how to be safe at school essay in english

Student Behavior Blog

How can we keep students safe at school.

Authors : Samantha Peyton , Kirby Chow

Acts of violence at school such as bullying, fighting, and even highly publicized school shootings place immense pressure on educators, school leaders, parents, community members, and legislators to better ensure the safety of their students and secure schools. However, what keeps students “safe” can vary depending on the school environment, student population, neighboring community, and how we even define “safe.” A comprehensive approach to keeping students safe at school requires balancing approaches to improve and maintain a positive school climate, student mental and behavioral well-being programs, strategies to prevent and mitigate violence, and physical security mechanisms. There is a growing body of research and promising practices from which we can select different options to keep our students both emotionally and physically safe at school.

Social-emotional security

In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that when students feel connected to their schools, its staff, and their peers, violence is less likely to occur. On the other hand, research such as the Adverse Childhood Experiences study shows that children who have experienced trauma and other adverse experiences, such as violence or abuse early in life, are at a higher risk of physical and mental illness well into adulthood. How can we support all students to feel emotionally secure in and outside the classroom?

Strategies such as integrated social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula, routine mental health screenings, connecting students with needs to appropriate mental health resources, and community-building and relationship-building practices are all ways schools can recognize and promote students’ well-being and emotional security. Despite limited resources, many schools are prioritizing their students’ social-emotional security and incorporating some aspect of mental health supports into their curriculum and daily practices. In fact, to date, three states (Florida, New York, and Virginia) currently mandate mental health education for all their K-12 students. Please read our blog post describing 5 strategies to incorporate mental health education in schools to support student mental health for more information .

By proactively identifying and supporting at-risk students, schools can play a crucial role in increasing the social-emotional safety and security for all students and staff. By using evidence-based interventions that support students who have experienced trauma and violence, schools can help students learn skills to manage their emotions and relax their bodies, de-escalate tense situations, and build and maintain strong connections with others.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network , the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) , and the Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development are just a few more resources that offer other evidence-based programs designed to improve student well-being, reduce antisocial behavior, increase social and emotional resilience, and promote a healthy course of youth development. We encourage you to take a look at their registries of programs and practices that range from broad prevention to highly individualized intervention programs to see what might fit for your family, school, or community.

Physical security

Physical security mechanisms to keep students safe on school campuses can be obvious, such as locked gates or metal detectors, or they can be virtually undetectable, like intentional architecture design or bullet-proof windows. Because of the recent escalation in school shootings, there have been large increases in funding for improving the physical security of school campuses and the staff’s preparation for crises. Since the fatal school shooting in Parkland, FL, more than 26 states have increased spending on school safety with an emphasis on security upgrades and school resource officers (SROs). These measures can include some or all of the following: installing metal detectors, safe rooms, and secure fencing; arming authorized adults with firearms; conducting threat assessment and active shooter trainings; and employing school-based law enforcement officers.

One of the most popular physical security trends seen today is an increase in the presence of police or SROs on school campuses. Proponents argue that SROs can combat school attacks, deescalate incidents of violence and aggression between students and/or staff, and deter internal and external threats. Many students with SROs on their campuses do feel safer; for example, according to findings from a 2018 Baltimore Public School District student survey, 70% of students agreed that SROs contribute positively to school climate and safety.

Conversely, other data reveal that the presence of SROs may incite anxiety and fear among some students. Citing data from the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), the ACLU reported that students with disabilities and students of color particularly feel this negative impact. Furthermore, the CRDC and state incident reports show that SROs often intervene with students for minor offensives that otherwise would not be criminalized, such as cursing and refusing to follow instructions, which can lead to other excessive consequences.

While the current body of research on school policing is limited, more schools are opting to include SROs as a component of their safety plans. The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention recommends clearly defining the multifaceted role of SROs as being “an educator, informal counselor, and law enforcement problem-solver.” Specialized training on student mental health, adolescent development and communication, implicit bias, and age-appropriate de-escalation techniques can help SROs more effectively support students.

See how one SRO, who became an active mentor to high school students, was sent off with a fun dance routine as a final farewell

Although the jury is still out on the impact of SROs on school safety and climate, the concepts of intentional school architecture and innovative technology are advancing the physical safety of schools in other ways. For example, after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, the school was torn down, reconstructed, and reopened in 2016. The campus is now equipped with some of today’s most advanced yet discrete safety features: it is built above ground-level to keep students out of clear sight, classrooms are fitted with bullet-resistant windows, and angled outdoor planters create distance between classrooms and walkways to limit outsiders’ clear view and access. A 20-foot high atrium allows staff to see anyone who enters campus from three contained entry points, and state-of-the-art cameras surveil the hallways 24 hours a day. While less overt and obvious, these design features offer creative and “unseen” options as they reduce vulnerabilities and heighten security.

Keeping students happy, healthy, and safe at school is a balancing act of finite resources. Depending on each school’s structure, priorities, and capacities, there are different ways that you can take advantage of the various strategies to increase both social-emotional and physical security. Taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach can help all students and staff feel safe and supported at school.

More resources on school-based mental health and SEL:

For more information about how to promote a strong school community and support the physical and social-emotional security of students, please check out these other helpful resources:

• Our blog post on incorporating SEL into everyday academic instruction that includes resources and strategies for incorporating SEL into everyday academic instruction.
• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides tools to help educators support students who have experienced trauma.
• The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) shares guidance for creating a safe, supportive environment for learning.
• The Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development provides a comprehensive registry of evidence-based interventions that are effective in reducing antisocial behavior and promoting a healthy course of youth development and adult maturity.

Topics: Mental health School climate Secondary intervention

Tags: CBITS Cognitive Behavior Intervention for Trauma in Schools First step to success School safety 

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• Future of Learning

By: Jeff Rose.

The status of public education is similar to how my pastor once described our beloved church, “a perfect mess.” All people are flawed and complex, and education entails older people attempting to teach and raise younger ones. As a career-long educator, I appreciate the beauty of all that we do to impact the trajectory of the lives we touch. Simultaneously, I recognize the fact that our school systems undoubtedly need improvement, and I embrace the challenging road ahead. I have served as a classroom teacher, principal, and a three-time superintendent across both small/rural and large/urban environments. I have witnessed trends and acronyms come and go, federal regulations shift, and our pendulum of what we deem important swing back and forth.

Some describe education as a large ship, in that it can sometimes be difficult to turn. However, considering the US school system is comprised of approximately 98,300 public schools, and 13,600 school districts, it’s more comparable to an expansive fleet. In my time as an educator, I have observed and been involved with many successful, student-centered, efforts and initiatives: allocating resources aligned to a theory of equity, improving supports for second-language learners, integrating personalized learning models, incorporating technology into the student experience, diagnosing student needs with the use of improved assessment techniques, and creating content and courses that translate to future careers. We have a long way to go, but we are making great strides. And at this current juncture in time, I am pleased, yet still far from satisfied.

Our Building Fear

Unfortunately, there is one major priority in which conditions are steadily declining. . . the physical and social/emotional safety of students. Due to very real, disastrous, and highly-publicized mass shootings both inside schools and outside of them, our collective fear has never been as rampant as it is now. The shocking events we have witnessed in 2018 and 2019 have awoken an apprehension in all of us, as there were more school shooting incidents thus far than in any other two-year time period since 1970. In response, I have seen schools across the nation increase and upgrade their security measures and infrastructure like never before. I have personally commissioned professional safety audits in a number of school districts and have established safety task forces that have resulted in and achieved:

• Increased numbers of armed officers patrolling and stationed at schools.
• Added camera surveillance, some even including facial recognition capability.
• Revamped staff and student shooting protocol training.
• Guaranteed communication infrastructure for school police with local jurisdictions
• Ensuring the district has access to SWAT trained professionals.
• Encouraged students and families to report any safety concerns they may have (see something, say something movement) via a distributed app.

Despite such efforts and arguments that some of our schools may be “safer” than ever before, anxious parents and students continue to impede learning and trust. For students to thrive, they need to be  safe and they need to feel  safe. Serving as a superintendent throughout the years, I have been responsible for the safety and wellbeing of a total of 170 schools. Despite the mathematical odds, one of my worst fears was the potential of a mass shooting within my district.

Our Biggest Problem

While acts of violence dominate the headlines and news cycles, educators work with students on a daily basis to confront issues that are even more significant. The number one concern amongst educators is not the probability of a catastrophic event, but rather the social and emotional challenges that our youth are forced to navigate in today’s day and age. In our country, anxiety and depression have never been as high for students as they are now. Teachers and administrators witness and experience it every day. In fact, students themselves report that they see anxiety and depression as a major issue for themselves and their peers.

As one can imagine, the reasons why our youth struggle with these issues is neither simple nor clear. As a parent of two teenagers, I cannot honestly relate to many of the challenges that our kids face – most adults can’t. The world has changed, and it will continue to do so. As of now, there are multiple factors that contribute to the increasing burden that today’s kids carry:

• The impact of social media on peer pressure.
• Constant information and entertainment overload.
• Anxiety about performing and competing, both at school and at home.
• Increasing academic pressure and expectations.
• Family trauma.

I have been fortunate enough to work in school districts where we established strategic plans that consisted of clear academic expectations, student interventions and support systems, and assessment protocols, opportunities for teacher collaboration, and a priority for quality family/community communication. As a result, I have been part of significant academic gains in every district that I have been fortunate to lead. However, two of the last three districts that I have worked in have followed the same unfortunate national trend in terms of students taking their own lives. Teen suicide rates in our county are at an all-time high, and I am not proud to admit that I have not been able to turn the tide for the schools that I have led, relative to student suicide and self-harm.

And despite how it may seem, school districts throughout the country are not simply sitting on their hands. Even amidst budget constraints, they are working to add more counselors and social workers to support students as best as they can. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum and instructional strategies are being pushed to schools and are often sought out by classroom teachers. However, we struggle with issues of capacity. How much more responsibility and burden can schools accept, and how fast can such changes in our system take place? We have ‘pockets of excellence’ in schools and a number of high-performing districts that serve as models for what is possible, but we have students with significant needs in every corner of every community. For the sake of our students, we need to leverage our sense of urgency and somehow do more and implement the right solutions and policies at a faster pace.

