Читать книгу If You Don't Feed the Students, They Starve - Neila A. Connors - Страница 12

The dictionary definition of dignity reads, “The quality or state of being worthy of self-esteem and self-respect.” Dignity is one of those words like tolerance, love, and compassion that we all instinctively believe is necessary for success but we all have different interpretations of how to show it. If we asked 10 people to define dignity and give tangible activities that demonstrate it, we would have 10 different ideas and models. While dignity is difficult to delineate, we all can clearly articulate when we have NOT been treated with dignity. Dignity, in my opinion, means appreciating others as they are and treating them as THEY want to be treated.

“Even if the student's life away from school is bleak and miserable, she/he will work if what she/he finds in school is satisfying.”

William Glasser

Some suggestions for teachers to discuss about creating an atmosphere of dignity are:

1 Articulate and model a policy to prevent any form of prejudice, abuse, and bullying.

2 Emphasize dignity in every activity, ritual, and schoolwide event.

3 Treat every person that enters your building respectfully (ensure there is a process to know who is entering your building).

4 LISTEN to and support others, allowing everyone to express their opinions and beliefs in a safe and nurturing environment.

5 Provide techniques and solutions to identify those with low self-esteem issues and needing positive reinforcement.

6 Emphasize the self-worth of others by providing as many positive activities and choices as possible.

7 Provide a process for anyone feeling bullied or unsafe and communicate it to all.

8 Do whatever it takes to create a RESPECTFUL environment for all.

Now that we have defined dignity, what is respect? The dictionary reads, “To feel or show deferential regard for, esteem, to avoid violation of or interference with, a feeling of appreciation, the state of being regarded with honor or esteem.” Again, we could ask the same 10 people to define respect and give specific examples of respectful schools. To have fabulous communication, we must have respect. We must be cognizant of culture to understand respect.