SV: Bullying and OST

Thomas Herrmann thomas at openspaceconsulting.com
Fri Nov 6 12:07:15 PST 2009


Dear Rose dear friends in Open Space

I once facilitated a “similar” Open Space meeting. We had a planning meeting
where kids and teachers worked together. The theme they arrived at was “We
care – do you?” and beneath that there was a sentence that one of the kids
shared during our transfer in during the planning meeting “one stick is easy
to break but many together are hard to break and it’s the same with people”

 

I remember the astonishment during these first minutes of the planning
meeting – many didn’t believe their ears. It’s so beautiful. Wise young
people!

 

Then the OS-meeting was another story – there were pupils and teachers from
different schools, with special interest and who had taken on responsibility
to improve conditions such as bullying at their schools. 

 

The meeting was very productive – although there was some tension at times –
especially because the adults had difficulties to let go. Which seems to
have happened to you guys too.

 

I think that in situations like the one you shared about it would be very
good to have some pre-work, especially with the school staff. Then I think
starting with storytelling would be a good too. But most especially, just as
Harrison shared, I agree that we have to let go fully and give those present
the possibility to take part on equal terms taking responsibility for
themselves and their acts.

 

Someone shared about NVC – which I like a lot. Here in Sweden there is such
a lack of those skills in our schools – that might come in handy in
situations like this – and in everyday life too.

 

Warm regards and thanks for doing the important work you do Rose

Thomas Herrmann

 

  _____  

Från: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] För Rose Tassone
Skickat: den 5 november 2009 00:51
Till: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Ämne: Bullying and OST

 

 

Hello everyone. I’m wishing to share my experience of facilitating OST for
the first time. It was held in a primary school in Perth, Western Australia.
Surveys administered by the principal earlier in the year had parents and
students report that they were most concerned about bullying at this school.
The principal identified the question “What do we need to do to respect each
other and get along?’ 73 students, ages 8 to 12, 6 educators and 3 parents
accepted the invitation.

 

This is what I observed during the OS event: A student was pushed out of her
group when she went to the breakout space even though she was the one who
had initiated the topic; students were physically fighting, pushing each
other and name calling; students who were being butterflies chose to run
around, disrupt and tease those in the groups even though there was a
drawing activity available to them; the groups tended to compete with each
other on how many pages they could fill with lists of dos and don’ts of how
to treat each other.  The energy of the morning was one of palpable violence
and two students were suspended.  Teachers who had been briefed by the
principal to allow chaos at the event, so that children could self organise,
finally had to intervene because of duty of care issues.

 

Looking through the Book of Proceedings the students appear to have all the
knowledge of how to respect each other and get along, though their behaviour
during the event did not depict this. At the debriefing the principal
mentioned that the behaviours that were shown are what normally occur every
day in the schoolyard as they self organise around individual survival.  So
it appears that the proverbial ‘Lucy’ is more than likely a 10 year old
bully!

 

I would really appreciate any comments and/or thoughts.

 

Kindest regards

Rose Tassone

 

 

m:   (+61) 0408 944 072

e:    rosetassone at iinet.net.au

p:    po box 358 leederville wa 6903

 

 

 

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