Lots of schools experiment with curricula to teach kids social and emotional skills. But what tends to happen is, teachers are thrown in front of a group of middle schoolers and it’s assumed they know what to do. “Owning Up” is distinctive in that it starts with training teachers, helping them learn to identify and manage their own emotions.
Dignity gives us a new path forward to build the relationships we must have. Our schools depend on it. Our communities depend on it.
When we get on Instagram, we have a guarantee of social connection no matter how fleeting, superficial, or inconsequential to our lives.
Most high school guys will have a friend who needs help with a substance abuse problem. It’s one of those moments when you need to think about the times you’ve said, “I love you man, I love my guys, I’d do anything for my friends,” and realize that these are more than things you say. It’s what you do when it’s hard.
People we care about are hurting. The stakes are too high. So how can we reach out in a way that helps?
I was advised by my college counselors not to talk about my learning difference in college essays because colleges might look down on my test scores if they knew I had extra time. I hated the pressure that I felt to hide this part of myself from schools.
© 2020 Cultures of Dignity.
