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Beyond Conflict Resolution

In the last 20 years there has been an explosion of interest in conflict resolution programs for young people. There are now many regional and national organizations and networks, national conferences, training programs, and several excellent curriculums. In every area of the country, at every level from K-12, young people are exposed to conflict resolution programs. I think this is a tremendous step forward. Every young person needs communication and problem solving skills. Every young person needs alternatives to violence for solving the conflicts that occur between people. Every young person needs the ability and the opportunity to participate in creating a safer community.

Where do we go from here? How do we turn the promise of conflict resolution into more than a way for young people to respond to fights and other forms of conflict? Conflict resolution by itself won`t diminish the teasing, harassment, bullying, and social exclusion that plagues schools and students. Conflict resolution won`t address the root causes of the anger that leads students to fight with each other. Conflict resolution won`t create an inclusive educational community in which every student feels safe, included, and valued.

In fact, if we are not clear about our goals, conflict resolution can become just another tool that adults use to manage and contain students. Used with that intent, conflict resolution programs may be more humane, but are on the same continuum as metal detectors, locks on classroom doors, and police on campuses.

What are your goals?

If you are looking for a student management tool, a way to reduce fights and other conflicts so that students can just get on with education, then basic conflict resolution should suffice. However this approach leaves some big issues of safety unresolved.

First of all, the basic issues leading to conflict may remain. Students may still feel, and be, unsafe on campus. Students may not be any more empowered than before, and may, in fact, be divided between those who are conflict managers and those who are not. Racial, gender, and class divisions may be just as devastating to students as before. Teacher disrespect, abuse, and harassment of students may continue unabated. Basic values of competition, individualism, self-interest, and hierarchy, which produce so much violence, may continue to be reinforced in the classroom, in the halls, and on the athletic field. Opportunities for transforming the campus into a peaceable, cooperative learning community will be lost.

What is possible beyond a basic conflict resolution program?

Rather than simply an add-on--a way to help students respond to fights and disagreements--conflict resolution can become the basis for students and teachers coming together to decide what kind of community they want to be a part of. Issues of safety, inclusion, and fairness can be incorporated into the curriculum, into class meetings, into use of the playground, into all aspects of campus life. Teachers as well as students can participate in and be accountable for their behavior within community set standards. Teachers can develop cooperative classroom practices that break down the competition and individualism of traditional education. Students, with adult support, can be encouraged to take leadership in identifying problems in the school and coming up with solutions. The curriculum can be focused on issues of inclusion, alternatives to violence, and social justice. Then students can become adept at identifying bias, stereotypes, misinformation, exploitation, and violence, and develop skills for intervention and activism.

As adults we need to look at our motives for adopting conflict resolution programs. Do we want to quiet young people down, or do we want to stir up their leadership and participation? Are we prepared to really listen to their ideas about what might be different at school? If our goal is to open up students` hearts and minds so that they can become critical thinking, active citizens, then the following are some of the areas we can begin to develop in our schools.

• Initiation of class meetings
• Cooperative classroom practices
• Incorporation of a social justice curriculum
• Development of all youth as peacemakers
• Development of the leadership potential of every young person
• Elimination of tracking, A.P. classes and other such divisive (and pedagogically suspect) practices
• Involvement of students in developing discipline and restorative justice guidelines
• Assessment of the curriculum for gender, racial, and other forms of bias and distortion
• Holding teachers and administrators accountable for their behavior towards other teachers and towards students as an integral part of the conflict resolution process
• Development of a service learning program integrated into the curriculum for all students
• Teacher/staff training on these issues and practices

I think there is always a tendency for those of us who are adults to want students to behave, to act responsibly and maturely, and just get on with their education. However students today are dealing with much that makes them angry. Many students feel frustrated, confused, and angry about the family violence, social problems, cutbacks in education and in recreation, arts, and cultural programs, and the lack of safe, challenging and well-paying jobs they experience. Conflict resolution programs will help them avoid taking out their anger on those around them. But if we go beyond conflict resolution, we can help them come together with others and develop the leadership skills they need to address the roots of the problems they face. Going beyond conflict resolution benefits the students, benefits the school, and produces the cooperative, thoughtful, and active citizens our society needs.

Useful Resources
(From Boys Will Be Men: Raising Our Sons for Courage, Caring, and Community).

