The bell rang Tuesday morning for first period and I was on my way to a Spanish class to help out a few students read. Monica, a 6th grader, and I had connected in the lunch room during the first 2 weeks of school and I was excited that she was in the Spanish class I would be helping with.
After reading and talking with Monica in Spanish class, we walked together to lunch and I sat down with her and her friend Angela. I began to ask them questions about home life, school and friends. They began to share more in depth about some difficulties with another 6th grade student who had been bullying them, not only through words but physically as well. I encouraged them to not leave this as is and thanked them for sharing with me. They then talked with the Dean of Students about this issue.
The next day at lunch I talked with Monica and Angela about the bullying and if they were able to work things out. They said the Dean of Students approached the student that was bullying and disciplined him for his actions. I then went to the dean of students to check up on the students involved in this situation and she said it is under control and the student apologized for his actions.
I realized through this encounter that making students feel safe through a non-judgmental attitude and that they can trust you is vital in building relationships. It also reiterated the importance of talking about the difficult issues such as bullying. My position through Communities In Schools is allowing me the opportunity and time to build relationships and have conversations like I did with Angela and Monica.