Space To Innovate

While there may be some very impressive and potentially innovative ideas and products available for schools to consider, districts are still establishing fundamental infrastructures that are needed and affordable. Even facial recognition cameras, while inventive and controversial, are being utilized as reactionary tools. Keep in mind, having camera systems may be a deterrent, but districts also need to have the resources and protocols in place to monitor and use the hardware and to their fullest potential. Innovations I envision having the biggest impacts in the near future may be in the following three areas:

• Social media monitoring. Five years ago, I remember discussing the idea of researching strategies for our district to gain insight into dangerous commentary and threats students sometimes make via social media channels. The concept was new territory for us, and quickly we shied away from it due to the controversy of it being considered by some as an invasion of privacy and free speech. Times have changed. School districts are currently turning to industry partners, Social Sentinel, for example, to help with the process of tracking keywords and language algorithms to flag public posts that may suggest violence or danger within the school community. The intent for districts is to use the information to proactively intervene. An Atlanta based company named Bark, not only supports school districts but also puts such a tool within the hands of parents to track their children and those they associate with.
• See something, say something . School administrators and resource officers have always known that the best source of information comes from our students. Most would be surprised at the number of incidents that are controlled because students reach out and tell a trusted adult in the school. It’s when they don’t, bad things happen. It’s becoming quite common for school districts to provide apps that allow students and the community at large to confidentially report an alarming safety concern. For such a process to be successful, districts must shift from the mentality that security is their responsibility to one that believes our students and community are partners and can help us if given the appropriate tools and access. I have come to believe that student voice and advocacy, specifically focused on the safe and secure environment they desire, is an underutilized resource. Fortunately, schools are progressing with instruments and expectations that can make a dramatic difference in the inclusive and safe environment our kids deserve.
• Social-emotional curriculum, models, and tools. Years ago, social-emotional curriculum and instructional strategies were considered an ‘add-on’ to the classroom environment, nice but not necessary. Fortunately, in many of our schools and districts, this is changing. With the help from various partners (i.e.- CASEL, Edutopia, research and a variety of for-profit companies), social-emotional standards and instructional strategies are becoming staples in the classroom and school environments. Schools, such as the Valor Academies in Tennessee, are utilizing a specific social-emotional model as the very foundation for which the school system is designed. Emerging companies such as Panorama Education are helping educators track and use research-based data to drive actionable instructional strategies tied to the social-emotional needs of students. The challenge will continue to be changing our teaching and learning expectations while simultaneously being careful of what we are adding the plate of educators. Therefore, innovative models, tools, and data sets are critical for schools to be able to successfully implement social-emotional supports for students.

Time To Circle-Up

I don’t have the silver-bullet solution to our growing student safety epidemic. However, I believe in the power of collaboration. When the right people are assembled under the right conditions, incredible things can happen. For years, I have worked to establish cohesive collaborative structures and environments for educators. I have witnessed teachers and leaders accomplish unbelievable feats just by tapping into the collective wisdom of their colleagues. When navigating complicated challenges, I trust in the process of knowledgeable and motivated professionals circling-up with any given problem in the middle of the table. Education is a team sport and leading alone is not effective.

As a superintendent, I poured every ounce of my being into serving my schools and communities. Yet, a little over seven months ago, I chose to resign from Fulton County Schools (96,000 students, 105 schools), and it was certainly the most difficult professional decision I have ever made. Fast forward to now . . . I have started an organization called Leading Ed Solutions, a national community of superintendents assembled to help and support one another with their solutions and strategies aligned to a common problem-of-practice. Our goal is to build a well-structured system to help our leaders, individually and collectively, take their school districts to the next level. For this year, as you might imagine, we are tackling student safety, both physical and social/emotional.

Superintendents are in a very isolated position. The expectations of their role are often unrealistic, and the demands placed on them are becoming more and more challenging over time. Districts are grappling with immense problems, both on a local and national level. Meanwhile, the ‘conference model,’ along with more traditional methods of support are not adequately helping top leaders move from talk to action.

Imagine the things that we are going to learn over the next year by gathering together the talented leaders who are responsible for the infrastructure and direction of our schools. The ‘knowledge capital’ that we will soon capture will add a critical layer of pragmatic information to what is a burning priority throughout our country.

Every week, we have more superintendents express interest in and a commitment to Leading Ed Solutions. Quality leaders know that while it is important to be aware of research and ‘best practice’, the task of galvanizing others and orchestrating momentum and achieving results is an art form.

For more, see:

• Can Learning Be Both Powerful and Boring? 
• 4 Ways Project-Based Learning Prepares Students for the Future of Work 
• Podcast: Susan Patrick on Transforming Education Systems for Equitable High-Quality Learning 

Stay in-the-know with innovations in learning by signing up for the weekly  Smart Update .

Jeff Rose is the Founder of Leading Ed Solutions  and has his own podcast, Leading Education with Jeff Rose . You can find him on Twitter at @DrJeffRose .

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Students need to be able to feel safe in school and video surveillance is an important part of this. It can be deployed in an unobtrusive way alongside other safety and security measures.

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Creating safe spaces for students in the classroom

Providing a safe space for students to grow and learn where they feel their voice is heard has a large impact on their learning and well-being. This guide contains tips on how to create this space.

27 April 2020

Holley and Steiner (2005) propose a safe space is:

“The metaphor of the classroom as a ‘safe space’ has emerged as a description of a classroom climate that allows students to feel secure enough to take risks, honestly express their views and share and explore their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. 

Safety in this sense does not refer to physical safety. Instead classroom safe space refers to protection from psychological or emotional harm…

Being safe is not the same as being comfortable. To grow and learn, students must confront issues that make them uncomfortable and force them to struggle with who they are and what they believe.” (p.50)

What are microaggressions?

Sue et al. (2007) define microaggressions as:

“are brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioural or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of colour.” (p.271)

Some examples of microaggressions include:

• Inappropriate jokes
• Stereotyping
• Exclusion from groups and/or being dismissed or ignored
• Not learning names
• Denial of racial reality

Whilst microaggressions are typically subtle and interpersonal, macroaggressions are often overt and occur at a systemic level.

Understanding race and racism in higher education

Warmington (2018) states:

“The greatest barrier to addressing race equality in higher education is academia’s refusal to regard race as a legitimate object of scrutiny, either in scholarship or policy. Consequently, there is little recognition of the role played by universities in (re)producing racial injustice.” 

It is important to recognise and address the ways in which we as individuals, as well as an institution, ‘contribute to academia’s racialised culture and practices’ (Warmington, 2018). 

This is explored in detail in Arday and Mirza’s (2018) work, Dismantling Race in Higher Education . The book contains a collection of essays which explore the ideology of whiteness and the roots of structural racism in the academy.

Understanding the decolonise movement

There are increasing calls to decolonise the university and curriculum across the sector. 

Although evidence of inclusive practice is clear, for example, the diversification of reading lists, decolonising extends beyond these practices in isolation. 

Whilst there is no consensus regarding a definition of decolonising in an educational context, Begum and Saini (2019) propose:

“decolonisation is crucial because, unlike diversification, it specifically acknowledges the inherent power relations in the production and dissemination of knowledge, and seeks to destabilise these” (p.198)

• See more examples of decolonisation at UCL at Liberating the Curriculum .

Why is creating a safe learning environment important?

Racial microaggressions have an adverse impact on students’ self-esteem and well-being.

Nadal et al. (2014) found that racial microaggressions negatively affect students’ mental health. 

Their results showed that microaggressions that occur in educational and workplace environments are particularly harmful to victims’ self-esteem.

Our legal obligation

The Equality Act (2010) outlaws direct and indirect discrimination on grounds of protected characteristics. Therefore, we have a legal obligation to provide education in a non-discriminatory manner.

Creating a safe space is important to students and their perception of how much they learn

Holly and Steiner (2005) researched student perspectives on safe learning environments. 

They found that “the vast majority of students consider the creation of a safe space to be very or extremely important and that the majority of students perceive that they learn more in such a classroom” (p.61).

It affects students sense of belonging, which is associated with academic success and motivation

Research suggests that racial microaggressions can make students feel unwanted, unwelcome and reduce a sense of belonging (Hurtado and Carter, 1997; Smith et al., 2007). 

Fostering a strong sense of belonging is important as it is positively associated with academic success and motivation (Freeman, Anderman and Jensen, 2017). 

• See the teaching toolkit: Creating a sense of belonging for your students

Tips for creating safe spaces

A selection of practical tips are provided to help you create safe and inclusive learning environments. 

Additional guidance, tips and resources are provided in the  full PDF guide .

These include:

• Learn and pronounce students names correctly
• Address challenging behaviour head on and use these as teachable moments
• Use micro-affirmations
• Establish ground rules for interaction with your students at the beginning of the course
• Write a diversity and inclusion statement for your syllabus

1. Learn and pronounce students names correctly

Ambrose et al. (2010) state that “creating an effective learning climate often includes making students feel recognised as individuals, both by instructors and peers” (p.182). 

This can be achieved through learning students’ names and providing opportunities for students’ to learn each other’s names.

However, whilst learning names can reduce anonymity, pronouncing names correctly is also important. 

Research by Kohli and Solorzano (2011) shows that mispronouncing names can have a negative impact on the world view and emotional well-being of students. 

In order to help you learn names, consider asking students to state their name before they begin speaking, for example if they are responding to a question or comment, or use name tents (a folded piece of card with a students’ name on it). 

If you unsure how to pronounce a student’s name correctly, ask them directly and do not be afraid to ask more than once. 

Taking the time to learn and correctly pronounce a student’s name will not only make the individual student feel valued, but also provide an opportunity to model inclusive behaviour for all students and create a positive classroom climate (O’Brien et al., 2014).

2. Address challenging behaviour head on and use these as teachable moments

Do address any challenging behaviour head on, for example:

• microaggressions
• alienating behaviours or
• attitudes etc. 

Research shows that students will take cues from teachers about how to react in tense moments, therefore, ignoring challenging behaviour can further marginalise students, and squander opportunities to promote mutual understanding and dispel stereotypes (Sue et al., 2009; Bergom et al., 2011).

Not dealing with challenging behaviour such as microaggressions, can have an adverse consequences for the individual responsible, which include lowering empathic ability and maintaining false illusion (Spanierman et al. 2006). 

Therefore, try to turn these difficult moments into teachable moments and opportunities for learning.

Ambrose et al. (2010) suggest that if tensions are running high, to “funnel those emotions into useful dialogue” for example, encourage students to take a different perspective using role play, or use a time out to allow students to write down their reactions, thoughts and feelings (p.184).

3. Use micro-affirmations

Rowe (2008) defines microaffirmations as “tiny acts of opening doors to opportunity, gestures of inclusion and caring, and graceful acts of listening” (p.46). 

Research by Estrada et al. (2019) found that students’ experiences of microaffirmations can positively contribute toward their integration into discipline communities’ (p.13). 

Moreover, studies have shown that ‘students with high levels of identity affirmation are more likely to have: 

• higher self-esteem, self-concept, academic achievement; 
• fewer mental health problems; and 
• positively cope with and respond to everyday discrimination (Ghavami et al., 2011; Umaña-Taylor et al., 2008, as cited in Ellis et al. 2019, p.2).

Powell et al. (2013) condenses micro- affirmations into actions, which you can use in your everyday interactions with students.

Active listening

Focus on hearing clearly what is being said by students, and reinforcing this understanding through use of eye contact, nodding, open body language, summarising statements and asking questions to confirm understanding.

Affirm students emotions

If a student discloses an experience (positive or negative) to you, verbally acknowledge and validate students’ feelings regarding this experience. Express affirming statements with genuine sentiment and appropriate body language. 

Statements can be simple, such as “I appreciate this is frustrating...” “I can see you are really excited by this opportunity...”

If the experience is challenging, validate students’ feelings whilst guiding them to develop a productive perspective on their experience. 

Where appropriate, signpost students to services and identify relevant resources and options available to them. 

Recognise and validate students experiences

This does not mean you have to have agree with the student’s interpretation of the experience. 

Instead, focus on making it clear to the student that you understand the challenge of their experience, and that you are willing to help them consider productive ways of dealing with it. 

