Letters from the Director
Summer 2009
Creating A Caring School
by Jane Friedman, Director of Berkwood Hedge School
For as many years as I can remember, Berkwood Hedge School has had a deep commitment to the creation of a caring and respectful community. We have always valued our small, family-like environment. We see our school as a place where children and adults alike are treated with respect, where conflict resolution is integrated into the curriculum, where disagreements are resolved through class meetings and discussion, and where children enjoy an emotionally healthy and respectful school environment.
These principles are the foundation of many of our school's policies and practices, and yet behaviors such as teasing, put-downs, social exclusion, and using offensive and inappropriate words still happen at Berkwood Hedge.
Jane Friedman, Director
In recent years, educators, researchers, and others who work with children and adolescents have studied these bullying behaviors, developing a variety of strategies, materials, and programs to respond to the lives of children in schools. We no longer understand these behaviors as typical rites of passage for kids. We understand that we are all complex beings with the capacity to be kind and caring, as well as to hurt one another. And we understand that we can improve the culture of our own school, working to create an environment where every child feels a sense of emotional security.
The Berkwood Hedge curriculum fosters a culture of community building and support in many ways. At every grade level we focus on activities that address respect and appreciation for ourselves and others. Kindergarteners talk about being allies to their friends, "saying something" when they see someone treated unfairly. Third graders learn more about body image through a curriculum developed by "The Body Positive." Our Fifth grade students attend The Mosaic Project, a weeklong program that emphasizes building self-esteem and community, as well as empowering students to create a peaceful future.
This year the oldest class curriculum included "Let's Get Real," a film and curriculum developed by The Respect for All Project that examines issues that lead to taunting and bullying, including racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning disabilities, religious differences, and others.
In the coming year we plan on taking a deeper look at the emotional climate at Berkwood Hedge. Classroom lead teachers are rereading "What Schools Can Do," from Michael Thompson's book Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children.
Thompson lays out some basic principles for any school to consider in an effort to become a safer place for children to grow and develop. He emphasizes creating a school environment in which everyone is included in the conversation about school climate - parents/guardians, staff, students, and teachers; schools where safe, honest discussions about these topics are fostered and encouraged. He suggests taking a systematic approach: listening well at the classroom level; include lunchtime supervisors, Before- and Afterschool staff, teachers, parents/guardians and the students themselves; and use the information we gather to inform development of clear classroom rules and consistent consequences.
Thoughtful classroom meetings, roleplaying activities, reading, and other methods will be used to support this important work. Cooperation with parents/guardians is an important part of this endeavor and we welcome your involvement. We will be planning some parent discussions about safe and caring schools, and we will keep you posted as our ideas develop.