All staff, students, parents and community members must be part of creating a safe school environment. Everyone has a personal responsibility for reducing the risk of violence. We must take steps to maintain order, demonstrate mutual respect and caring for one another and ensure that children who are troubled get the help they need. Everyone should have an understanding of the early warning signs that help identify students who may be headed for trouble. Everyone should be prepared to respond appropriately in a crisis situation.
Children often engage in acts of shoving and mild aggression.
However, some mildly aggressive behaviors such as constant hitting and bullying of others that occur early in children's lives, if left unattended, might later escalate into more serious behaviors. Dr. John Woodall is a psychiatrist with a specialty in treating psychological trauma. He is on the faculty of the Judge Baker Children's Center at Harvard University and is the Director of the Unity Project Curriculum Initiative, developing pro-social skills in diverse school settings. Woodall just returned from the State of the World Forum where he presented his Unity Project, a curriculum for teaching respect for diversity. All Rights Reserved.