You can make a real difference by helping to create a Bully-Free School. How? By providing special training and tools to help students and teachers create a respectful and supportive school environment.  No one should feel powerless or unable to respond or get help.  With the support of Jose de Olivares, Director of Maya Angelou's See Forever Foundation Young Adult Learning Center, this program has been designed specifically to help Santa Fe school communities support our students and teachers. 

This program includes training sessions and follow up support so everyone can learn how to apply the principles in their classrooms. It starts with an orientation, where we learn about and practice interacting with each other and our students.  Topics covered include: the use of names as a gesture of relationship and community, introductions and inclusion, eye contact, smiling, slowing down and lowering your voice, service (empower the giver and relieve the receiver), encouragement and acknowledgement versus platitudes and false praise.  The second session focuses on how to recognize problems, what causes bullying behavior and ways teachers can respond.  Session three is for fine tuning ways to recognize and respond to the good and the bad behaviors.  Session four is an introduction to the concept of streetwise consequences versus punishment, and covers reasonable ways to allow kids to repair the damage done by minor infractions.