Berman, Sheldon and Phyllis LaFarge, eds. Promising Practices in Teaching Social Responsibility. Albany,NY: State University of New York Press, 1993.

Bigelow, Bill, et al., eds. Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools, 1995.

Child Development Project. Ways We Want Our Class to Be: Class Meetings that Build Commitment to Kindness and Learning. Oakland, CA: Developmental Studies Center, 1996.

Creighton, Allan with Paul Kivel. Helping Teens Stop Violence: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Educators, and Parents. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 1992.

Derman-Sparks, Louise. Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children. Washington, D.C.: National Association for Education of Young Children, 1989.

Johnson, David W. et al. Circles of Learning: Cooperation in the Classroom. 7208 Cornelia Dr., Edino, MN, 55435: Interaction Book Co., 1993.

Kivel, Paul and Allan Creighton, Making the Peace: A 15 Session Violence Prevention Curriculum for Young People. Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 1997.

Kohn, Alfie. Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1996.

Kohn, Alfie. The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards". Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999.

Levin, Diane E., Teaching Young children in Violent Times: Building a Peaceable Classroom. Cambridge, MA: Educators for Social Responsibility, 1994.

Levine, David, et al. Rethinking Schools: An Agenda for Change. New York: New Press, 1995.

McGinnis, Kathleen. Educating for a Just Society. St. Louis, MO: Institute for Peace and Justice, 1993. Lowe

Stein, Nan D. and Dominic Cappello. Gender Violence/Gender Justice: An interdisciplinary Teaching Guide for Teachers. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley Centers for Research on Women, 1999.

Perry, Theresa and James W. Fraser. Freedom`s Plow: Teaching in the Multicultural Classroom. New York: Routledge, 1993.

Sapon-Shevin, Mara. Because We Can Change the World: A Practical Guide to Building Cooperative Inclusive Classroom Communities. New York: Allyn & Bacon, 1999.

Schniedewind, Nancy, and Ellen Davidson, Open Minds to Equality: A Sourcebook of Learning Activities to Promote Race, Sex, Class and Age Equity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1983, 1998.

Sjostrom, Lisa and Nan Stein. Bullyproof: A Teacher`s Guide on Teasing and Bullying for Use with Fourth and Fifth Grade Students. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley Centers for Research on Women, 1996.

Next Steps In Diversity

By Paul Kivel for The Bureau For At-Risk Youth

It is important to begin any discussion of diversity by considering how we got to the point where diversity is an issue. After all, we have always been a diverse country. For hundreds of years we have been Native American, African American, Latino/a, Asian American, European American living together, contributing to our culture and history. We have been women and men, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, people with differing abilities, Jews, Christians, Moslems, and Buddhists living together. America has always contained multitudes, but it was only with the advent of the Civil Rights Movement, the women's liberation movement, and various other movements for social change that confronted the institutions of our society on their exclusionary practices and policies that there arose a concern about diversity.

The diversity movement is the result of the struggles of disenfranchised groups for access to decision-making power, and access to resources, safety, and protection from exploitation, violation, and abuse. Diversity is therefore about more than cultural awareness, prejudice, and short term or superficial attempts to address "difference." In other words, the question we should be asking ourselves is not "Can we all get along?" but "Can we all share power?" "Can we all share resources?" "Can we all share opportunity?"

The first step in diversity work is assessment -- determining who has access to power and resources, who is safe and who isn't, who participates and who doesn't. Is your school accessible? The only way to know is to ask a group of people with differing abilities to do an assessment of physical access. Is your school safe for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students and faculty? You'll have to ask them and do a systematic assessment of the school environment including classroom practices, the curriculum, the composition and retention of the teaching and administrative staff, the impact of tracking, discipline policies, funding, extracurricular activities and other areas of school programming, policies and procedures.

Each of these areas should be suspected of being undermined. For example, in terms of racism, national studies continue to show that less money is spent on the education of students of color than on white students, and students of color are disciplined more quickly and more harshly than white students for the same behavior. Tracking systematically channels students of color into lower levels of achievement. The teaching pool is actually becoming more white even though the student body contains rapidly increasing numbers of students of color, and most curricula fail to adequately reflect the contributions and achievements of people of color.

