The whole thing about emotional intelligence is very important. It has to involve the community. It has to involve the staff. It's the whole idea around, “How do we help youth who are hurting heal?” When we do that, teachers don't have to “fix the kid”. However, we have to create an environment in which their pain is accepted. We need all the strategies around creating a belonging environment.
One day I went to school. I was teaching and I was very tired. I said to the kids, “If you fool around, I'll rip your tongues out today. If you don't believe me, try me.” The second-toughest girl I've ever worked with in my life said, “David's having a bad day.” She came up and gave me the biggest hug you can imagine. All the girls came up and gave me hugs. Some of the guys hugged me, and some gave me high-fives. How long can you stay upset?
I've never seen that in a discipline policy. These kids intuitively know how to support each other. We have to create the environment for that to happen.
Méduh.