Today I had the honor of talking to the Panthers of Knightstown Intermediate School about bullying. A teacher, Tabatha Brown, found my name on the Internet while searching for things written by Michael Dorn. Mike and I have written together a couple of times which is why my name came up.
The students were typical students of that age, laughing, smiling, some looking morose. I was able to introduce myself to a few of them prior to the convocation. After 25 years in education, I have not tired of meeting kids, making them smile, and hearing what they have to say. A group of eighth graders made a legal comment, so I jokingly referred to them as my "legal team". They seemed to like it.
As I walked back and forth, to see how far my microphone cord would stretch, Ms. Rodgers, the Assistant Principal, walked by. As she stepped over the cord, I told my legal team that I would trip her for $20. They grinned, and informed me that doing so would be bullying. I agreed that it could be, but that it would be worth it to see her stomp a mudhole in me. They laughed at that, but I could tell by their response that Ms. Rodgers was respected and liked.
It was also evident as the convocation began. She walked down the gym, holding up her hand for quiet, and the whole gym very quickly became quiet. I was very impressed.
As I spoke over the next half hour, I could see that, by and large, the kids were listening. They interacted well with me during the convocation, and they had great questions afterwards. All in all, I thought the session went very well.
The overall behavior of the children in a school is a good indicator of how well the staff is doing. I walked the halls during a passing period, and saw several examples of positive interaction between staff and students. I saw lots of smiling, and did not notice any tension. I am sure it helped that it was the Friday before Thanksgiving, but I had the impression that the staff do a great job with their kids.
In my line of work, it is easy to see the negative things that kids do, and get a bit sour on the world. Seeing the students of Knightstown Intermediate School reminded me of why I got into education in the first place, and also reminded me why I do what I do in school safety.
Thanks to Mrs. Brown for the invitation, and thanks to the principal Mr. Bundy, and Ms. Rodgerss for making it happen.
The kids at KIS are in great hands!
Safe Havens, International
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