All of these factors have a direct impact on student achievement. Students feel that impact in their daily experiences with each other and with the adults around them. One way to involve students is to engage them in conducting a Days of Respect Survey of students and faculty about the climate at their school. The ERASE Institute in Oakland, CA offers a broad instrument for schools to assess racism using institutional data that is very useful for pinpointing how racism operates in a school or school district.

After conducting an assessment, you will probably find that there is work to do in such areas as: student and faculty attitudes and behaviors, classroom practices, school policies and procedures, curriculum, faculty and staff hiring and retention, training, and school climate. Task forces can be initiated to begin to analyze and make recommendations in each of these areas.

Diversity work does not move forward unless there is strong leadership from the school administration, and substantial participation and commitment from students, faculty, parents, and staff to sustain a long-term process of change in how the school operates.

Other necessary components for serious diversity work include:

• A leadership group, representing all constituencies, that has the power to initiate change
• A process that is systematic and sustained, deep and thorough
• The dedication of adequate resources including money, staff release time, space, administrative support, and technical assistance
• Creating a diverse, multicultural community that is seen as integral to the mission of the school
• The need for students to be involved at all levels of the process
• Specific goals and timetables so that individuals and the institution can be held accountable for achieving the desired goals

Clearly, diversity work in schools is complex, multilayered, multilevel, and multi-issue. This work takes leadership, time, and resources. You can provide the leadership and there is no time like the present. Most schools already have connections through staff, students, parents, and the wider community to the experience, resources, interest, and knowledge necessary to push such efforts forward. There are many books, websites, and consultants to support in-house efforts.

Now is the only right time to begin. Pull together a diversity, multicultural, or human relations committee consisting of teachers, staff, students and parents. Begin or strengthen the process of building an inclusive, safe, multicultural school community in which fairness, justice, and equal opportunity are the norm.

Bullying: What Schools and Parents Can Do

By Cohn and Canter for National Association Of School Psychologists

Bullying is a widespread problem in our schools and communities. This behavior encompasses physical aggression, threats, teasing, and harassment. Although it can lead to violence, bullying typically is not categorized with more serious forms of school violence involving weapons, vandalism, or physical harm. It is, however, an unacceptable anti-social behavior that is learned through influences in the environment, e.g., home, school, peer groups, even the media. As such, it also can be unlearned or, better yet, prevented.

A bully is someone who directs physical, verbal, or psychological aggression or harassment toward others, with the goal of gaining power over or dominating another individual. Research indicates that bullying is more prevalent in boys than girls, though this difference decreases when considering indirect aggression (such as verbal threats).

A victim is someone who is repeatedly exposed to aggression from peers in the form of physical attacks, verbal assaults, or psychological abuse. Victims are more likely to be boys and to be physically weaker than peers. They generally do not have many, if any, good friends and may display poor social skills and academic difficulties in school.

Facts about Bullying

• Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society; between 15% and 30% of students are bullies or victims.
• A recent report from the American Medical Association on a study of over 15,000 6th-10th graders estimates that approximately 3.7 million youths engage in, and more than 3.2 million are victims of, moderate or serious bullying each year.
• Since 1992, there have been 250 violent deaths in schools that involved multiple victims. In virtually every school shooting, bullying has been a factor.
• Membership in either bully or victim groups is associated with school drop-out, poor psychosocial adjustment, criminal activity and other negative long-term consequences.
• Direct, physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school, and declines in high school. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that younger students are more likely to be bullied than older students.
• Over two-thirds of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective.
• 25% of teachers see nothing wrong with bullying or putdowns and consequently intervene in only 4% of bullying incidents.

Why Do Some Children and Adolescents Become Bullies?

Most bullying behavior develops in response to multiple factors in the environment -- at home, school and within the peer group. There is no one cause of bullying. Common contributing factors include:

• Family factors: The frequency and severity of bullying is related to the amount of adult supervision that children receive -- bullying behavior is reinforced when it has no or inconsistent consequences. Additionally, children who observe parents and siblings exhibiting bullying behavior, or who are themselves victims, are likely to develop bullying behaviors. When children receive negative messages or physical punishment at home, they tend to develop negative self concepts and expectations, and may therefore attack before they are attacked; bullying others gives them a sense of power and importance.
• School factors: Because school personnel often ignore bullying, children can be reinforced for intimidating others. Bullying also thrives in an environment where students are more likely to receive negative feedback and negative attention than in a positive school climate that fosters respect and sets high standards for interpersonal behavior.
• Peer group factors: Children may interact in a school or neighborhood peer group that advocates, supports, or promotes bullying behavior. Some children may bully peers in an effort to "fit in," even though they may be uncomfortable with the behavior.