You can do this through using verbal, written and body language cues that show you care about what the student is saying and are interested in helping them.

4. Establish ground rules for interaction with your students at the beginning of the course

Research suggests that students must confront their biases and be aware of their values and beliefs in order to think critically and become culturally competent (Diller, 2004; Van Soest and Garcia, 2003). 

This can be facilitated in a number of ways, including classroom discussion. 

However, Holly and Steiner (2005) suggest that if students are to risk self-disclosure in discussion (i.e. expressing views that might not be readily accepted by others), the rewards of doing so (i.e. personal growth) must outweigh perceived consequences (i.e. possible embarrassment or ridicule). One way to facilitate and encourage open and honest discussion is through establishing ground rules with your class.

Ambrose et al. (2010) state that “ground rules can help to assure that peers are being inclusive and respectful in order to create an effective learning climate and promote students’ development” (p.183). 

Garibay (2015) suggest that if possible, instructors should dedicate a portion of the first session to develop ground rules with students, however, if this is not possible due to time constraints, ground rules should be included in the syllabus.

Example ground rules

Garibay (2015, p.9) provides the following suggestions for ground rules:

• Respect the opinions of others in class discussions.
• When you disagree, make sure that you use arguments to criticise the idea, not the person.
• When offering an opinion or answering a question, support your assertion with arguments and evidence, not generalisations.
• Avoid dominating class discussions.
• Be open to the ideas and experiences of others in the class.
• If you are nervous about speaking in class, remember that your perspective is valid and the class deserves to hear it.
• Be conscious of body language. Nonverbal responses can also indicate disrespect.

5. Write a diversity and inclusion statement for your syllabus

The Harriet W. Sheridan Centre for Teaching and Learning (HWSCTL) at Brown suggest “including a diversity statement on your syllabus can set the tone for your classroom environment. It shows students that you value and respect difference in intellectual exchange and are aware of current campus conversations surrounding diversity.”

Tips on how to write a diversity statement, as well as more examples are available from Yale’s Poorvu Centre for Teaching and Learning . 

Example diversity statements

From the University of Iowa College of Education  “Respect for Diversity: It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit.

It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. 

Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups.  In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let me know so that we can make arrangements for you.”

From Monica Linden, Neuroscience, Brown University “In an ideal world, science would be objective. However, much of science is subjective and is historically built on a small subset of privileged voices. 

I acknowledge that the readings for this course, including the course reader and BCP were authored by white men. 

Furthermore, the course often focuses on historically important neuroscience experiments which were mostly conducted by white men.

Recent edits to the course reader were undertaken by both myself and some students who do not identify as white men. 

However, I acknowledge that it is possible that there may be both overt and covert biases in the material due to the lens with which it was written, even though the material is primarily of a scientific nature. Integrating a diverse set of experiences is important for a more comprehensive understanding of science. Please contact me (in person or electronically) or submit anonymous feedback if you have any suggestions to improve the quality of the course materials….”

The student perspective

Views from ucl students.

“Racial discrimination is subtle, in the sense that it’s not explicit, but rather the way lecturers and students word things, this can come across as offensive for a person of a minority background.” UCL’s Race Equality Charter (REC) Student Survey 

“Discrimination often occurs in a very subtle way... people who do it, may not notice it. The way teachers for example sometimes refer to “the Chinese people” or “the Indian people” etc. in a lecture, just because of physical appearances.” REC Student Survey

“Teaching staff poke fun at international students – knowing they will not get the joke.” Challenge Consultancy. focus group

“From blatant comments to a lot of microaggressions and subtle racism from peers. None gets addressed because the majority of lecturers and seminar tutors are also White. Therefore, either unable to recognise it or have an unwillingness to do so.” REC Student Survey

“Whilst I feel that race and ethnicity is discussed in academic discussions, I find it is only ever briefly brushed past or not spoken about explicitly enough… This often gives the impression that issues of race and ethnicity are outside the norm, that they are in the peripheries of what is important as opposed to central to many peoples’ life experiences alongside how many issues are navigated in our world.” REC Student Survey

Views from other students in the sector

“Nicknames have to be adopted by lecturers for minority students for whom their names are deemed too difficult. Often this takes place initially when a lecturer screws their face upon seeing an ‘ethnic’ name on the register.” Tackling racial harassment: Universities challenged, Equality and Human Rights Commission

“A lecturer commenting about people speaking in ‘difficult’ accents – it made me feel selfconscious about the way I speak. I feel that in the beginning of my course, I was not very sensitive towards microaggressions and would a lot of the time just blame it on myself and thus resulted in me feeling less able than my white peers.” Insider-Outsider, The Role of Race in Shaping the Experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic Students at Goldsmiths

“My teacher ignored me and went round the class asking everyone in order questions, when she got to me she skipped past me and asked the person next to me instead (I was the only BME person in the class). She also never knew my name and just said “you” or point at me, whilst she knew everybody else’s name.” Degrees of Freedom, SOAS 

“Most of the time it’s in the way teachers talk to you, their body language, their demeanour. They’ll use certain phrases that they wouldn’t use with your Caucasian peers. There is a change in the attitude when they address you. And you can feel it.” Tackling racial harassment: Universities challenged, Equality and Human Rights Commission

A full list of resources is available in the  full PDF guide .

Resources to help close the awarding gap  on the project website also has many more resources and further reading.

This guide has been produced by the  BAME Awarding Gap Project for the  UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education  toolkits. You are welcome to use this guide if you are from another educational facility, but you must credit the project. 

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An educator's reflection on how teachers can make schools safe to learn, a teacher’s role in children’s lives can be transformative..

A teacher’s role in children’s lives can be transformative. On the frontline of our education systems, the direct influence of teachers on students can be a key factor in their well-being, and their efforts can be instrumental in protecting children from the violence in and around schools that affects hundreds of millions of children every year. 

One educator making a difference in his classrooms and beyond is Mr Baguma Filbert Bates. Having witnessed and admittedly partaken in violence in schools, and realising the devastating impact of this violence through his own journey in the education system, Mr Bates is now dedicated to bringing systemic reform with and through teachers. 

Ahead of the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, which this year focuses on the instrumental role of teachers in ending violence, the Safe To Learn global initiative spoke to Mr. Bates about his journey and solutions for how teachers can make a difference. 

“I was once a perpetrator of violence in school and l didn’t envisage the extent of the damage it had on the teaching-learning environment and the learners in particular. Corporal punishment – or violent forms of discipline – was the violence I engaged in.” he shares.

“Children have dropped out of school, they live in depression, they are not secure, have poor anger management, developed poor social skills and even violent extremism. From the time I got enlightened [to the issue], I became an ambassador of safe learning environments and violence-free schools.”

He now wants to see an end to corporal punishment and all the other forms if violence children face in and through schools.

“Forms of violence in schools which I would like to see end are school-related gender-based violence, bullying and teasing, use of abusive and vulgar language, child abuse, sexual violence, psychological violence.”

An inspiring educator, Mr Baguma Filbert Bates is the General Secretary of Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU). He was, in fact, one of the brains behind the founding of UNATU in 2003 and has been instrumental in boosting the Union’s growth to the heights it stands at today. 

“I became a teacher through the admiration of my Grandfather who was a teacher. I became a teacher because I wanted to help children to be better citizens through the school system because I used to sympathise with innocent children who had no access to education,” he said.

Mr. Bates has been actively involved in both teaching and education development work across Union, National and Regional levels. He represents Education International on the Safe to Learn Global Advocacy Taskforce and represents UNATU on the National Public Service Negotiating and Consultative Council. He has previously worked as a primary school teacher and a Head Teacher and holds a Masters's Degree in Education Management. 

Throughout his now 25-year-long career, he has found effective approaches that teachers use at the school level to prevent, identify and address violence. These have included innovative solutions:

“The creation of families in a school between teachers and students, or the formation of clubs like Peace Lovers club whose membership is the Peace ambassadors in the school. The use of music, dance and drama where the themes are designed to show the dangers of violence in and around school, role plays on the negative effects of violence in and around school and peer-to-peer sensitisation about violence in and around schools. Weekly assemblies specifically on violence in and around school.”

Earlier this year, he shared actionable best practices on how teachers can foster safe learning environments through positive discipline and what is needed for them to do so in the  Safe to Learn Essay Collection , lending his expert perspective to a holistic series of insights into the issue of violence in and through schools. 

He shared with us some of the most effective approaches he has seen teachers and schools could deploy to help change harmful social and gender norms around violence beyond the school gates. 

“Teachers taking the campaign against violence in and around school or to the prayer places on designated days, requesting church leaders to give them some time during prayers. Sending children to their homes and communities to always talk about the dangers of violence in and around school. Inviting media during Parents Teachers Association general meetings where violence in and around school is on the agenda is another practice” are among some of the proactive ways to engage, he stated. 

“Over even things like composing songs about violence and training learners who of course take them to the communities and as they sing them, the communities are picking the message and in turn some take the message seriously thus changing their ways.”

His call to action for what more can be done to drive forward reform in education systems to ensure all teachers and students are able to work and learn in an environment free from violence is to include ending violence in our curricula and education structures. 

“There is a need for the governments through curriculum development centres to include peace education, prevention of violence and management of conflicts in their curricula. We need to develop structured sessions of Continuous Professional Development on prevention of violence in and around schools and creation of safe learning environments.”

You can read more about his insights and solutions in his essay  ‘Positive discipline: the tools and resources required by teachers’ in the Safe to Learn Essay Collection . 

Related topics

More to explore, safe to learn - an essay collection.

Violence against children occurs on an unimaginable scale.

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The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has launched its new and improved CyberTipline

A new comic to help guide voices of young survivors

Facing childhood sexual abuse and exploitation is a traumatic experience that has devastating and long-term consequences.

What the metaverse and extended reality means

The Metaverse is on the horizon. 

Safe to Learn: An Essay Collection

VIEW THE ESSAY COLLECTION IN ENGLISH HERE AND FRENCH HERE .

Violence against children occurs on an unimaginable scale. It happens in every country and every community, and it undermines children’s health, education and development. 

Schools should be a safe place for children to learn and play, but that is far from the reality for many children. It is estimated that 246 million girls and boys experience violence and abuse at or on the way to/from school every year. 

Violence takes many forms including physical, psychological and sexual, each affecting girls and boys in different ways, and more than ever it is being amplified online. Bullying by peers, sexual abuse by educators, and violent attacks on schools put children at risk in the very place that should protect them, nurture their learning, and help them flourish. 

Education can be transformative – it lifts people out of poverty, helps change harmful social norms, supports health and wellbeing and fosters peaceful societies. But widespread violence in and around schools is dramatically undermining this transformational power of education, leaving millions of children living in fear every day and limiting their potential.

We need to examine and tackle the causes of different forms of violence in and around schools, and how environments which enable such violence are able to develop and take hold. 

“We must hear perspectives from all of the people who have lived the reality of violence, including children and young people, and those who can and are making decisions today that could help put an end to the violence.

This is why the Safe to Learn initiative and End Violence Partnership are publishing the Safe To Learn essay collection . Together, they provide a holistic insight into the problem and its impact – and the solutions. The contributors represent a range of voices and perspectives that include: global education leadership, government perspectives (donor and domestic), teachers, youth and civil society.

