Well the worldly traveller made it back from Florida in one piece. The trip was great and the best part was that my children had a blast, especially being able to meet all the Disney characters throughout our stay. But enough of that stuff...I thought I would provide a bit of follow up to my last post regarding the issues that flared up at Arcola School a few weeks ago.
In order to address the issues that were percolating in the student body of the school, our school counsellor and I set up a session for the entire grade 7-12 student body to address the issues. We both spoke to the group and we had two elders speak to the group as well. We addressed the issues of bullying online and racism/stereotypes that break down positive relationships that had been developed. After the speakers, the school counsellor and I led the entire group through an open forum session where the students could talk and express their feelings and concerns in what we hoped was a non-threatening environment. I felt this was extremely important as listening to a bunch of adults gets boring after awhile! My plan was to have everyone air out the dirty laundry and then we would create a list of how we should treat each other and generally behave in school. . . a list that everyone could agree upon. Well the afternoon did not go as smoothly as I hoped as the dirty laundry session lasted longer than anticipated and kept coming up as we were trying to create the positive interaction list. As well, the conversation was dominated by two outspoken groups. But I think something was accomplished. As one of the elders told me afterward, all the students that spoke did so from the heart and held nothing back. As well, after everyone had left the gym the four girls that were in the original conflict came to me as a group to tell me that I took things too far, that the issue was between them and they felt it was necessary to sit down together the next day and resolve things. Little did they know that they had already resolved the issues when they came to me to tell me what I did was wrong!
Now, although things are better at the school after all that has happened, the climate is still not where I would like it to be. I believe that it will continue to improve as time puts space between where we were and where we currently are. The need to continue to try and break down the barrier between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students in the school still exists, but I believe an important first step has been taken. Until next time.
KH
I'm glad to see that you are actively trying to resolve this issue in your school. Students just seeing their administrator interact with other students is a positive thing. I had a similar experience on a much smaller scale during my first teaching position, it centered on bullying though. As a class we hosted a sharing circle which included the principal and the vice. Even though the immediate outcome was not what the administrators had hoped for, the lasting outcome was met. The bully experienced some empathy and the bullied student got some peace. Students may not get the desired outcome at the desired time, but hopefully they still understand what the outcome should look like. Sounds like your students understand what you were trying to do, they just didn't agree with the path you decided to take. What ever works, what will be will be.
ReplyDeleteHEllo Kevin, glad to hear you had a great trip and made it home safely. I am very proud of you for addressing the situation they way you did. Setting up a forum like that can take a road you never expect. Very brave of you. I think what you did is great in many ways - one like you indicated. The girls had solved their issue before they came to see you. Second I think you sent a message to your entire school community about how much you care for your school and will work to make it a great place to be. Next time conflcts may be avoided or addressed differently. I am sure that invovling the elders also was powerful both for them and for the youth. It is very evident how much you care for your school, they are lucky to have you as their leader - keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, Kevin. I've been wondering how things were working out with that issue. It's such a challenging one to deal with because people on both sides are so easily offended by the actions and reactions of others in the group.
ReplyDelete