Why Do Some Children and Adolescents Become Victims?

• Victims signal to others that they are insecure, primarily passive and will not retaliate if they are attacked. Consequently, bullies often target children who complain, appear physically or emotionally weak, and seek attention from peers.
• Studies show that victims have a higher prevalence of overprotective parents or school personnel; as a result, they often fail to develop their own coping skills.
• Many victims long for approval; even after being rejected, some continue to make ineffective attempts to interact with the victimizer.

How Can Bullying Lead to Violence?

• Bullies have a lack of respect for others` basic human rights; they are more likely to resort to violence to solve problems without worry of the potential implications.
• Both bullies and victims show higher rates of fighting than their peers.
• Recent school shootings show how victims` frustration with bullying can turn into vengeful violence.

What Can Schools Do?

Today, schools typically respond to bullying, or other school violence, with reactive measures. However, installing metal detectors or surveillance cameras or hiring police to patrol the halls have no tangible positive results. Policies of "Zero Tolerance" (severe consequence for any behavior defined as dangerous such as bullying or carrying a weapon) rely on exclusionary measures (suspension, expulsion) that have long-term negative effects.

Instead, researchers advocate school-wide prevention programs that promote a positive school and community climate. Existing programs can effectively reduce the occurrence of bullying; in fact, one program decreased peer victimization by 50%. Such programs require the participation and commitment of students, parents, educators and members of the community. Effective school programs include:

• Early intervention. Researchers advocate intervening in elementary or middle school, or as early as preschool. Group and building-wide social skills training is highly recommended, as well as counseling and systematic aggression interventions for students exhibiting bullying and victim behaviors.
• Parent training. Parents must learn to reinforce their children`s positive behavior patterns and model appropriate interpersonal interactions.
• Teacher training. Training can help teachers identify and respond to potentially damaging victimization as well as to implement positive feedback and modeling to address appropriate social interactions.
• Attitude change. Researchers maintain that society must cease defending bullying behavior as part of growing up or with the attitude of "kids will be kids." Bullying can be stopped! School personnel should never ignore bullying behaviors.
• Positive school environment. Schools with easily understood rules of conduct, smaller class sizes, and fair discipline practices report less violence. A positive school climate will reduce bullying and victimization.

What Can Parents Do?

• Contact the school`s psychologist, counselor or social worker and ask for help around bullying or victimization concerns. Become involved in school programs to counteract bullying.
• Provide positive feedback to children for appropriate social behaviors and model interactions that do not include bullying or aggression.
• Use alternatives to physical punishment, such as the removal of privileges, as a consequence for bullying behavior.
• Stop bullying behavior as it is happening and begin working on appropriate social skills early.

RESOURCES

Batsche, G. (1997). Bullying. In Bear, Minke & Thomas (Eds.), Children`s Needs: Development, Problems and Alternatives (pp. 171-180). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

Bonds, M & Stoker, S. (2000). Bully-proof Your School. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

Webster-Stratton, C. (1999). How to Promote Children`s Social and Emotional Competence. Sage.

Online Resources

National Mental Health and Education Center for Children and Families
www.naspcenter.org

Safe and Responsive Schools Project
www.indiana.edu/~safeschl/

Safe Schools/Healthy Students Action Center
www.sshsac.org/

National Resource Center for Safe Schools
www.nwrel.org/safe

This article was developed from a number of resources including the chapter by George Batsche.

We Need Tolerance Now More Than Ever

By Dr. Kathleen Shea for Living Values Education

On September 11th, at the exact hour of the attack on the World Trade Center, a Miami middle school teacher was at the studio of a local public television station receiving training in a global values education program called the Living Values Educational Program. Like most educators, one of her first thoughts was how best to help her students understand and cope with one of the most horrific events of a lifetime. "I was in the right place at the right time," she says. "I opened the Living Values Activities for Children Ages 8-14, and the first section was on the value of Peace. I walked into the classroom on September 12th, confident that I knew what to do!"