This essay collection is being launched at the margins of the Transforming Education Pre-Summit . The UN Secretary General’s Transforming Education Summit process this year provides a unique opportunity for political leaders to forge a new social contract for education - one where violence prevention is right at the heart of efforts to accelerate progress on education. The Summit represents a pivotal moment for children, their safety and their futures. 

We know the impact violence in schools is having and we know what works to stop it. Through Safe to Learn, the End Violence Partnership welcomes the ideas set out in these essays and the efforts being made by these partners, and many more, to end violence against children. It is our hope that leaders listen to what is being articulated in this essay collection and work to urgently scale-up efforts in every country and community so that every child is safe to learn.

THE COLLECTION:

With a foreword from Joy Phumaphi, Board Co-Chair, End Violence Partnership , the collection features discussions on a range of topics:

H.E.  President Jakaya Kikwete, Chair of the Global Partnership for Education makes the case that the global community must put a greater political focus on ending violence in and around schools, and sets out four steps world leaders can take to achieve this goal

Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General  for Education speaks to how the culture of peace starts with safe and non-violent learning environments and examines how these can be achieved.

Dr Wajih Mousa Owais, Jordanian Minister of Education provides insightful reflections on what can be done by ministries to facilitate an education system that promotes safe and peaceful learning, examining efforts currently being taken by his Ministry, including engaging children and young people in the process.

Helen Grant  MP , the UK  Prime Minister’s  Special Envoy for Girls’ Education argues that violence in schools is preventable and shares examples of approaches and programmes which are having a positive impact to reduce violence and could be scaled up in other countries and contexts.

Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait examines the escalated risk of violence in and around schools in conflict and crisis contexts, and argues that children and young people who are in the most dangerous environments on earth must be prioritised.

Dr. Daniela Ligiero, Executive Director of Together for Girls  examines the unique perspective of survivors of violence and sexual abuse. She offers a powerful personal reflection on the increasing impact of survivor-led efforts to end violence and speaks to the increase in data emerging in this space, notably through the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS).

Jospehine Kamara, a Global Partnership for Education Youth Leader from Sierra Leone discusses her own experience of violence from a tutor and argues that young people must have a central role in decision-making to ensure their safety and their ability to access a safe education. She examines how the issue specifically affects girls and how this is limiting the potential for millions of girls to learn and thrive.

Baguma Filbert  Bates, Secretary-General of the Teachers Union in Uganda   examines the critical role of teachers and school management, and sets out practical efforts being made including promoting positive discipline through teacher training.

Reverend Keishi Miyamoto, President of Arigatou International discusses the importance of social and emotional learning being integrated into curricula around the world, to give young people the skills to respond to differences with tolerance and acceptance, and thereby prevent peer-to-peer violence in schools.

Mark Finnis,  an   author and  Director of L30 Relational Systems discusses the role restorative practice can play in preventing conflict developing in the classroom.

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Making schools a safe place - how to prevent school violence and bullying?

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Watch the debate

In English:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXdPEShl-nI

In French:  https://youtu.be/SaIa-rDM2g4

International statistics report that one in three students is regularly bullied by his/her peers at school. School violence is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. It includes physical, psychological and sexual violence between peers including bullying and cyber-bullying, as well as violence perpetrated by teachers. School violence and bullying have major consequences: they strongly affect student learning and can lead to absenteeism, dropout, depression and suicide. 

The latest IIEP Strategic Debate intended to take stock of what is known in terms of international and national trends and existing causes. It focused on how to prevent school violence and the respective responsibilities of political leaders, education actors (Ministries of Education, inspectorates, heads of schools, parents, teachers), but also civil society organizations.  

• Imanne Agha , Chargée de mission "Violence et prévention à l’école", French Ministry of Education
• Christophe Cornu , Team Leader, Section of Health and Education, UNESCO 
• Sebastien Tavergne , Head of school, Lycée Le Corbusier (Cormeilles-en-Parisis / Académie de Versailles) 

Michaela Martin, Programme Specialist at IIEP-UNESCO, moderated the debate.

Register here

When : Tuesday, 3 March 2020 4pm – 6pm (CET)

Where : IIEP-UNESCO auditorium 7-9 rue Eugene Delacroix, 75116 Paris

This event is conducted in French, with simultaneous interpretation in English.  The Debate is followed by a cocktail at 6 pm. 

More on the Strategic Debates 

During the course of the year, IIEP welcomes an array of speakers to come and explore questions such as, what will it take to remove all barriers and finally get all children and youth learning? What kinds of collaboration, innovation, and evidenced-based planning and policy-making can finally open the door to equal opportunity in education for all? The debates take place in Paris, France, at IIEP, in either English or French with simultaneous interpretation. All debates are also livestreamed online and available on our website and on YouTube after the event.

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‘The World Feels Less Stable': Educators’ Sense of School Safety Right Now

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Four in 10 educators feel less safe in their schools now than they did five years ago, according to a new survey by the EdWeek Research Center. School shootings factor heavily into their fears, but so does a swirl of other dynamics, from an angry political climate to a rise in student and parent aggression.

The survey of 875 district and school leaders and teachers, administered online the second week of June, only a few weeks after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, unearthed a complex picture of their sense of safety. While 40 percent said they felt less safe than five years ago, 38 percent said their sense of safety hadn’t changed in that period. Two in 10 said they felt safer.

At the same time, in another question, 6 in 10 teachers and administrators said that fear of a “purposeful mass homicide” at their schools—by an outsider or a student—was a key factor in their worries about safety.

Suzanne Carter has taught high school English in Rancho Cucamonga, a foothills town an hour’s drive east of Los Angeles, for 25 years. She worries about a school shooting on her campus because there are “so many access points” with too few security guards to monitor them. But she’s increasingly fearful of her own students.

When the teenagers returned for fully in-person instruction this year, they “created a new threat” with misbehavior so intense that it seemed they’d “almost lost their humanness,” Carter said. One student who’d been in scuffles last year drew blood this year by kicking another student in the head with his heavy boots, she said.

In her own classroom, two students got into a physical altercation, but neither was removed from her classroom, in part due to state rules requiring schools to explore “other means of correction” for disruptive students, she said. “I just worry, is this the day they turn it on me?” Carter said.

Carter’s experience echoes through the EdWeek survey. Educators who said they felt less safe than five years ago cited a range of reasons: too few school resource officers, severe behavior issues among students, anti-mask or anti-vaccine sentiment, lax school discipline policies, angry parents. They also cited a general sense of unsafety, with one respondent noting: “The world feels less stable.”

Teachers and administrators who reported feeling safer in school than five years ago cited a range of reasons, too: stepped-up safety training for staff members, the presence of school-resource or law enforcement officers, locked or monitored doors, secured perimeters, video cameras, and, in some cases, armed staff members.

Glenn Bryant, the principal of Ardmore High School, in a small Alabama town near the Tennessee state line, said he feels safe in his school because of its stepped-up security measures. His building has a full-time school-resource officer. Every door now requires staffers to scan their ID cards to enter, and every room has a security box on the wall that can trigger sirens and flashing blue lights with the touch of a fingertip. The boxes also contain a baton and pepper spray “for close-up defense,” he said.

“I spent 22 years as a Navy reservist and a year in Iraq,” Bryant said. “There have been times in my life I’ve been scared. But never in school.”

Bryant also swears by the careful attention to relationships in his building. With only 125 students per grade in his junior/senior high school, adults can cultivate connections that pay off when it comes to security. Recently, someone in the school community tipped Bryant and his team that a student had posted a photo of himself with a gun on social media. A search of his car found the loaded pistol in the glove compartment.

The EdWeek survey results show that even though many educators’ sense of safety has declined, mass shootings are grabbing the headlines, and reports of student aggression are soaring, only a small proportion actually say they feel unsafe in their schools.

When they were asked for a right-now snapshot—how safe do you typically feel in your schools?—only 15 percent of teachers and administrators said they felt unsafe. Among the other 85 percent, half said they were “very” safe and half said they were “somewhat” safe.

Ron Astor, who studies the dynamics of school violence as a professor of social welfare at the University of California-Los Angeles, said research on the subject is rife with such paradoxes. Since violent crime against students at school has been declining for 25 years , Astor said he’d expect increases in the proportions of people who report feeling safe at school, but that isn’t the case.

In research on school safety, educators often report feeling safe in their own schools, he said, which could explain the more upbeat findings in the EdWeek survey. But safety is highly subjective, and can be shaped by events in the larger world, and that could explain the darker findings in the survey, Astor said.

Most educators report worry about mass homicides

Six in 10 respondents to the EdWeek survey cited large-scale school shootings as a key safety concern. When asked what sources of potential violence worried them most, 63 percent chose “mass homicide” by outsiders or students.

Nineteen percent said they worried about violence stemming from student-on-student conflict, and 11 percent said they feared conflict between students and outsiders. Purposeful mass homicide by a current or former employee was cited as a fear by only 2 percent of respondents.

School shootings, especially like the attack in Uvalde, are statistically rare. But the powerful, visceral impact of shooting rampages deeply shapes society’s views and drives the debates and legislative responses that follow.

Asked specifically about gun violence, however, 55 percent of the survey respondents said schools are safe from that threat. Two thirds said their schools have safety measures in place to prevent a school shooting, and 6 in 10 said their schools—and law enforcement—could stop a school shooting before anyone is hurt.

That’s not how Stephanie Derby feels. She teaches middle school English in a small town in southeastern Minnesota, but she worries about strangers having easy access to her pre-K-12 building. Staff members, working in “a town where everyone knows everyone,” often prop open the school’s doors. There are no school-resource or law enforcement officers around. She is increasingly uneasy when her students see reports of faraway school shootings on the news, and ask her if their school is safe.

She’s also worried for her own personal safety. At a parent-teacher conference in November, a student picked up a desk and threw it at her, with both parents present. At 52, she’s starting to wonder if she should retire earlier than she’d planned. “Every day I mull it over,” Derby said.

In the small town of Jonesville, La., Benny Vault Jr., worries less that one of his students will get shot at school than that they’ll be plucked off the campus by a stranger. A longtime football coach and physical education teacher at Block High School, Vault said his community has been fighting against human trafficking, and his school doesn’t feel secure enough in the face of that danger.

“We have an open campus, no fencing,” he said. “Someone could just walk right in off the street.”

Threads of danger, fusing into uneasiness

In Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Adrienne Khan is concerned about a possible school shooting; her elementary school is in the same county where 14 students died in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in 2018. But she’s also worried about the adult visitors who flow through the building daily.

“It’s great that the gates and the doors are locked, and we have security guards, but the fact of the matter is, they let [visitors] through the doors, and you’re carrying a big bag, and how do I know what’s in the bag?” said Khan, who teaches 4th grade at Bayview Elementary. “I just have a level of distrust of everybody now.”

Some of that distrust is fueled by the media drumbeat of mass shootings. Some is bred by incidents with angry parents. Not long ago, school officials had to call police when a parent and a grandparent came to blows outside the school over a child’s pickup arrangements, Khan said. A recent meeting she attended over a child’s individualized education plan had to be quickly disbanded when one of the parents started screaming at staff members, she said.

