Safe school

 

Safe school

When I think of a place, which can be described as “safe”, I automatically assume that the place is somewhere I can feel comfortable and not worry about anything. It is a place where one is able to be themselves without being judged or scared. A “safe place” can vary for each and every individual – whether it is home, the school they attend, a friend´s house or a forest they like to visit, we all have that one locality we fancy the most. Even though this can be different for everyone, there are still ways we can make certain institutions more enjoyable and less troublesome. This sparks a question in my mind – how can we make schools safer?

Firstly, a safe school is accessible. I think a school should be a place for everyone. We should always be mindful and care about the people that surround us. Therefore, when creating a safe school space, we should keep people with various disadvantages in mind. Quality education should not be a matter of money, owing to the fact that every child deserves education. I understand that you can usually expect better standards from private schools, in which one is expected to pay for the school. I do not think that good education should be a privilege. The issue of not having enough money often expands even further, because students sometimes may not be able to afford every single book or other utility they might need. It would be very effective and helpful if the school itself could provide students with these necessities, however, we would need more finances to be poured into the educational system. Additionally, when I say accessible, I really mean accessible for everyone. Some people may suffer from a certain physical handicap and/or injury, in which they e.g., need to use an elevator instead of the stairs. It probably has to be very difficult to realise that one might not be able to attend the school of their dreams, even though they have the abilities or resources to do so, but they cannot, because they use a wheelchair and it would be very difficult for them to navigate and use it in the school. Sadly, not every school is able to afford to make its premises accessible because of the question of money.

The second point is that a safe school is inclusive. As I mentioned before, I believe that education should be for everyone. Thus, an educational institution should create a space where its student can feel protected and respected no matter their race, gender identity, religious believes or sexual orientation. There is absolutely no need for racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia and transphobia to be tolerated and I think students should be made aware of it. The teachers should be well informed about these topics and they should be able to recognise when any of the students face discrimination and, of course, be able to stop the harmful behaviour and help the victim. The people responsible for making someone feel unsafe should be punished accordingly. Since discrimination and prejudice towards different thing is usually rooted in not being educated on the issue enough. I would be very happy to see classes/seminars/discussions on these topics. These should be lead respectfully. I firmly hold on to the idea that it is very important to feel included and secure about your identity in order to function properly, therefore also perform well in school, interactions, work and so on. The simple act of respecting another human being should be the absolute minimum.

Additionally, a school that is safe cares about the mental health of its students. Even though we live in the 21^st century, we as a society still have a great issue with acknowledging the importance of mental health. It sadly still is quite a taboo and we usually do not pay much attention to it. I wish teachers would understand that not every student is always feeling mentally well. Fighting your own inner demons is tough enough on its own and seeing your assignments and deadlines piling up usually does not help one to feel better. More than that, not everyone is able to answer questions in class, maybe because they are introverted or simply anxious. I wish there was an opportunity to explain that students are not machines that will work non-stop. They also need time to care about themselves. According to a lot of studies, a large number of young people experience difficulties with their mental health and I still do not understand why it is not taken into consideration. I hope that one day, we will care about the problems we face more openly, we will educate ourselves on this topic and we will be kinder to each other.

Being able to give your students space to express and form their opinions freely is also an important factor. Everyone has the right to have an opinion and therefore should be able to discuss it with others. This is when the opinion does not invalidate others or harm them. Furthermore, I would like to talk about self-expression. Especially in their teenage years, young people are desperately trying to find themselves and fit into the society. The juvenescence often does not desire to be sorted under certain stereotypes. They like to experiment with their style of clothing, makeup and hair. It can boost their confidence and make them feel comfortable.

Overall, a safe school supports its students – along with its teachers, they form almost a living organism living in symbiosis. The school provides the students with education and they keep it alive. The educational system has a very significant place in our society as it prepares the next generation for their life. Of course, it is not perfect in any way, shape or form and there is always room for improvement. If we want to talk about the well-being of students and creating a so called “safe school”, here are some of my personal overviews on the topic. When creating a safe environment, I would take accessibility into consideration first. School should be for everyone, not a privilege only the rich can afford. Secondly, the setting should be inclusive. The students should be respected no matter what and when someone tries to take this from them, they shall be punished.  Mental health awareness is another great attribute of a safe school. With it comes the freedom to express one´s personal believes and opinions without being judged – of course, if these are not harmful. Lastly, I would like to upbring the importance of letting young people present themselves however they want to, because it can make them feel better about themselves and fit into a certain group.