Counselor's Corner

 

I wanted to share an update with all of you. I joined Mrs. Fojtik for an assembly last Thursday morning with the 6th-grade class that revolved around the topic of empathy, the power of our words, and being an upstander. Being in middle school comes with a lot of new freedoms they are not used to, as well as, social and relational dynamics to sort through. 

 

The main takeaway we wanted the students to understand was that our words have power, our actions have power, and our reactions have power. We all make mistakes. By using empathy to pause & think about how the other person may feel after we say or do something, they can change the trajectory of that situation, their relationship with that person, and how they feel about their own personal choices. 

 

This week or during an upcoming family dinner, please consider using some of the following discussion questions to dig a little deeper into this topic with your children: 

- What do you think the difference is between joking, being mean, and bullying?

- How do you know if the person you are joking with thinks it's a joke? 

- Why do you think someone bullies someone else? 

- What is an upstander?

- Have you ever stuck up for someone? 

 

As always, please reach out if I can support your family and your student(s) in any way. Have a great weekend!