Teachers at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School and its associated campuses – the Pupils Referral Unit and the Workshop Initiative in Secondary Education – completed a three-day workshop on Solutions to Bullying, Anxiety & Anger on Wednesday, August 25. In short, the event was called “A Behaviour Management Workshop”.
It was sponsored by UNICEF and conducted by Ms. Julie Wilkinson, Director and Trainer of her own UK-based company “Brave the Rage”. The training, at La Vue Conference Centre, covered such topics as: Gain confidence & self-esteem; expert tuition; practical tools & techniques; the five steps to success; anger management techniques; and leadership & presentation skills.
Anguilla’s Chief Education Officer, Mr. Bren Romney, said he was pleased that the Comprehensive School’s teachers had taken a break from their vacation to attend the workshop. He also welcomed the Principal of the School, Mrs. Rita Carty-Celestine; the President of the Teachers’ Union, Ms. Sherise Gumbs; the trainer, Ms. Wilkinson; and the Permanent Secretary, Education, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake – the latter of whom was tasked to source the workshop trainer with the assistance of UNICEF.
Mrs. Celestine-Carty explained that the workshop was to complement the behavioural work done by the school in 2016 to encourage positive behaviour among students. “We have long noticed the gap and that we can address the needs of the majority of our students – the 80% – who just need some reminders of our expectations and to fall in line,” she stated. “We also have our vulnerable 15% – and we have our extreme 5% with whom we have a lot of challenges. We needed to close that gap and we have written proposal after proposal – and finally we are now here to do just that.” She added that the teachers were waiting on the trainer to develop their capacity to deal with the needs of all the children of the school.
PS Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake was pleased that the trainer, Ms. Wilkinson, had brought with her certain resources for the teachers to reinforce what was being taught to them. “I think you are in for a very full and enriched workshop so I want to encourage you to fully participate in the training,” she added. “I also thank UNICEF, our partners in the workshop. Thanks also to Julie for being with us.”
Ms. Julie Wilkinson’s training and expertise include managing trauma in crime victims; assessing for child abuse; and teen violence in New York – and other skills in various other places in the United States and the United Kingdom. “I believe it is so important for us to go into schools and work from our little ones all the way up,” she told the teachers. “If we can teach children solutions [to their problems we can help to guide and protect them].”
Meanwhile, among the documents available to the teachers and their trainer, for perusal, was a copy of the Comprehensive School’s Child Protection Protocol.
The introduction to the document read in part:
“One of the fundamental guarantees afforded to children under the Convention of the Rights of the Child is keeping all children safe from harm. Child protection must therefore be a priority for every school and must be at the core of all of its activities.
“The Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School is committed to the provision of pastoral care for every student. The Pastoral Unit at this institution concentrates on:
• The provision of care for students at every age of development
• The development of positive attitudes
• The compilation of detailed records in the files of every student and the eventual evolution of a profile encompassing all aspects of school life
• The development of a whole school approach to discipline which places equal emphasis on sanctions as well as rewards
• The development of positive teacher/student and student/student relationships; and
• The development of adequate lines of reporting and communication with outside agencies such as parents, medical and health, psychological services, social welfare and Police.”
The document concludes with the following statement:
“Teachers should be knowledgeable of the physical and behavioural indicators suggesting possible abuse. One indicator may not provide sufficient proof, but should not be ignored. Thus, a pattern of co-occurring indicators increases the likelihood that child abuse is taking place. In most instances, neglect or abuse is indicated when children present a cluster of behavioural and physical indicators. School personnel are especially well placed to observe changes in children’s behaviour, their lack of development or outward signs of abuse.”