Florida’s new laws restricting what can be taught in the classroom about gender and sexuality have also woven anxiety into her days, Khan said. “I’m always on edge about what I can teach, and not sure who’s going to come in and yell at me,” she said.

Derby, the Minnesota teacher, said she never used to keep her classroom doors locked. But after the Uvalde shooting, “that changed.”

Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.

A version of this article appeared in the July 13, 2022 edition of Education Week as ‘The World Feels Less Stable’: Educators’ Sense of School Safety Right Now

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How children and young people are kept safe in schools and colleges – and how we’re making them even safer

Schools and colleges play an essential role in building a safer society by educating young people about key issues like sexual violence and harassment but at the same time they must be safe places where young people are protected as they learn.

Here are some of the ways schools are keeping pupils safe:

All school staff should receive safeguarding and child protection training and all schools should have a designated safeguarding lead and an effective child protection policy

We publish statutory guidance – which means schools have to follow it by law – called Keeping Children Safe in Education .

It provides information and guidance on a wide range of things, including how to respond to and deal with accusations of abuse between pupils, how to spot signs of abuse and neglect, guidance on the many forms that abuse and harassment can take and much more.

It also explains the structures that schools must have in place and this includes having a specific child protection policy, which Ofsted will look at during inspections, and a designated safeguarding lead to whom all staff know to turn to when issues arise.

We’ve set up a helpline with the NSPCC (0800 136 663 or email [email protected] ) for individuals to share their concerns and speak out about anything they feel is not right, safe in the knowledge that they will be supported appropriately

The Report Abuse in Education helpline can be used by anyone – children, young people, parents, teachers, school staff and others – to report any concerns. It was set up earlier this year in response to allegations being reported on the Everyone’s Invited website.

Since it was set up in April it has taken more than 320 calls and referred more than 60 of those to statutory agencies like the police or social services. Where that isn’t the case, callers are either given advice on the phone or referred to other experts.

We’ve asked Ofsted to look carefully at the safeguarding measures schools and colleges have in place, as well as assessing whether extra support is needed for teaching about sex and relationships

Ofsted will work with a reference group made up of representatives from social care, police, victim support groups, education leaders and the Independent Schools Council to make sure their work is directed by the views of a wide range of experts.Ofsted will report back to the Secretary of State shortly..

We made relationships education compulsory for all primary and secondary aged pupils for the first time from September of last year

The new relationships, sex, and health education (RSHE) curriculum has been designed to make sure young people learn about respect, consent and privacy. They should understand why challenging stereotypes is important and learn about healthy relationships from an early age.

The curriculum starts with relationships and health education for primary aged pupils and includes sex education for secondary aged pupils.

The new curriculum was designed after thorough consultation and aims to ensure that we are building a safe society where young people understand what it means to respect others and what healthy relationships are.

We have produced  extensive guidance  for schools to help them navigate what can be difficult issues and to help them foster respect and healthy communication between pupils.

Find out more here .

Ultimately, if a school is found to not be keeping its pupils safe, the Department has the power to make sure it either improves or closes

We know the vast majority of schools take their responsibility to protect and care for their pupils very seriously – for those that do not meet the strict safeguarding standards we have in place, we will always take action.

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15 Tips for Creating a Safe Learning Environment

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As an educator, you have the supreme responsibility of shaping young minds. Part of that responsibility is setting a daily tone for your students that makes them feel safe and comfortable so they can focus on learning. A safe learning environment goes beyond the classroom; it’s the intangible space that supports your students in the pursuit of knowledge, that inspires curiosity, and that makes them feel empowered to participate in class discussions. Creating this kind of safe learning environment in the classroom is essential for serving the vast spectrum of student learning styles.

There are three major factors that impact your students’ learning environment:

• Physical: Deciding how the educational environment is physically laid out and designed to support students’ safety and learning.
• Psychological: Creating a trusting educational environment that allows students to participate, ask questions, take risks, and receive constructive feedback.
• Emotional: Celebrating diversity, self-expression, and students’ achievements.

Keep Reading for 15 Tips on How to Implement a Safe Learning Environment in Your Classroom.

1. Hold a Regular Morning Meeting

The morning meeting model is a classroom practice where teachers begin each day with a class-wide gathering designed to address the emotional needs of learners. Adding a morning meeting to your class schedule helps set the tone for yourself and your students, creates feelings of trust, helps students feel important, inspires empathy and collaboration between students, and supports emotional and academic learning.

2. Provide a Safe Space for Students

The classroom should be a 100% safe space for all students. Some of your students might come from tumultuous home environments and school is one of their few escapes, which is why it’s important that you make it the haven those students need. One way to do this is by diligently monitoring for bullying and extinguishing every instance. That way, all students can feel comfortable and empowered to learn and express themselves.

3. Adapt to Each Class: One Size Doesn't Fit All

It’s no secret that the school system favors some learning styles over others. In a world of vast learning experiences, you have the responsibility and privilege to meet your students’ needs. An effective way to approach this is simply by asking your students how they would prefer to learn. Offering a choice rather than providing a one-size-fits-all method is important to catering to different learning styles.

4. Develop a Culture of Representation

Students come in all colors, shapes, and sizes—and they all deserve to feel a sense of belonging in the classroom. Historically, marginalized groups of students have been underrepresented and underserved in academic spaces, which has resulted in lower graduation rates. If you create a culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging in your classroom, you can set each and every one of your students up for success.

5. Celebrate Achievements and Work on an Asset Model

The asset model values students for what they bring to the classroom rather than characterizing them based on what they’re missing or need to work on. Implementing this approach in your classroom means celebrating your students’ big and small wins alike. Positive reinforcement is also a big component of this classroom approach. By praising your students’ strengths, you help build their confidence over time.

6. Build Trusting Relationships

It’s very important to create trusting relationships with your students. A study by the American Psychological Association found that teachers who forge positive relationships with their students create a classroom atmosphere that encourages learning and better meets students’ developmental, emotional, and academic needs. Providing positive reinforcement and celebrating your students’ unique qualities through the asset model helps build these trusting relationships.

7. Read and Write with Your Students

The more you read and write with your students, the more vocabulary they’ll learn and the better they’ll be at communicating. Studies show that students with advanced reading and writing skills are better at critical thinking and have access to more opportunities. Prioritizing these things in your curriculum will give your students the ability to solve interpersonal problems and express themselves for a lifetime.

8. Create a Judgment-Free Zone

It’s important to shape your classroom into a judgment-free zone so that students can focus on learning instead of worrying about being accepted by their classmates. You should carve out time every week for ice breakers and open discussions for students to get to know each other.

9. Incorporate Music

The benefits of incorporating music in your lesson plan are numerous. When used in the classroom, it’s been shown to reduce anxiety and stress, help students regulate their emotions, improve focus, and help children process language.

10. Smile Often

As the teacher, you'll have students look to you for reassurance and guidance. When you make a point to smile, it can give students a sense of ease and make them feel safe. Smiling also makes you more likable, which can assist in building trusting, positive relationships with your students.

11. Create Supportive Classroom Environments

Creating supportive educational environments provides the foundation for emotional, physical, and academic wellness. You should collaborate with students to brainstorm parameters for creating a supportive, active learning environment. When students can rely on you to uphold this kind of environment, they can focus on learning and freely expressing themselves.

12. Stay Calm

There are many instances where the classroom environment can get hectic or stressful. One common example is when two students get into a heated argument. It’s important that you help resolve the conflict between students calmly so that the two students can de-escalate and other students don’t get upset by the situation. As with all other moments in the classroom, your demeanor will set the tone.

13. Respect Differences

You can respect the differences of your students by treating each of them fairly and acknowledging their unique needs. If you must reprimand a student, do it in private so as not to embarrass or humiliate the student in front of their classmates. Also be aware of the spectrum of cultures represented in your classroom, so you can respect your students accordingly. As the leader of the classroom, you can provide cues to your students by modeling respectful language when speaking to and of students.

14. Respect Their Space

Everyone has a different personal bubble. To err on the side of caution, be sure to keep a safe physical distance from each of your students and allow them to define their personal space. You should also practice respecting their privacy. Some students will feel more comfortable sharing their personal details than others.

15. Make Mistakes a Learning Opportunity

As the  teacher  you have the power to frame your students’ mistakes as learning opportunities. By painting mistakes in a positive light, you remove the shame from making errors, which empowers your students to learn. When a student makes a mistake, you should go over what went wrong and provide the student with resources, knowledge, and tools to improve.

By creating a positive and trusting classroom environment, teachers can provide their students the safety and support they need for academic, personal, and professional development. 

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58 Tips to Improve School Safety

With school shootings increasing, and one in five children experiencing bullying, the need for safer schools has never been more obvious.

The School Safety Assessment found that the most common safety issues involve inadequate supervision of students, bullying and harassment, building access control and inadequate emergency communication.

Access control, communication, monitoring and surveillance, training and education, policies and procedures all work together to create a safe, cohesive environment. Overlooking even one of these areas could lead to a fatal incident.

Save this guide for later: download the 50+ Easy Ways to Make Your School Safer Checklist .

Use this list of practical school safety tips to make sure you’re not forgetting a vital part of your safety and security efforts.

Jump to a Section:

Physical measures, procedures and processes, tools and software, school culture, education and training, maintain and update, make teams and roles, document and analyze, support and resolve, investigate and discipline, build relationships, learn and make changes, tips for portables, install security systems.

According to the Department of Justice , more than 98 per cent of schools have some kind of security technology to keep students safe.

An effective security system is made up of numerous tools such as intrusion detection, panic buttons, mechanical security hardware and adequate signage. These tools, while effective on their own, work best when implemented together.

Set Up Surveillance Cameras

Improve school safety by installing surveillance cameras both inside and outside the building.

Surveillance cameras offer you the chance to monitor staff, students and visitors as they enter or exit the building and walk the halls. And, as an added bonus, the mere presence of video cameras can deter bad behavior.

Hire Guards

Surveillance cameras aren’t always enough. Sometimes, depending on the location or the time of day, having a physical person stand guard will be more effective in maintaining safety than a video camera.

Use Metal Detectors

For some schools, metal detectors might be the best way to keep staff and students safe.

Metal detectors don’t have to be a permanent addition to your school, in fact, they’re often used as a temporary solution or a last resort. So, like all these tips, weigh the pros and cons.

Improve Lighting

Lighting is one of the most commonly overlooked safety features in a school. If there is a certain location more prone to slips, falls or violence, adding permanent or motion-sensing lights can be an effective solution.

Put Up Fences

Fences are simple, yet effective, in keeping young students safe. Fences limit the chances of a student wandering off, getting lost or being lured off of school grounds.

Appropriate fences will also help keep intruders off school property.

Gates add an extra layer of security without compromising the movement of students in and out of the school.

Keep gates locked during school and in the evening but open them during high-traffic times at the start and end of the school day.

Manage Visitors Effectively

A strong visitor authorization process will make sure that any visitor to the school is adequately identified, tracked and monitored. Allowing visitors to come and go as they please without any sort of tracking system can be dangerous for everyone in the school.

Fire Drill Procedure

To ensure the safety of your students, it’s important to have a comprehensive, well-known fire drill procedure.

For your procedure to be effective in keeping students safe, use designated alarm sounds to communicate that there is a fire. Have all teachers study the evacuation map so they know the correct exit route.

