Responsibility

This past school year we talked a bunch about responsibility. Responsibility to self and to others. We talked about accepting responsibility and being in positions to take responsibility. Southwest is a large educational community within several larger, geographically, communities, neighbors and then city. Being a responsible community member is logical but takes effort and purposeful actions.

We want to move another step forward this coming year and think about the responsibility we have to others. The most obvious it that of leaders. Are you a captain of a sports team or president of your club or student leader in an organization? What are your responsibilities to the other team members or club members? What is your responsibility to the team or club or organization? As a captain or leader what is my role in setting the tone or being a model for others and younger members of the team? How do I display my responsibilities for and to others?

As a member of a team, club or organization, what are your responsibilities to the health and week-being of other members and the organization? How do you support one another? Do you look out for one another and try to be helpful? What if another team member was in danger? What would or should you do? How do you help your club members if they are having difficulties in school or in the neighborhood?

As a member of the Southwest community we all are responsible for the tone and atmosphere of the school, hourly, daily. How do we model behavior that is supportive of one another? What do we do help one another.

The bully is a problem in our country, state, neighborhood and, yes regretfully, our schools. There are persons who like to wield power over those they believe to be weaker or inferior. If one person attempts to intimidate another, that person is a bully. The act does not have to be physical - pushing someone in a locker or dumping in a trash can. Those are the typical portrayals but words can be intimidating, in person or left messages or emails or tweets. Gossip is probably the most frequently use tool of the bully. Telling half truths or misinformation about another person can be very intimidating.

All students deserve the right to be safe and to have a feeling of worth and value. It is amazing how many groups are together with a few members wielding fear of rejection from the group over others. One or two strong arms in the group should not dictate for the others and "pick" on select members as the mood may strike.

We need to actively and openly disapprove of and discourage bullying in all its forms. No one or no group should be allowed to be the target or a victim. We must be responsible for our own actions and then responsible to the safety of others. Our friends, teammates, class mates should not be victims of harassment and bullying. Together we can resist the urge to make fun of or to torment someone.