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The ARK for Teachers Program helps teachers learn how to create a nurturing environment in the classroom. Educational experts such as Dr. William Glasser tell us that no learning will EVER take place in the classroom unless there is a nurturing relationship between the teacher and the student. If the student sees the teacher as an adversary, the student will fight the teacher the entire school year. However, if the student sees the teacher as an advocate, then, even if the teacher is very demanding, the student will work hard on behalf of a teacher that he believes cares for him. Sonny Donnellson, former Superintendent of the Aldine ISD (Houston), comments on the benefits of ARK, “I have come to believe that, if we want the test scores to go up, helping teachers learn how to relate to their students is at least as important as helping them to teach the curriculum.”
The principles of ARK are also a key factor in alleviating the problem of school violence. If a child receives unconditional respect and regard from at least one (and hopefully all) of the adults who are important in his life, it will alleviate his or her feelings of alienation and rage. Dr. Robert Brooks, clinical psychologist with Harvard Medical School, contends that the key element in alleviating violence in our schools is to help each child to feel “connected” to a caring adult--a person whom the child feels will “be in my corner no matter what!”1 Nothing will combat the problem of school violence as will a caring cadre of parents and teachers who are intent on making children feel wanted and loved.
Footnote:
1 Sullivan, Robert, “What Makes a Child Resilient?” Time Magazine, March 9, 2001, p. 35. |
