Photo at the top: A student takes a selfie with First Lady Melania Trump. It perfectly captures the joy that was felt in the room by students who realized they were experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”)
I have spent the last ten years shifting the conversation around such a topic and focusing on breaking bully stereotypes, so I jumped at the chance to be part of the work at a national level. The majority of the bullying I faced as a student happened in school, so I was shocked to see it happen with my third graders. The most surprising partwas when I realized which students do the bullying. Some of my sweetest, smartest, and most apparently innocent kids were the ones doing the most harm. I see patterns and the trends with each class.
Melody Arabo is a 2017-18 Washington School Ambassador Fellow.
I managed to be at the school for most of the day, hours before the guests came. I could feel the energy in the building as students. It was fascinating to watch all that occurred it took to execute a visit. Why this event was important, but the students reminded me. While the adults were scurrying around making sure things ran smoothly, the middle schoolers were enjoying the moment, recognizing the magnitude of what happened. They knew it meant they were doing something right and their school was being emphasized, and that’s an empowering feeling.
One thing that these kids have in common is that they do not see themselves as bullies since they do not resemble the exaggerated characters in TV and movies. Nobody is a bully all the time, and this misconception makes it hard for kids to accept their actions as bullying behavior. This issue can be perpetuated in any school lunchroom when kids are left feeling excluded and isolated, while the harm they cause isn’t understood by the classmates. Effective anti-bullying initiatives can help change those dynamics, and with the First Lady and Secretary share that message helps kids pay attention.
As a School Ambassador Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education, I had the opportunity to help plan and coordinate a visit for First Lady Melania Trump and Secretary Betsy DeVos to Orchard Lake Middle School in West Bloomfield, MI. The school was chosen because they had pledged their devotion promoting inclusion and acceptance. Orchard Lake Middle School prides itself on anti-bullying and diversity programs, so staff and the principal knew that they would be a fantastic fit for FLOTUS’s bullying prevention platform.
Published at Wed, 08 Nov 2017 19:43:36 +0000
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Students Realize the Magnitude of the Event
Sharing a message with kids about the importance of compassion and kindness is something which everyone should stand behind, and everyone did, that day. It is a big deal to have the First Lady and Education Secretary of the United States at their school, and this is something which these kids will remember for the rest of their lives. I am quite sure they will also bear in mind that no one should eat alone.
Source: TPd Paying for College Feed
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