Disaster Drill Procedure

Natural disasters strike at any time, even when school is in session. Create a process that ensures the school is properly informed when there is a natural disaster watch.

Designate a natural disaster watch person who will monitor weather conditions in case it evolves into a warning. If it does, then it’s time to move students into safe areas.

Lockdown procedures are reserved for maintaining safety when there is an immediate threat to those in the school.

The procedure should explain how building occupants will be notified of a lockdown. Outline how to stay safe no matter the location. What should the student do if they’re in the bathroom, gym, cafeteria or hallway?

Create “Safety Folders”

Every classroom should have a safety folder.

This folder will contain general resources, such as school-wide safety procedures and basic first aid guidance. It should also contain individual classroom information, including directions to the nearest emergency exit.

A Central Reporting Mechanism

This year, implement a central reporting mechanism that anyone can use to submit a tip.

Your mechanism can be as formal as an online web form or as informal as an anonymous tip box. It’s the availability, not the method, that matters most.

Case Management Software

Case management software helps keep schools safe by reducing the time and effort required to investigate safety-related incidents.

The system stores all the data you enter in one place for cases including student and staff misconduct, slips and falls, bus accidents, suspicious visitors and more.

Download our eBook, Keeping K-12 Schools Safe , to learn why officials across the country have turned to case management software to make their schools safer.

Groups and Clubs

Create groups or clubs for students to join. Groups help students find like-minded peers with whom they can build a friendship and a connection. Students who feel involved are generally happier, more trusting and supportive, and less likely to engage in dangerous behavior.

In-Class Initiatives

Another way to keep schools safer is to promote and encourage safety in class.

Have teachers incorporate a lot of group work, games and bonding activities into the class schedule to help students build positive, trusting relationships with both their peers and with teachers.

In-School Initiatives

School-wide initiatives can be just as effective as in-class initiatives in promoting safety. Create posters explaining the new initiative or explain it on the morning announcements.

Create programs that combat the unique safety issues you’re having. For example, a “kids' breakfast club” will encourage bonding (and healthy eating), and a “see something, say something” strategy will fight against bullying.

After-School Programs

After-school programs are a great way to keep students, especially high-risk ones, busy and out of trouble.

The hours after school has ended and before parents get home from work are when a lot of disturbances seem to occur. So, if students are enrolled in after-school programs during this time, there is less opportunity for them to find trouble.

For Faculty and Staff

Teach the adults in your school the basics: the warning signs to look for, how to assess threats, how to report concerns to parents and how to defuse violent situations.

Faculty not sure how to discuss bullying with parents? Download the cheat sheet: The Busy Teacher's Guide to Talking to Parents About Bullying .

For Students

Educate students on the difference between snitching and reporting, how to report their concerns and the harm of being a bystander.

For Parents

Explain to parents how and when to speak with someone if they have concerns, suspicions or any information the school should know about.

Practice Drills

One of the best ways to educate staff and students on safety is to practice.

Conduct regular fire, lockdown and disaster drills throughout the year. Give those in the school a chance to practice the drill process without the extreme stress of a real threat.

Regularly Update School Policies

Frequently update school safety policies to reflect new technologies, new initiatives and new processes.

Provide Frequent Safety Training

Keep knowledge and procedures fresh for your staff and students with frequent training. The better staff knows the warning signs of violence, the greater the chance they'll intervene before it’s too late.

Assess Equipment Safety

Regularly assess the state of the school’s equipment to ensure everything is safe and in good working order.

Do safety checks on playground equipment, gym equipment, carbon monoxide alarms, fire alarms, door locks, heating and cooling systems and the kitchen appliances in the cafeteria.

Keep Safety Resources Stocked

Band-Aids and ice packs go missing all the time. Conduct monthly counts of first aid kits and ensure they’re fully stocked for when a safety incident does occur.

Threat Assessment Team

Create a threat assessment team who will be responsible for receiving concerns and assessing the risk.

Borrow this free  K-12 School Threat Assessment Template  for the team to use.

Investigation Team

Round up an Investigation Team. This team will investigate safety concerns, collect evidence and conduct interviews.

Support Team

Designate one or two school staff members to be the “support team”. They will be responsible for helping victims and witnesses find appropriate support services.

Risk Management Team

Create a risk management team who will take the lead on identifying and managing risks to staff and students and mitigating harm.

Education Team

Since knowledge is such an important part of promoting school safety, develop an education team who can take the lead on training. Their role will be to identify and fill gaps in awareness.

Track At-Risk Students

To keep your school safe, identify and monitor at-risk students. Offer support and redirection before the problem escalates.

Monitor Trends Within Your School

Use case management software to track trends within your school. If there’s been a rise in the number of falls outside of Building B, add more lighting or signage to “watch your step”.

Prepare for Trends Across Schools

Also, use case management software to track trends across your school district. If most of the schools are experiencing a new problem with cyberbullying, you can be fairly sure your school is next. Get ahead of the issue and keep students safe by tracking trends across the district.

Keep an “Allergy List”

Another frequently overlooked safety strategy deals with allergies. Document and maintain staff and student allergies on a list easily accessible throughout the building.

While an allergy list can help staff proactively avoid an incident, prepare for the worst as well. Keep allergy medication, such as antihistamines and EpiPens, widely available (to adults).

Provide Support Services

To improve school safety, and to prevent future incidents, it’s important to support victims who come forward. If a student is injured on the playground and comes to a teacher for support but receives little response, the student will be unlikely to seek out help again.

Ensure that students feel comfortable coming forward and receive the support they expect by offering exceptional support services.

Offer Conflict Resolution

Offering informal conflict resolution options can stop violent issues from escalating and prevent further conflict from developing.

The five most common resolution strategies include: accommodating, avoiding, compromising, collaborating and competing.

For more information about conflict resolution strategies, download the cheat sheet: Conflict Resolution Cheat Sheet .

Counsel At-Risk Individuals

Another type of support that can improve school safety is counseling at-risk students or faculty.

In the past decade, most students who committed fatal school attacks:

• Were badly bullied by others
• Had a history of disciplinary trouble
• Behaved in a way that concerned others

Create an individualized plan and provide more guidance for those who exhibit warning signs. By providing resources or additional monitoring, you can reduce the risk this person will engage in violence against others or themselves.

For more detailed tips about investigating safety incidents effectively, visit our guide: Conducting School Investigations: Step-by-Step .

Respond Quickly

Acknowledge reports and begin to investigate immediately.

Pick the Right Investigator

Depending on the incident or complaint, you may need to bring in a third-party investigator or someone detached from the situation.

Document Everything

Track and document everything, from the first tip to the final report.

Collect Evidence

Collect physical and digital evidence right away, before the scene is disturbed (or deleted).

Conduct Interviews

Interview the victim, perpetrator (if possible) and witnesses.

Discipline Appropriately

Make sure the repercussions fit the crime.

Ensure that the problem has been resolved and there is no need for further action.

With Neighboring Families

Experts recommend using a “ community systems approach ” to keep schools safe. Those who live in the community around the school may have information on student behaviors or actions that will help to identify risks, threats and dangers to school safety.

With Neighboring Businesses

Build a relationship with the businesses around your school so they know of your safety efforts. Having a partnership means business owners will be more likely to reach out if they overhear a concerning discussion between students over lunch.

With the Local Police

Promote safety by building a relationship with local law enforcement and encouraging their presence in the school. Ask the sheriff to come in and speak to students about bus safety. Or, ask that an officer help with chaperoning events.

With Youth Services

Schools are better able to support their students when they know the youth services and resources that are available. Build a partnership with nearby youth programs to create a safer, more supportive environment at your school.

Acknowledge Mistakes

School safety is an ever-changing process. There will always be new students, new faculty and new situations. That’s why it’s important to set time aside after every incident (or every couple of months) to reflect and learn from mistakes that were made.

It’s one thing to acknowledge that there were a lot of issues with substance use at the school dance over the holidays. It’s another to acknowledge the lack of security was a mistake.

Carry Out Changes

Once you’ve acknowledged the school’s safety mistake, it’s just as important to brainstorm changes to fix the issue and carry them out. Don’t let fixes fall between the cracks.

Without making any changes you’ll only repeat the same mistake, and next time there might be an injury or a lawsuit involved for your negligence.

Evaluate Changes

If you’ve made changes, don’t just forget about it and hope for the best. Track the situation to make sure that your fix is working and not making the problem worse.

For example, say you hired additional security guards for the spring formal dance to combat the drinking that occurs. How many reports of substance use were made this time? How does that compare to the winter dance when you realized there was an issue? Did the presence of security guards drive complacency among the supervising school staff and result in higher incidences of substance use?

Structural Protection

Portable classrooms are often a last-minute, temporary addition to rapidly growing schools. Because of the nature of their job, portables require special attention to keep them safe.

Make sure to only purchase portables with good structural integrity and that comply with local building codes. Should a safety incident occur, such as a lockdown or natural disaster, it’s vital that the safety of those in the portable is prioritized the same as the safety of those in the main building.

Access and Functional Needs

Safety teams often neglect to check emergency and secondary exits for portables because of their size and the fact that they are separate from the main school building. Make sure that your portables have adequate emergency exits that meet accessibility requirements.

Drills and Response

Portables, even temporary ones, require emergency operations plans. These plans must be just as detailed as those made for classrooms in the main school building. Make sure portables are labeled (even simply “Portable 1” and “Portable 2”).

Since portables don’t offer sufficient protection from severe weather, Texas School Safety Center recommends putting provisions in place to move students into a safer area within a permanent structure.

Strong Communication

Make sure students and staff in portables are just as safe as those in the main area by providing strong communications between buildings. Periodically test telephones and PA systems to make sure they will work in an emergency.

Schools and school districts that plan, document and communicate safety measures are better prepared and protected when emergencies arise.

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Making the School Environment Safe Essay

In order to make the school environment safe, it is essential to take into account many criteria, indicators, and features of the situation in the institution, region, and country. For example, Çalık et al. (2018) suggest appealing to family education following legislative acts in some instances. In contrast, Taylor (2020) focuses on implementing restorative practices and social-emotional learning programs in the educational systems. Moreover, considering the unfavorable environment, it is possible to appeal to bullying detection technologies to eradicate oppression at the initial levels (Kim et al., 2020). Indeed, disrespectful treatment, violence, and bullying of a child at home can be considered as one of the dominant causes of terrible phenomena at school (Gupta, 2022). In addition, various factors of deviant behavior within the walls of an educational institution include mental health, the hyperactive side of a student’s personality, poor academic performance, lousy company, and much more (Gupta, 2022). Hence, to avoid school violence, schools can use such methods as special staff training to work with “difficult children,” scheduling special events for classes, and organizing lessons, mainly aimed at team building and group activities.

The issues that families have to face due to the opioid crisis include concern, stress, and worries about the child’s condition and the expected consequences. It is no secret that a widespread problem in the country can threaten everyone, especially teenagers, especially those in need of love and care due to a crisis in personal development. Social and economic conditions in specific regions of the country are the main determinants affecting schoolchildren’s desires, aspirations, and interests (Monnat, 2018). This situation has affected our families and left its mark, forcing many households to consider the consequences and take specific measures. In this case, it is essential to understand that parental love, care, and support will help protect a child from harmful habits. Nevertheless, the policy of the state, states, and individual regions also play an equally important role in this case.

