Bullying

Bullying is on the rise as stated in all the videos, and our society as a whole is more violent because of the disrespect we show towards each other. This is an issue that our society has to deal with in collabration with students, teachers, administrators and PARENTS. The parents have to play the important role in their child's life loving and encouraging them to not only feel good about themself , but to have the strength to make good choices. As a parent our job does not end as soon as our child enters a school community. That is actually when the work starts to help the child build their self confidence. A parents acceptance of a child is crucial for their ability to fit in the school.  As they enter school it is of utmost importance that each student has a sense of belonging and see their school as a safe place for them to learn. The school community as a whole is responsible for each student in the building on and off campus. As stated in the bullying video education is a right and privelage that shouldn't be taken away from anyone. I firmly believe that bullying needs to be tackled at all fronts-home , school, church, society. This issue should be handled and solutions should be sought by all of us as responsible citizens. We all are on the same team and just play different roles in a childs life thus we all need to  share the responsibilty of bringing up well balanced, confident and happy children. For an administrator it is imperative that there be a bullying policy that is ENFORCED, as the principal is just not a gatekeeper but a facilitator. Everything that goes in and around the school is the responsibility of the principal. The idea of making the students feel that they are a integral part of the solution is priceless. As stated in the safe school ambassador video, the students do hold the key, and as ambassadors they can have an extremely positive impact on the school climate.
Other social issues that can be dealt by schools are creating an awareness of accepting students irrespective of their socio economic background ,and their nationality. Respecting each student, celebrating their culture and their heritage, recognising their strengths, accepting their weaknesses and helping them acheive their goals can be achieved by peer mentoring.