The events of September 11th have given rise to increased incidents of ethnic harassment in schools. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and federally funded Regional Equity Assistance Centers, have all issued memoranda to remind schools about their legal responsibilities to protect the rights of persons in our educational communities. According to Dr. Nancy Peck, Director of the Southeastern Equity Center:

"In an ironic way, this tragedy has provided both a checkpoint and a teachable moment for educators. It is a checkpoint because it has become a barometer of the progress or lack of progress that we have made in valuing differences in skin color, culture, and beliefs. It is an outstanding teachable moment, in that our children can see first-hand the results of the fear that intolerance, oppression, and powerlessness produce. Our children are fearful and very vulnerable at this point, and can easily be led to imitate the inappropriate acts of adults."

However, it`s not just the recent tragedies that make tolerance more important than ever. The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 602 active hate groups located throughout the United States. As children both in the United States and abroad are increasingly exposed to violence and growing social problems, educators, counselors, and parents are asking for help to turn around these alarming trends. Most feel that part of the solution lies in an emphasis on values.

If Peace Is The Goal, Then Tolerance Is the Method!

Tolerance is a powerful, but often-misunderstood value. There are three levels of tolerance:

Enduring a situation which you don`t like anyway. From long checkout lines and highway gridlock, to physical illness, some situations demand tolerance. Simply enduring only increases feelings of anger, hostility, and pent up stress. Many people see tolerance in only this way!

Finding a way to adapt and deal with a situation; i.e. making some kind of a deal with yourself to take action, so that you don`t feel out of control and victimized by the situation. "White flight" from changing neighborhoods is an example of this. Taking medication for an illness is an action that helps people tolerate pain.

Being open and receptive to the beauty of differences. Through understanding, and with a genuine appreciation for the value of diversity, a person demonstrates tolerance in a practical way. A person has no need to endure or make a deal. As a result, relationships bloom and a civil society is the result.
Diversity Is Our Destiny

By 2025, no racial or ethnic group will form the majority of school students. Even traditionally homogeneous schools are changing. For example, at a single public high school in Annandale, Virginia, there are 2,200 students, speaking 34 different languages, from 72 countries. Each of the 200+ nations on the globe is represented in US schools today!

UNESCO proclaimed 1995 as the "Year for Tolerance." As we reflect on the value of tolerance, the Director General`s words help us to realize why we must promote this value to our children:

"Tolerance is not concession, not indifference. Tolerance is the knowledge of the other. It is mutual respect through mutual understanding. Let`s throw out the old myths and take up the results of current research. Man is not violent by nature. Intolerance is not ` in our genes.` Fear and ignorance are the root causes of intolerance, and its patterns can be imprinted on the human psyche from an early age."

Be Part Of The Peace

By Dr. Pamela Riley for National S.A.V.E.

Schools and communities all across the country are gearing up for the second annual National Youth Violence Prevention Week celebration. Launched by National SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) and The Guidance Channel, this National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign is designed to demonstrate the positive role young people can have in making their schools and communities safer. Activities are held throughout the school year and culminate in a week-long national education initiative (to be held March 29-April 2 in 2004). Below are ways that you can support this important initiative...

Take Action!

The best way to familiarize yourself with the campaign is to read the Action Kit available on the campaign website www.ViolencePreventionWeek.org. This will offer a full explanation of the mission of the campaign, activity ideas, advice on dealing with the media, suggestions on how all different sectors in your community can support the campaign, and much more. There are even reproducible handouts that show how each sector of your community can support the campaign so you can easily distribute them within your schools.

Spread The Word

The campaign website offers a media kit that includes tips on how to get publicity for the campaign. A sample press release can serve as an easy way to explain the campaign and may be adapted to include information about specific events in your local communities.

Visitors to the campaign website will also find a sample proclamation for legislators to use to officially recognize the campaign. We are encouraging all those participating in the campaign to send a personal letter, along with a sample proclamation to their representatives, to ask for their support for the campaign. You could even include the list of ways government agencies can support the campaign that is listed on the campaign website. To find out who your legislators are, visit the My Government Guide website.

Another way to let other people know about the campaign is to send out campaign e-cards. The campaign website makes it easy and fun to share activity ideas and update friends and colleagues about the campaign through these colorful and informative cards.

