"Every problem has a gift for you in its hands"
-- Richard Bach
Schools today are challenged more than ever in managing student behavior and conflict. With the unprecedented rise in behavioral and attention disorders, teachers are increasingly at a loss for how to manage their classrooms and resolve conflicts between students without punitive measures. Meanwhile, school systems on the whole are under pressure to keep kids safe and address the alarming rise in bullying and violence. The focus on bullying within the national conversation and the emergence of programs to help schools address the issue is a positive first step; however, many of these programs focus primarily on punishing the perpetrator, missing the fact that the perpetrator, as well as the larger community, needs to change if meaningful results are to be achieved, and that punishment does not bring lasting change.
Indeed, school culture is the context in which teaching and learning take place and has a profound effect upon students’ academic progress and their interactions with peers and adults. When it comes to bullying and social relations within the school community in general, there exists an exciting opportunity to move beyond the simple punishment model to address the actual “roots” of social conflict. This approach fosters a new level of awareness and conflict resolution skills that benefit all stakeholders, not only within the school setting, but also in all other areas of their lives.
Indeed, school culture is the context in which teaching and learning take place and has a profound effect upon students’ academic progress and their interactions with peers and adults. When it comes to bullying and social relations within the school community in general, there exists an exciting opportunity to move beyond the simple punishment model to address the actual “roots” of social conflict. This approach fosters a new level of awareness and conflict resolution skills that benefit all stakeholders, not only within the school setting, but also in all other areas of their lives.