Çalık, T., Tabak, H., & Tabak, B. Y. (2018). School violence: School administrators’ perspectives and ways of solution in Turkey. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 10 (5), 611-620. Web.

Gupta, S. (2022). What is school violence? . Verywell Mind. Web.

Kim, J., Ho, T. D., Kim, J., Lee, Y., & Seo, J. (2020). Can bullying detection systems help in school violence scenarios?: A teachers’ perspective. Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , 1-7. Web.

Monnat, S. M. (2018). Drug overdose rates are highest in places with the most economic and family distress. Carsey School of Public Policy, 134 , 1-4. Web.

Taylor, J. N. (2020). School violence prevention: Examining the impact of social emotional learning programs [A thesis, Georgetown University]. ProQuest.

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"Making the School Environment Safe." IvyPanda , 9 May 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/making-the-school-environment-safe/.

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IvyPanda . 2023. "Making the School Environment Safe." May 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/making-the-school-environment-safe/.

1. IvyPanda . "Making the School Environment Safe." May 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/making-the-school-environment-safe/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Making the School Environment Safe." May 9, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/making-the-school-environment-safe/.

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Essay on Safety Rules

Students are often asked to write an essay on Safety Rules in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Safety Rules

Introduction.

Safety rules are guidelines designed to keep us safe. They are essential in our daily lives, especially in places like school, home, and on the road.

Importance of Safety Rules

Safety rules protect us from harm. They ensure we avoid accidents and injuries. For example, traffic rules prevent accidents on roads.

Safety Rules at School

At school, safety rules include not running in corridors, using equipment correctly, and following fire drill procedures.

Safety Rules at Home

At home, safety rules may include not touching hot surfaces, keeping sharp objects out of reach, and not playing with electrical outlets.

Following safety rules helps us stay safe and prevent accidents. It is crucial to always remember and follow them.

Also check:

• 10 Lines on Safety Rules

250 Words Essay on Safety Rules

Safety rules are a set of guidelines designed to protect individuals from potential harm or damage. They are particularly significant in maintaining order and preventing accidents in various environments such as workplaces, schools, and public areas.

The Importance of Safety Rules

Safety rules are indispensable as they play a crucial role in safeguarding human life and property. They act as preventive measures against potential hazards and accidents, thereby reducing the risk of injury or harm. For instance, traffic rules help control the movement of vehicles, significantly reducing road accidents.

Adherence to Safety Rules

For safety rules to be effective, strict adherence is necessary. Compliance ensures that the risk of accidents is minimized, fostering a secure environment. It is the collective responsibility of all individuals to follow these rules, as negligence can lead to catastrophic outcomes.

Consequences of Ignoring Safety Rules

Ignoring safety rules can lead to severe consequences. It not only endangers one’s life but also puts others at risk. Violations can lead to legal repercussions, financial penalties, and even loss of life. Therefore, understanding and respecting safety rules is of paramount importance.

In conclusion, safety rules are a fundamental aspect of our lives, designed to protect us from potential harm. Strict adherence to these rules is essential for maintaining a safe and secure environment. As responsible citizens, we should always strive to respect and follow these guidelines to ensure our safety and that of others.

500 Words Essay on Safety Rules

Introduction to safety rules.

Safety rules are a set of guidelines designed to protect us from harm, injuries, and even death. They are the foundation of a safe and healthy environment in every aspect of our lives, whether at home, at work, on the road, or in public places. Safety rules are not just about physical safety, but also about maintaining mental and emotional well-being.

Safety rules are of paramount importance as they help to prevent accidents and mishaps. They serve as a protective shield, saving individuals from potential dangers. For instance, traffic rules prevent accidents on roads, workplace safety rules prevent occupational hazards, and safety rules at home prevent domestic accidents. Moreover, they also play a crucial role in maintaining order and discipline in society.

Types of Safety Rules

There are several types of safety rules, each designed for specific situations.

Workplace Safety Rules

These rules are designed to prevent accidents and injuries in the workplace. They include guidelines for the use of machinery, handling of hazardous materials, fire safety, and proper ergonomics.

Home Safety Rules

These rules are aimed at preventing accidents at home, such as falls, fires, and poisoning. They include keeping floors and stairs clear of clutter, storing medicines and cleaning supplies out of children’s reach, and installing smoke detectors.

Traffic Safety Rules

These rules are designed to ensure safety on the roads. They include obeying traffic signals, wearing seat belts, not using mobile phones while driving, and following speed limits.

Role of Safety Rules in Risk Management

Safety rules are an integral part of risk management. They help identify potential hazards, assess risks, and implement measures to mitigate them. Safety rules also ensure that in the event of an accident, the impact is minimal. They create a safety culture where everyone is aware of the risks and takes responsibility for their own and others’ safety.

The Consequences of Not Following Safety Rules

Ignoring safety rules can have severe consequences. It not only puts the person at risk but also others around them. Non-compliance can lead to accidents, injuries, legal issues, and even loss of life. It can also lead to financial losses due to damage to property and compensation claims.

In conclusion, safety rules are indispensable in our lives. They protect us from potential hazards and ensure our well-being. It is essential to understand and follow these rules for our own safety and for the safety of others. Ignoring them can lead to severe consequences. Thus, it is not just a personal responsibility but a societal one to adhere to safety rules at all times.

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Essay on My School for Students and Children

500+ words essay on my school.

Education is an essential part of our lives. We are nothing without knowledge, and education is what separates us from others. The main step to acquiring education is enrolling oneself in a school. School serves as the first learning place for most of the people. Similarly, it is the first spark in receiving an education. In this essay on my school, I will tell you why I love my school and what my school has taught me.

We have all been to school and we have loved each and every moment we have spent over there as those were the building blocks of our lives. A school is a place where students are taught the fundamentals of life, as well as how to grow and survive in life. It instils in us values and principles that serve as the foundation for a child’s development.

My school is my second home where I spend most of my time. Above all, it gives me a platform to do better in life and also builds my personality. I feel blessed to study in one of the most prestigious and esteemed schools in the city. In addition, my school has a lot of assets which makes me feel fortunate to be a part of it. Let us look at the essay on my school written below.

Why I Love My School?

From kindergarten through primary and secondary school, and subsequently, to faculty, school is a place where we always study, grow, and establish ourselves, socialize, be a friend, help others, and love and be loved. School is a buddy that will accompany us from the beginning of our youth till the conclusion of our lives. At school, we share all of our pleasures and sorrows, and we constantly rely on one another. This is made possible through the friendships we share. They assist us in effortlessly overcoming difficulties, sharing moments of enjoyment together, and looking forward to new paths.

My school strikes the perfect balance between modern education and vintage architecture. The vintage buildings of my school never fail to mesmerize me with their glorious beauty. However, their vintage architecture does not mean it is outdated, as it is well-equipped with all the contemporary gadgets. I see my school as a lighthouse of education bestowing knowledge as well as ethical conduct upon us.

Teachers have the power to make or break a school. The teaching staff is regarded as the foundation of any educational society. It is their efforts to help kids learn and understand things that instil good habits and values in their students. While some concepts are simple to grasp, others necessitate the use of a skilled teacher to drive the home the idea with each pupil.

In contrast to other schools, my school does not solely focus on academic performance. In other words, it emphasizes on the overall development of their students. Along with our academics, extra-curricular activities are also organized at our school. This is one of the main reasons why I love my school as it does not measure everyone on the same scale. Our hardworking staff gives time to each child to grow at their own pace which instils confidence in them. My school has all the facilities of a library , computer room, playground, basketball court and more, to ensure we have it all at our disposal.

For me, my school is more than simply an educational institution; it is also my second family, which I established during my childhood. A family of wonderful friends, outstanding teachers, and fond school memories. I adore my school because it is where I learn how to be a good citizen and how to reach my goals. School is the only place where we make friends without judging them. We feel comfortable spending time with those close friends no matter what the situation.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

What has My School Taught Me?

If someone asked me what I have learned from my school, I won’t be able to answer it in one sentence. For the lessons are irreplaceable and I can never be thankful enough for them. I learned to share because of my school. The power of sharing and sympathy was taught to me by my school. I learned how to be considerate towards animals and it is also one of the main reasons why I adopted a pet.

School is an excellent place to learn how to be an adult before entering the real world. Those abilities pay dividends whether you choose to be the bigger person in an argument or simply complete your domestic tasks. When you open your mind to new ideas, you gain a lot of influence in society. Picking up unexpected hobbies on your own will teach you more about what you like to do than simply completing things for a grade.

A school is a place where I developed my artistic skills which were further enhanced by my teachers. Subsequently, it led me to participate in inter-school completions through which I earned various awards. Most importantly, my school taught me how to face failures with grace and never give up on my ambitions, no matter what happens.

Schools also offer a variety of extracurricular activities such as Scouts and Guides, sports, N.C.C., skating, school band, acting, dancing, singing, and so on. Our principal also used to give us a short lecture every day for about 10 minutes about etiquette, character development, moral education, respecting others, and gaining excellent values. As a result, I can claim that what I am today is solely due to my school, which is the best institution in my opinion.

Teamwork is an important ability that schools teach. Schools are frequently the first places where youngsters have the opportunity to collaborate with children who are different from them. Collaboration is essential for the team and individual success. Students are taught that the success of a team depends on each individual component functioning together.

To sum it up, studying in one of the respected schools has helped me a lot personally. I will always be indebted to my school for shaping my personality and teaching me invaluable lessons. It has given me friends for life and teachers that I will always look up to. I aspire to carry on the values imbibed by my school to do well in life and make it proud.

Here is the list of Top Schools in India! Does Your School Tops the List?

FAQs on School

Q.1 Why must every child go to school?

A.1 It is essential for every child to go to school as the school teaches us lessons that cannot be acquired anywhere else. The experience is one a kind and along with education, we learn many other things like socializing, extra-curricular activities and more.

Q.2 What does school teach us?

A.2 School teaches us some of the great things like first of all, it gives us basic education. It teaches us to develop our skills like art, dance, public speaking and more. Most importantly, it teaches us discipline.

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April 1, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

trusted source

written by researcher(s)

How do we help students from disadvantaged backgrounds feel confident about school?

by Rebecca J. Collie and Andrew J. Martin, The Conversation

Research shows that students who are confident about their ability to succeed at school tend to be more academically successful.

Researchers call the thoughts, actions and emotions behind this confidence "academic agency." Essentially, it is about students' sense they are able to do particular things that will help them succeed at school . This might involve perseverance with study, coping with tough experiences (such as exam nerves), and following school rules.

Previous research has suggested students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds tend to be less confident? about school than students from high-socioeconomic backgrounds for various reasons , including fewer resources at home and less access to technology.

But this is not always the case.

Our recent study , published in Social Psychology of Education , looked at what makes students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds confident about their schooling.

Our research

To measure students' confidence, we looked at survey responses from more than 20,000 students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds from 421 New South Wales government schools.

The responses came from the NSW Education Department's "Tell Them From Me" survey , which measures student engagement and well-being.

