School Safety: To Plan, or Not to Plan.........

Soooooo applicable to what we are trying to do - involve (and as a result, self-empower). TEACH PEACE!

Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I may not remember. Involve me and I'll understand.

— Native American Proverb

ZHawke wrote: The "pathos of fear":
From the article:

Love and empathy: it is the only way to a better world. Let's tear down those walls. Unhinge those doors. Shake the hands of our neighbors.

It may sound strange to some, but in this household, we did not teach a pathos of fear, but rather an ethos of it. (Before I lose everyone for quite literally speaking Greek now, I'll back up a bit.)

"Fear can be crippling, or it can be a useful tool. Use it, so it does not use you." My own quote I've spoken to my family on numerous occasions. To face fears, carry on despite them, or to utilize it to an advantage, were all aspects taught in this household. This mindset goes far deeper than that really in a personal balance of martial arts and religion. Fear is a motivational force that can be utilized with impressive results. "To live in fear" only serves to hinder a person. "To live with fear" is to accept its existence, and empower oneself.

The article hints of a utopianesque type world where through the rejection of actions would somehow build a better world. While perhaps a noble if not philisophical ideal, I have to ask, "Better for who?", because again differences in every human, every being on this planet are what makes it keep going. In order to achieve a 'perfect world', it might be suggestive that genetics be altered, the genome as it were augmented to promote the desired result, but without conflict the world would cease to prosper. "Conflict" can be a very misunderstood word. "You say, to-MAY-toe, I say toh-MAH-toe" is actually a phrase that promotes conflict, but the beauty of it is that it illustrates a new way of thinking and thusly promotes growth of the psyche. Though conflict we as a species, grow.

My younger son, (US Army) has this tattooed on the inside of his forearm.

Si vis pacem, para bellum.

Essentially, it means that if you want peace, prepare for war. As mentioned above, when one person makes the world "better" they might be also creating a nightmare for someone else. One man's peace, is potentially only THAT man's peace. Its not necessarily a universal thing. "Utopia" really only works when 'everyone' who participates thinks the same way, but thusly unless they are genetically modified beings, you'll always have the "conflict paradox". (My own phrasing.) Again, differences can make the world stronger, but sometimes it can also lead to actions that are less favorable in the minds of a majority.

Badger

Very well said, Badger, particularly the quote:

Essentially, it means that if you want peace, prepare for war.

Reality in emergency management could even be said to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Same, or similar, analogy, perhaps?

For anyone wondering about pathos, ethos, and logos, here's a link that defines each of them:
http://courses.durhamtech.edu/perkins/aris.html

Yeah, Badger gets way too much into his Greek stuff sometimes

ZHawke wrote: Reality in emergency management could even be said to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Same, or similar, analogy, perhaps?

I would definitely agree similar. In simple terms for other readers to compare: To be at peace in the kitchen, a fire extinguisher nearby can aid, should you suddenly find yourself in battle with fire and not wish to lose.

Preparedness goes a long way and does not have to be a burden so to speak, but as I've illustrated above, there are those that would certainly perceive it as such. Much like fear, they have the power to decide to live in or with.

ZHawke wrote: Yeah, Badger gets way too much into his Greek stuff sometimes

That link sums it up fairly well I'd say lol .


Badger

Especially coming from Aristotle. :woo hoo:

A very well written article from an organization intimately involved in campus security called "Campus Safety". While the article was written and the survey conducted 10 years after the tragedy at Columbine High School, I believe it would be safe to assume the "results" of the survey they conducted would probably be similar, if not identical, compared to now, 13 years after.

http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/Channel/School-Safety/Articles/2009/03/Columbine-10-Years-Later-The-State-of-School-Safety-Today.aspx

There are some comments made in this article that go directly to what we are trying to accomplish with our efforts here. Please consider reading the entire article with an open mind.

