Creating community

“Bully” is a Four-Letter Word

March 13, 2013 Counselors

Understanding the Concept to Manage the Territory by Dr. Jo Ann Freiberg Columbine was the crucible. Whether because of its scale or because it happened in an upper middle class suburban community, what occurred in Littleton, Colorado forever changed how schools and communities in the United States respond to “bullying.” Prior to this event, the [...]

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Improving Student Behavior through Positive School Climate

January 13, 2013 Behavior Management

It’s not about the rules! From the January 2013 newsletter: There is a strange myth around kids’ behavior that if we just have enough rules (and severe enough punishments), the misbehaviors will disappear. What I’ve observed, however, is an even stranger reality in which the opposite tends to be true. In schools, the longer the [...]

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Survey: Is Your School an Emotionally Safe Place?

January 6, 2013 Counselors

Assessing Climate in Individual Classrooms and Schools This survey lists a number of practices which characterize a school with an emotionally safe climate. It has been included on this site to help you evaluate your school’s goals, policies and intentions, as well as the degree to which each exists in actual practice. The list is [...]

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Stressful or Painful School Experiences

January 6, 2013 Counselors

Events and experiences that can compromise emotional safety The items on this list were compiled from a number of print resources as well as surveys and interviews conducted over a two-year period. (Many items suggested in the literature overlapped or were repeatedly expressed in interviews and surveys.) Feel free to add your own observations and experiences [...]

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Ways to Improve the School’s Social Culture

January 6, 2013 Counselors

Practical strategies for positive change • Pay attention to peer-to-peer interactions. Increase awareness, advocacy, and a willingness to take immediate, positive action (regarding how kids treat one another). • Advocate for the underdog. Encourage kids to connect with children who seem isolated. Emphasize the value of inclusion. • Interrupt any instances of meanness, name calling, [...]

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Jane Bluestein Discusses Emotionally Safe Schools

December 26, 2012 Assessment and Testing

Interview by Kate Bedford ©2001 Kate Bedford, Six Seconds Jane Bluestein is an award winning author and speaker. Her newest book, Creating Emotionally Safe Schools, is a comprehensive look at how we can make any educational institution safer— from an emotional, academic, behavioral, social, and physical standpoint. Formerly an inner-city classroom teacher, crisis-intervention counselor, and [...]

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Staying Positive in the Face of Negativity and Horror

December 15, 2012 Blog

Staying positive in the face of negativity and horror I am, by nature, a positive person. For my own sanity, and for the sake of maximizing my potential contribution to the world, I try to look for the good in all things. That said, I am also extremely sensitive to violence and cruelty, and seem [...]

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Expert on Bullying Discusses Ways to Reduce the Problem

December 8, 2012 Counselors

Interview by Grace Merritt with Dr. Jane Bluestein © 2010, from the Hartford Courant, reported April 14, 2010 Dr. Jane Bluestein, an author and expert on bullying and creating a positive school environment, was the keynote speaker last week at a statewide conference on bullying prevention for teachers, school leaders, and parents. Bluestein believes that fostering [...]

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Ways to Model Respect with your Children

November 28, 2012 Behavior Management

Practical ways to teach respectful behavior This list was compiled for a book for parents. Many of these tips will also apply to educators and others who work with young people. • Listen. Make eye contact when your children are talking to you. Make an effort to really hear and appreciate what your children are [...]

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The Dignity Stance

November 26, 2012 Counselors

Tips for responding to meanness or bullying by Naomi Drew Note from Jane Bluestein: Ms. Drew recommends teaching kids the following strategies. I think this information would also be valuable for adults in a similar situation.

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Bullying Checklist for Kids

November 26, 2012 Counselors

Check Your Behavior Take this self-test to find out if you’re doing anything that’s considered to be bullying. Do you do any of the following on a regular basis? –  Purposely try to make another person feel bad. –  Make fun of people to hurt or embarrass them. –  Engage in lots of name-calling. – [...]

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7 Steps to Bully-Proofing Kids

November 26, 2012 Counselors

Ways to Increase Confidence and Decrease Vulnerability 1. Teach them to value their self-worth. Every child needs to know they don’t have to look, act, dress, learn, or be like everyone else to be worthy of respect. Affirm their talents, strengths, and competencies so they can always remember who they are at the core, regardless [...]

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The School as a Dysfunctional Family

November 25, 2012 Counselors

And some healthy, functional alternatives Similarities between schools and dysfunctional families are reflected in the beliefs or rules that can compromise the emotional climate of any system. Included for each category are alternatives which, when chosen, can have a positive impact on this climate, as well as on the relationships and performance of individuals functioning [...]

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Pretty and Popular

November 17, 2012 Counselors

Bias and Discrimination in School Excerpt from chapter 12, “More Welcome than Others: Discrimination and Belonging,” from Creating Emotionally Safe Schools (Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc., 2001). This excerpt was copied taken from the final draft of the manuscript. The material in the book may vary slightly. She was a Cardinal, one of the children of the [...]

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Presentation: Climate and Connectedness

November 14, 2012 Counselors

Keys to Successful Teaching Presentation by Dr. Jane Bluestein It takes more than a well-planned lesson for learning to happen. Even in schools with all the best equipment and the latest technology, the school climate and students’ sense of feeling connected to others in the building has been shown to be

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Presentation: Becoming a Win-Win Teacher

November 9, 2012 Avoiding burnout

Success with Kids, Parents, and Colleagues Presentation by Dr. Jane Bluestein Oh, the challenges of becoming an educator in today’s fast-changing world! We’ll explore what keeps so many schools rooted in win-lose philosophies and practices, personal assets that will increase the odds of your survival and success, and specific strategies for winning in a win-lose system.

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Presentation: Character Counts

November 6, 2012 Behavior Management

Building Relationships that Build Character Presentation for educators or parents by Dr. Jane Bluestein It’s one thing to expect or demand certain desirable character traits in kids—and another to create an environment in which these behaviors are likely to emerge!

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Presentation: Conflict in the Classroom

November 6, 2012 Counselors

Attacking Problems, Not People! Presentation for educators by Dr. Jane Bluestein Do you ever find yourself in the middle of squabbles between your students? Do peers try to draw you into their conflicts? Are aggressive parents or uncooperative colleagues a presence in your life? If so, the energy devoted to these conflicts is having an [...]

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