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| No more 'live' violence, please. |
I’m just finishing up a wonderful 2
week period of holiday, home, and memory making with my loved ones. Those two
precious weeks given us closure to one year, and a beginning to a new one. This
often calls for a period of reflection on the past, and goal setting for the
year to come. I honestly spent a good
amount of time doing some research on the internet, and in between, a little of
catching up with friends via social media. This is where my world as an
educator began to shift and fill with angst for the future.
I was overwhelmed with videos
-horrifying videos- of children of all ages and stages doing very cruel and
unkind acts to one another live. I
dislike this new live trend on social media. What followed were unfeeling and
apathetic comments from strangers. The content of the video(s) should have made
anyone, if not everyone, simply want to jump in to rescue the ‘victim’. The
comments were coming from people of all races and ages. Did I mention that
these videos coming across my social media sites were unsolicited? I did not
search for them. I did not have to click on them to view them. They were there,
running for me to view. Many times sponsored by the news media. This is not news.
You don’t have to be in education to be worried. As a human being, I am
worried. Where do we stand in the academic world with this new media? Let’s
take a look.
Preschool – In the Lead
I have consulted with many groups, both
locally and nationally with regard to social emotional learning practices for
young children
who have endured trauma. Research continues to support a
positive correlation between SEL program integration and academic progress (CASEL, 2015). All
fifty states have SEL curriculum programs in place at the preschool level. However, preschoolers are not the ones
producing or posting these harmful videos, thankfully. We can say with
confidence that talking about social skills, and emotional learning at an early
age produces results. The neuroscience of a preschooler demonstrates that 3-5
year olds are emotionally impressionable in part due to the brain’s grey matter
which is quite fluid and dynamic, and rapidly developing. Dare I say, this is
possibly a more difficult time for our children than the teenage years? It’s
also one of the most important stages with regard to creating a kind and
sensitive human being.
K-2 – It’s Not Too Late!
Effective SEL curriculum programs
include lessons in all five areas: self-awareness, self-management, responsible
decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills. It’s in the areas
of social awareness that we must make greater efforts and strides with the
work.
We need to talk about, teach, model, and
integrate regularly at an early age very basic human kindness, acceptance,
and sensitivity toward one another. The state of Kansas has a well-defined SEL
curriculum that uses the language respect
for human dignity in its social awareness component. I love that language -
human dignity. In addition, Kansas
included a standard to help students recognize and read others’ expressions. We
know that with an increase in spectrum disorders, as well as screen time, our
students have a more limited ability to recognize and interpret the feelings of
others. We need to assist them with those skills.
There is a plethora of research available by
K.H. Lagattuta regarding the developing brain of 2-7 year olds and
understanding emotion. In that rather current research (as recent as 2012), she
concluded that by age 7, most children have an understanding of empathy for
others. By this age of learning, we should have a well-established curriculum
that is as intense and thorough as reading and mathematics.
A Hope-Filled Future
Millennials, the term used for our
current group of parents raising our next generation of children have unique
value systems as a whole, according to a recent study (www.themillennialimpact.com )
conducted by Achieve Guidance and The Case Foundation. Though often criticized
for being a generation centered on self and with wavering interests, research
has determined these young adults are generous and less materialistic than
their predecessors. They will give little, but will give what they have to
benefit others. Various studies have shown that, in general, the majority of
millennial parents would prefer the following for their children:
- A choice in education
(online, charter, public, private, parochial, etc.) that is affordable – if not
free.
- Diverse and engaging
learning experiences.
- An updated view from
all of ‘family’ (eliminate the former model of nuclear family).
- Less emphasis on
standardization and more emphasis and a child’s unique learning capabilities
and individuality.
We can see the true educational cycle
of educating the whole child will return. This includes the social, emotional
child. If a giving nature and accepting spirit is alive in the home, and the
educational process can regularly bring forth tolerance lessons that include
empathy and sensitivity, I see a future free from harm, bullying, and
peer-to-peer related trauma.
Just Do It
Basic human kindness and sensitivity needs to
return to our classrooms, lived daily, and modeled always – most importantly by
the media. It is not ok to post vulgar attacks on one another live. Why does the
news media repeatedly promote these videos? Information is necessary, sharing
the violence post trauma is not. Tell us about the video, and we will then find
ways to teach, act, and model better behavior. We have the ability to change
this. We have to change this. We must make education a safe, sensitive learning
space free from fear and any trauma to our students.