The study enabled us to look at five different indicators of academic confidence: students' sense of being capable at schoolwork; feeling they belong at school; perseverance in schoolwork; ability to bounce back from challenges; and appropriate behavior at school.

We used students' scores on these indicators to categorize them into confident "profiles" or low-confidence "profiles."

To measure academic achievement , we looked at students' NAPLAN scores in reading and numeracy.

Our findings

Around half of the students we studied had confident profiles. This meant students reported average-to-high levels on the five confidence indicators.

Importantly, their levels within these confidence indicators were similar to or higher than averages found among students from medium-socioeconomic or high-socioeconomic backgrounds in a broader sample as part of our wider research.

These findings suggest there is a significant share of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds who are thriving in terms of their academic confidence.

Our findings also showed students in confident profiles had high levels of academic achievement.

The remaining half of students had low-confidence profiles. These students had lower academic achievement than the confident students.

What types of teaching support work?

We also wanted to see what types of teaching support help students feel confident. So, via the survey, we looked at whether students received certain types of teaching support. Namely:

1. emotional support or students thinking their teacher is interested and invested in their learning and academic progress

2. instructional relevance or students thinking academic content and tasks are meaningful

3. organization and clarity or students being taught in clearly organized lessons

4. feedback/feedforward or students thinking their teacher provides clear directions and useful feedback

5. classroom management or students being taught in classrooms with clear rules and expectations.

Our research found all five factors were significantly linked to a student being classified in the confident profiles (rather than the low-confidence profiles). But some types of teaching support seemed to be more important than others.

In particular, "classroom management," "instructional relevance" and " emotional support " appeared to play a particular role. This means students who knew what was expected of them in class, saw their lessons as important and felt their teachers cared about them were more academically confident than those who did not feel or know these things.

For example, students reporting high levels of classroom management were up to five times more likely to be in the confident profiles than the low-confidence profiles.

What does this mean for teachers and schools?

The findings are important because they show large numbers of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds are confident. And they suggest teaching support plays an important role in this.

While there are many factors that impact academic development among students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds (and many of these are beyond their own control, or that of their school or household), our findings provide some insight into how to help.

Previous research , as well as new resources developed as part of our work , suggest some specific approaches for teachers. These include:

• breaking lesson activities into bite-sized chunks, so students get a sense of accomplishment, competence and motivation to keep going
• having "debrief time," when teachers talk with the class after an assignment is handed back to manage any negative emotions
• teachers making sure they spend time and resources on all students
• clearly explaining why a task is important and meaningful
• clearly explaining why behavioral expectations are important.

Provided by The Conversation

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Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

Want free help with your college essay?

UPchieve connects you with knowledgeable and friendly college advisors—online, 24/7, and completely free. Get 1:1 help brainstorming topics, outlining your essay, revising a draft, or editing grammar.

Writing a strong college admissions essay

Learn about the elements of a solid admissions essay.

Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Learn some of the most common mistakes made on college essays

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

Stuck on what to write your college essay about? Here are some exercises to help you get started.

How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Learn how formal your college essay should be and get tips on how to bring out your natural voice.

Taking your college essay to the next level

Hear an admissions expert discuss the appropriate level of depth necessary in your college essay.

Student Stories

Student Story: Admissions essay about a formative experience

Get the perspective of a current college student on how he approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

Get the perspective of a current college student on how she approached the admissions essay.

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Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

This content is licensed by Khan Academy and is available for free at www.khanacademy.org.

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The Dogs Helping the Covenant Children Find Their Way Back

To heal after a mass shooting, the Covenant School families have turned to therapy, faith, one another — and a lot of dogs.

Monroe Joyce, 10, runs with one of two dachshunds taken in by her family. She is one of several children who now have a dog after surviving the Covenant School shooting. Credit...

Supported by

By Emily Cochrane

Photographs by Erin Schaff

Emily Cochrane and Erin Schaff spoke with more than a dozen Covenant School parents, students, staff and their dogs.

• Published March 24, 2024 Updated March 28, 2024

Two of April Manning’s children, Mac and Lilah, had just survived the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. They needed stability and time to grieve.

Listen to this article with reporter commentary

Open this article in the New York Times Audio app on iOS.

So she did everything she could to keep the family dog, Owen, their sweet but ailing 15-year-old golden retriever, with them for as long as possible. She pushed back his final trip to the vet, keeping him comfortable as he slowly moved around the house.

Getting another dog was the furthest thing from her mind. But a few weeks after the shooting, her children sat her down for an important presentation.

Prepared with a script and a PowerPoint — “Why We Should Get (Another) Dog” — they rattled through research showing the mental health benefits of having one. It could limit their chances of developing PTSD and help them feel safe. Playing together would get them outside and boost their happiness.

Ms. Manning and her husband considered. Maybe a second dog was possible.

First came Chip, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Then, after Owen succumbed to old age, came Birdie, a miniature poodle and Bernese Mountain dog mix. And in taking them in, the Mannings were far from alone.

In the year since Tennessee’s worst school shooting, in which three third-graders and three staff members were killed by a former student, more than 40 dogs have been taken in by families at Covenant, a small Christian school of about 120 families.

“I really only expected them to help in a cuddly kind of way, like just to snuggle the kids when they’re upset ,” Ms. Manning said. “But I wasn’t really expecting all the other benefits from them.”

To spend time with the Covenant families is to understand how they have relied on one another, traditional psychological treatments and mental health counseling, and their Christian faith to hold them together.

But it is also to see how often what they needed — a distraction, a protector, a friend who could listen, something untouched by darkness — came from a dog.

An Immediate Response

Dogs greeted the surviving children at Sandy Hook Elementary School as they returned to a refurbished middle school in 2013. A dozen golden retrievers were on hand in Orlando to provide comfort after the deadly attack at a L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub in 2016. The therapy dogs who tended to the surviving students in Parkland, Fla., made the school yearbook .

“Over this period of sort of, 35,000 years, dogs have become incredibly adept at socializing with humans, so they’re sensitive to our emotional state,” said Dr. Nancy Gee, who oversees the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Even brief, minute-long interactions with dogs and other animals can reduce cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, research by Dr. Gee and others has shown, providing a possible lifeline for veterans struggling with PTSD and others recovering from trauma.

And on the day of the Covenant shooting, dogs were immediately there to help. Covey, the headmaster’s dog, was at a nearby firehouse, where dozens of staff members and students were evacuated. Squid, a retriever mix, was at the children’s hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, helping to comfort the staff if needed.

When the students who survived were put on a school bus to be reunited with their anguished parents, Sgt. Bo, a police dog, was sitting at their side.

Officer Faye Okert, the dog’s handler with the Metro Nashville Police, handed out a baseball card of dog facts to distract and comfort the children.

“The focus was on him,” said Officer Okert. “You had smiles after what they had been through.”

After families reunited, counselors offered clear advice: To help your child, get a dog. Or borrow a neighbor’s.

That led several parents to connect with Comfort Connections, a nonprofit comfort dog organization. Jeanene Hupy, the group’s founder, had seen firsthand how therapy dogs had helped the Sandy Hook students and started her own organization once she moved to Nashville.

The group, which oversees a menagerie of golden retrievers, a gentle pit bull and a massive English mastiff, began its work by visiting individual homes in the days after the shooting. Then, when students returned to class weeks later, the dogs were once again there.

They were something to look forward to, in the moments when walking through the school doors felt overwhelming. And when there were painful reminders — a water bottle clattering to the floor, an unsettling history lesson on war or the absence of a friend — a child could slip away and cuddle a dog.

As Ms. Hupy put it, something special happens “when you bring in something that loves you more than it loves itself, which is these guys.”

A Reassuring Presence

First it was a joke, then a reality: Everyone was getting a dog.

Fueled by community donations and her own money, Ms. Hupy began connecting several parents and puppies. Even for families who could easily afford a new dog, Ms. Hupy and her trainers dramatically eased the logistical hurdles by finding and training puppies that seemed perfect fits to each family.

The Anderson girls shrieked and cried with joy when they learned they were getting a dog, and have now taught Leo how to flaunt sunglasses and do tricks. The Hobbs children constantly scoop up Lady Diana Spencer, often fashionably dressed in a string of pearls or sweaters.

The dogs are also there in the harder moments, too, like when an ambulance or police car drives by blaring its siren or when the memorial ribbons in their neighborhood remind them of what was lost.

“Sometimes it’s just nice to have a giant soft pillow that doesn’t need to talk to you and just cuddle it,” said Evangeline Anderson, now 11.

And if the dogs chew on a shoe or make a mess on a rug, Ms. Manning said, it is a lesson in how to deal with conflicting emotions.

“We still love them and we’re so glad we have them — both things can be true,” she said. “Just like we can be really nervous about going back to school and still also be excited to do it.”

And maybe, the parents realized, it was not just for the children.

Rachel and Ben Gatlin were driving back from vacation on the day of the shooting. That has meant grappling with the heaviness of survival and knowing that Mr. Gatlin, a history teacher who carried a pistol on his ankle for personal protection, could have run toward the shooter that day.

And while their new dog, Buddy, has adapted to the bossiness of their young children and has developed a penchant for sock consumption, he has also kept the adults’ thoughts focused in the moment. Tending to his needs has served as a reminder of their own.

“When you see it working, you’re in total comfort,” Ms. Gatlin said.

Even the school’s chaplain, Matthew Sullivan, found that the stories of new puppies being shared each day in chapel were “wearing me down in a good way.”

“I kind of wanted to enter into the experience of all these families firsthand,” he said.

Now Hank, a slightly anxious, floppy-eared Scooby-Doo doppelgänger, has been adopted into his home, which had been a little empty without his grown children.

The Alternatives

Not everyone got a dog.

For the McLeans, the solution was two rabbits.

“It’s an incredible distraction to their reality,” Abby McLean said of her children, cupping her hands to mimic cradling a rabbit on her shoulder. “I find myself occasionally doing it as well.”

Another family added Ginny, a tortoise with a possible seven-decade life span, to the mix of animals already in their house.

“For having lost people early in life — there was something that equated to me in that, that there was a longevity to it, to a tortoise,” said Phil Shay, who picked out the tortoise with his 12-year-old daughter, Ever.

Still, the dogs far outnumber the other pets. And every day they can make a little difference.

The first night that George, Jude and Amos Bolton had tried to sleep alone without their parents after the shooting, the slightest grumble from the ice machine or the dryer had been too much. Their mother, Rachel, who had maintained that she liked dogs, just not in her house, soon agreed to take in Hudson, a miniature Goldendoodle puppy with doe-like eyes and wild curls.

“We didn’t realize the dogs could create comfort for people,” Jude, now 10, said, his hands ruffling Hudson’s ears. And when Hudson came home, he added, “he’s just been comforting us ever since.”

It is now easier to sleep through the night, safe with the knowledge that Hudson is there.

“All my friends joke, they’re like, ‘I can’t believe you’re a dog person now,’” Ms. Bolton said. But this dog, she added, “has healed this family.”

Read by Emily Cochrane

Audio produced by Patricia Sulbarán .

Emily Cochrane is a national reporter for The Times covering the American South, based in Nashville. More about Emily Cochrane

Erin Schaff is a photojournalist for The Times, covering stories across the country. More about Erin Schaff

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