Thanks.
ZHawke

From Campus Safety magazine:

Another challenge to creating a good plan is hiring unqualified consultants to do the job. “One of the ways they conceal the fact that they aren’t qualified is they won’t work with local police, fire, emergency management and public health officials because they are afraid of being exposed when the local experts get involved,” says Mike Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International and former chief of police for the Bibb County public schools. Dorn recommends school officials take a collaborative approach.

http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/Channel/School-Safety/Articles/2009/03/Columbine-10-Years-Later-The-State-of-School-Safety-Today/Page/4.aspx

From my own professional experience in this area, this statement is pretty much true. Many organizations look first to hire consultants to do the job they have been mandated themselves to do. These consultants, often times, are very expensive and do usually cost way more than they deliver. As with any profession, there are good consultants, and there are not so good consultants. Regardless, they ALL cost money because that's how they make their living.

Schools, in their scramble to comply with emergency management and crisis response planning mandates, immediately looked to consultants. And, as the article points out, many of those consultants pretty much fell flat on their faces. Can't put all the blame on the consultants, though. Planning is a dynamic process. The schools, more often than not, turn the crisis response plan design, development, and implementation process completely over to the consultant(s) thereby "skirting" their own responsibility to be actively involved in that process. We, in emergency management, call that "planning in a vacuum".

Again, in our professional experience, planning in a vacuum defeats the process right from the start. People tend to support programs they help to create. Schools, parents, students, communities, and first response organizations are much more likely to support emergency management programs if they are actively involved in their design, development, and implementation.

My point: instead of hiring consultants to do a job that costs more than many school budgets can allow for, why not tap into existing resources within the community to do virtually the same thing at virtually no cost (other than any hardware the team decides together is necessary to accomplish their goal of safer schools)? That, in a nutshell, is what The PEACE Challenge is all about!

These tips have been around for a very long time, but are definitely worth sharing once again. Hope we can all live by this advice. Am asking everyone to "listen" to what's being suggested, and to consider sharing this with everyone you know. TEACH PEACE!

5 Ways to (Respectfully) Disagree

It's easier to agree than disagree. But we can learn a lot from conversations where we don't see eye to eye — if we can listen and talk rationally, that is.

Unfortunately, many us either shy away completely from disagreements or lose it when things don't go our way.

These 5 tips can help keep disagreements constructive — whether you're talking to a parent, friend, or anyone else:

1. Don't make it personal. If you get upset, it can help to remember you're mad at the idea or concept your parent (or friend, coach, coworker, etc.) is raising, not the person.

2. Avoid putting down the other person's ideas and beliefs. If you've ever been on the receiving end of someone's tirade or put-downs, you know how valuable using respectful language and behavior can be. So instead of saying what you might be thinking ("That's a stupid idea!"), try: "I don't agree, and here's why." Resist the temptation to yell, use sarcasm, or make derogatory comments and you'll have a much better chance of getting your point across.

3. Use "I" statements to communicate how you feel, what you think, and what you want or need. Using "you" statements can sound argumentative. For example, telling your mom or dad, "You always remind me about my chores on Wednesdays when you know I have a lot of homework" has a very different tone from "I'm feeling pressured because I have a lot of homework tonight. Can I do those chores tomorrow?"

4. Listen to the other point of view. Being a good listener is a way of showing that you respect and understand the other person's perspective. That makes it more likely he or she will do the same for you. When the other person is talking, try to stop yourself from thinking about why you disagree or what you'll say next. Instead, focus on what's being said. When it's your turn to talk, repeat any key points the other person made to show you listened and heard what was said. Then calmly present your case and why you disagree.

5. Stay calm. This is the most important thing you can do to keep a conversation on track. Of course, it's a huge challenge to stay calm and rational when you feel angry or passionate about something — especially if the person you're talking to gets heated. You may need to be the mature one who manages the conversation, even if the other person is a parent or someone who should know better.

Respect goes beyond difficult conversations, of course. Being helpful and considerate toward family members, teachers, or coaches in our everyday actions helps all of us (again, parents included!) establish a foundation for those times when we might disagree.

Thanks to LIGHTHOUSE 2911 at http://www.facebook.com/Lighthouse2911 for sharing this. Hope you share it, too.