Jean Ritok: Create safe space for all

Regarding the April 24 Thumbs Up article “6th-grader wants to put a stop to bullying”: So sad that Brenden had to leave real school and go to virtual school to thrive.

Society has evolved so much in the last few decades. Schools and teachers have known for a long time that we need a major shift in the educational system in order to keep up in a changing world.

At the end of the day, we’re all just human beings who want to be fully seen, respected and understood. The solution is to create a safe space for people to be themselves, to be able to express themselves without feeling judged.

With this comes the experience that shifts a school’s culture to be more inclusive. Lecturing just doesn’t work. Once a student’s social and emotional needs are met, their grades go up and their overall life satisfaction improves.

Now let’s get to work building the schools that we want.

This story was originally published April 29, 2017 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Jean Ritok: Create safe space for all."