Becoming a Compassionate Educator in the Face of Aggressive Behavior

1 in 3 students in over 30 countries have reported being a victim of cyberbullying, in the average United States classroom this translates to over 1/3 of students being a victim of this act, and the numbers have only increased since the pandemic with the implementation of online learning (Wylie, 2019).  In our world, where teens are on a screen for over 7 hours a day, it is imperative we empower our children and students with the knowledge of how to be respectful and responsible digital citizens (Rogers, 2019).  But teaching our children and students how to navigate both the physical world and digital world is a huge undertaking and one not for the faint of heart. I'm sure we can all agree, it would be much easier to assume the stance that as long as our children are kind in person that they would probably follow that practice online. However, with shows like Catfish becoming mainstream and our world evolving to allow children o have access to technology now more than ever w...

Throughout this blog, I have emphasized the importance of the adoption and integration of the socio-emotional learning ("SEL") curriculum in schools and have shared how only 29 of our 50 states have determined SEL standards and shared those guidelines with their schools ( Positive Action, 2020 ). With 31 states not adopting  guidelines  and standards on how to implement SEL in schools, we must take it upon ourselves to ensure our student bodies receive this key area of knowledge integral to their growth as humans, their interactions and communication skills, and their own intrinsic emotional needs. Unfortunately, the states that do choose to adopt SEL programs into the school curriculum often fall short of being able to implement it wholly and instead integrate a small amount of the core teachings and broad goals for development thus doing their student bodies a disservice as they're not receiving the full benefit of the curriculum. So what should we do to ensur...

Often when examining bullying we tend to believe that there are two parties involved, the bully and the victim. But what if there was a third party, an outside party, the party of the bystander? And what if the party of the bystander played an essential role in not only ending bullying but in intervening in the behavior? When bullying occurs, studies show that a bystander is present 80% of the time and that bullying is apt to stop within 10 seconds 57% of the time once intervention occurs  (Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA), 2021 ) because bystanders are around more often than not, they play a crucial role in ending the bullying epidemic affecting our schools. Unfortunately, adults and children alike do not always know the best way to respond or what they can do to address the aggressive behaviors in a reformative way.  Not all bystanders are created equal and can play a variety of roles depending on the situation. These roles can include being an outsider who...

We know that bullying often makes us feel bad, and while this blog absolutely acknowledges our feelings (because they are valid ), this blog is dedicated to solving the bullying epidemic in Maricopa County, Arizona through socio-emotional growth and development of our students. However, to support this growth and support our educators in responding to students who exhibit these aggressive or bully-like behaviors, we must first define what bullying, harassment, and intimidation are. And did you know in Arizona that our laws actually do not  define these very crucial keywords in our educational landscapes nor does Arizona require school districts to individually apply meanings to these words  ( Council, 2016 )?  The United States Department of Health and Human Services defines bullying as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance, and the behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated” ( Assistant S...