wait until the next recess, the next day, or the following week. We must solve/correct/use this teachable moment in the present. I say “we” because this truly takes the home and school connection.
In an attempt to take back what has been said, we commonly hear, “I didn’t mean it,” or “I was just joking!” “They made me so mad!” We treat every incident individually and context provides insight into what caused the problem in the first place. In the end, there is always a lesson to be learned and consequences discussed with parents of the parties involved. The point is: that we take hearing dangerous words like kill, hate, and profanities very seriously; especially when we see so many threatening posts in today’s world. There are things that we can do to teach our kids about how they are feeling.
The last thing we want for our students is to be “desensitized” to threatening situations and confrontations. Instead, we must continue to build them up and support their self-esteem and self-worth. If your student(s) or family is having a tough time, please reach out and ask for support; we can and will use all our Mental Health resources to support you and your family. The first step is to ask …
Also, make sure you know what your child is viewing; you may be surprised at some of the content that some streaming platforms show as commercial ads. As a parent of elementary school-aged children who mainly stream television, I know that I sure was! Lastly, monitor and discuss social media and proper text messaging with your child. “The internet is in ink.” Kids think by deleting something it is gone for good … this is not always the case. What they say in moments of anger or frustration can cause a major reaction depending on the context in which they send the message.
I believe that our students are “exposed” to more positive moments than negative throughout their day; it is our responsibility to make sure that they are aware of the positivity around them. As a school, we will continue to educate our students to choose kindness and follow the “Three R’s”: Dent Dragons are Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn. Whenever a student makes a mistake, we will continue to share the following: We ALL make mistakes. The best part about making a mistake is learning from it. “Think before you speak, and think before you act.”
I appreciate the partnership that we have together as a school and as a community. Together we can continue to offer our children what they deserve: a safe and caring educational environment for all.
Principally Speaking is a monthly article, contributed by principals from Escalon Unified School District sites, throughout the school year. It is designed to update the community on school events and activities.
