Chapter 8: A Safe and Healthy School Environment

It seems now more than ever (in my memory) do schools need to try and create a safe environment for students. Bullying is a huge problem both physically and emotionally, and now you add social media as a bullying medium and kids need adult allies. That is why it is so important to create an environment where your students feel comfortable both physically but also emotionally. When there is a feeling of safety a student will likely take more risks which will often times lead to greater learning. What it comes down to is simple; schools are the necessary step that a child takes to learn skills and information that shapes them into adults. It is a huge problem if that school is not a safe place for the child because their effort will be spent protecting themselves from all sorts of outside evils instead of focusing on learning. There are atmospheric ways a teacher can create a classroom that feels comfortable but I think the most important part is the unseen culture of the room. It is the job of the teacher to create a culture of respect and learning so children are free to explore.