Get Connected

In addition to National SAVE and The Guidance Channel (cofounders of the event), there are many other organizations offering a wide array of resources including activity ideas, publicity, and other unique collaborations to support the efforts of the campaign. This growing list of sponsors currently include:

The Association For Conflict Resolution

A professional organization including over 7000 members dedicated to enhancing the practice and public understanding of conflict resolution

American School Counselor Association

A worldwide nonprofit organization that supports school counselors` efforts to help students succeed in school and in life

Join Together

A comprehensive network of free Internet services offering news, action alerts, and resource listings to support community-based efforts to address violence

National Association Of School Safety And Law Enforcement Officers

School safety professionals from across the U.S. dedicated to the development and improvement of policies and practices to create safe schools for all students

National Association Of Social Workers

Over 150,000 social workers working to advance sound social policies

National Association Of Student Councils

Middle level and high school councils from across the country encouraging and influencing a positive school climate

NEA Health Information Network

The nonprofit health affiliate of the NEA providing health information to 2.7 million educational employees and the more than thirty million students they serve

National Youth Court Center

A center run through the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) that provides information, training, technical assistance, and resource materials for youth court programs

Teaching Tolerance

A clearinghouse of information about programs and activities for K-12 educators that promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity

United Religions Initiative

A coalition representing over 85 religions, spiritual expressions, and indigenous traditions, working to end religiously-motivated violence and to create a more peaceful world

YouthNOISE

A unique web-based initiative that seeks to inspire, connect, and empower youth to help young people everywhere by volunteering, fundraising and speaking out

Youth Service America

A resource center and alliance of over 300 organizations committed to increasing opportunities for young Americans to serve locally, nationally, and globally.

As sponsors of the campaign, all of these organizations will be promoting the campaign through their websites, newsletters, and other publications! They are also encouraging all of their members to get involved in the campaign. So for example, the American School Counselor Association is a sponsor of the campaign, so that means that you should connect with your school counselors to help them plan for the event. If the school counselors are unaware of the event, you can then refer them to their national organization and the campaign website for more information about getting involved.

Review The Campaign Brochure

This brochure features suggested activities designed each day of the week that were developed by National SAVE`s Youth Advisory Board. There`s also information on the vision, mission, and role of National SAVE, along with a registration form to start new chapters. In addition, you`ll find educational tools, such as games, videos and activity books, that teach violence prevention strategies, as well as celebration items like the official campaign t-shirts, ribbons, banners and bookmarks. You can request the campaign brochure by clicking here or by calling 800-999-6884.

Size Matters: Addressing Negative Treatment of Overweight Children

By Barbara Blackburn, MA, LPC for American School Counselor Association Charlene dreaded going to school today, but she knew she had to. She wanted to make her grandparents happy and proud of her. After all, they were the ones who always treated her with dignity and respect, and above all else, she knew they loved her. She wished that her childhood had been different, that she was more like her classmates, but she wasn’t. She had faced a lot of pain, but she worked hard not to remember all of it. Sometimes, she just couldn’t forget all the teasing and the way she was treated, and her report card was not as good as she wished it was. Her grandparents had been the only constant in her life. Her mother had additional issues and disappeared when she was just a toddler. Then two years ago, her father had been arrested for grand larceny. How she wished he was still around to see her report card to tell her he was proud of her and that he loved her. Some days, like today, Charlene had a particularly hard time going to school. Yesterday, she had been called into the principal’s office again and was yelled at by the principal for “stirring up trouble”-- only Charlene did not do anything--she was the real victim. A teacher’s aide at her school, Mrs. Lincoln, who lived in her neighborhood would continuously say nasty things to Charlene and kept telling her to stay away from her daughter. Charlene tried really hard to be on her very best behavior, but she didn’t understand why she was treated this way. Perhaps it was because Mrs. Lincoln did not want her “normal” daughter to play with Charlene because of Charlene’s size. You see, Charlene was a 10-year-old fourth grader who weighed 175 lbs and was 5’ 3 “ tall. After months of abuse, Charlene finally broke down in tears at home and told her grandmother that she did not want to go to that school anymore because she was tired of Mrs. Lincoln picking on her. Charlene’s grandmother called the school principal, told him what Charlene had reported to her, and asked the principal to keep Mrs. Lincoln away from her daughter. The school principal responded by calling Charlene into his office and yelling at her for “stirring up trouble.” Charlene has repeatedly been teased, picked on, rejected, and treated like she was a troublemaker just because of her size. Even the principal and teachers who didn’t know her were always suspicious of her and treated her differently than the rest of the students. Unfortunately, stories similar to this can be duplicated as more and more of our youth become overweight and even obese. According to the American Obesity Association, 30.3 percent of children (ages 6 to 11) are overweight and 15.3 percent are obese; and 30.4 percent of adolescents (ages 12 to 19) are overweight and 15.5 percent are obese. Overweight and obesity for children and adolescents are defined respectively as being at or above the 85th and 95th percentile of Body Mass Index (BMI). For years, we have known the adverse psychological affects of obesity as outlined in this research article: “In general, size and/or bulk were positively related to teachers` attributions of competence, grades, and achievement test scores for boys, especially for the older boys. Heaviness was negatively related to teachers` ratings of females` competence -- especially athletic competence and especially for older girls.” (Journal of Sex Roles, Behavioral Science, Springer Netherlands, Vol. 15 No 11-12, 1986) In more recent studies, the American Obesity Association substantiates that “Overweight children and adolescents report negative assumptions made about them by others, including being inactive or lazy, being strong and tougher than others, not having feelings, and being unclean.” Recently, much attention has been paid to childhood obesity in schools with the focus being predominately on the physical health concerns, which are many. The focus has been on prevention and weight reduction programs, which is important of course. However, while it is important to support healthy initiatives in the schools, it is also paramount that we address the psychological effects of obesity on youth. Little has been done to address the psychological effects of being overweight and to challenge the social stigma related to obesity. We need to do more to educate school staff and families about how to provide better psychological support to these students. What school staff should know? Remember a ten year old is a ten year old. Although a student may look different, he or she is emotionally the same as other ten year olds in the class. Obese children may be more emotionally fragile than “normal size” students in their peer group. Obesity is sometimes the result of childhood pain. Children may turn to food for comfort and refuge from this pain. It is important to have the same, not less, nor more expectations from obese youth. What should school staff do? 1. Be aware of your own biases. Ask yourself: Do I expect more from larger students than smaller ones? Do I expect less from obese students? Do I make certain assumptions about obese students such as: they are lazy, tougher physically, are natural bullies and trouble makers, don’t have feelings? Do I treat these students like they are developmentally older? 2. Create an emotionally safe classroom and playground environment. 3. Get to know each student as an individual. Provide necessary support and understanding. 4. Give students an opportunity to get to know each other as individuals and to eliminate biases. Provide diversity programs such as: Don’t Laugh as Me (free on ASCA’s website) and MiddleSchool High School “Challenge Day” Programs (available at www.challengeday.com). 5. Try bibliotherapy by having students read books that address this issue. 6.Ensure that these students are included in peer helper/leadership programs such as: natural Helpers; conflict Mediators; student Government; or a “Be the Change” Club. 7.Encourage these students to participate in extracurricular activities and rigorous curricula. 8.Make referrals when necessary to appropriate resources. 9.Work closely with the parent and counselor to address student’s emotional issues. What can parents, grandparents, and guardians can do? Give your child unconditional positive regard and support. Let the child know you are his/her biggest fan. Educate yourself about obesity. Go to:http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts to determine what the “normal” weight and height are for your child. Be aware that only 1% of child obesity results from medical conditions Work with your child to understand obesity issues and how to change habits that contribute to obesity.http://www.obesity.org/subs/childhood/prevention.shtml is a great website to gain knowledge about changing diet and behaviors. Be aware of school law that relates to staff treatment of your child. Share your concerns about treatment of your child with the school’s administrators and counselors. If your concerns are not addressed, have child psychologists go with you to educate the principal and staff. Ask that you be present when principal addresses your child, particularly if past practice has been to treat your child improperly. Work with the school counselor and other school staff to implement schoolwide programs that address diversity. Go with your child to family counseling to address psychological concerns. Work with school nurse to address medical concerns. In conclusion, parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators must work together to change the school environment to be more supportive of overweight and obese students. When left unaddressed, long term effects include: lower education attainment, depression and other psychological issues, and work place and job retention problems. Schools must do more to address the negative treatment and expectations of obese youth. Resources

• American Obesity Association.com
• Kids Growth.com
• National Center for Health Statistics