Remember the childhood saying “Sticks and stones might break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? I can recall my dad saying that to me often enough. The parents, administrators, educators and staff of Memphis schools recently had an opportunity to learn more about how untrue that saying is.
During a regular Memphis schools Division of Parental Involvement seminar, attendees learned more about the harm that words can do. It is true that when we break an arm or sprain an ankle it hurts! However, it doesn’t hurt forever. The pain of the injury (and sometimes the even greater pain of recovery) does fade with time. The body heals; it adjusts and makes any accommodations necessary to operate at top performance. The pain inflicted by hurtful words can be, and usually is, far greater. Leaders in the Memphis schools are hoping to educate parents on this matter so that the parents in the Memphis city schools are better equipped to help their student cope when they are hurt by cruel words. The training given by Memphis schools can also help parents identify when their child is being hurtful; they can then help their children see the hurt they are causing and hopefully won’t be repeated.
Memphis Schools Focuses on Emotional Impact
It has been found, according to scientific research, that all pain is processed in the same area of the brain - both emotional and physical pain. If you’ve ever broken a bone or had other injuries, you remember them. You remember the panic and the pain. But the memory of the pain fades. Not so with emotional pain. There are even physical signs of emotional pain. Attendees of this Memphis schools’ program learned that some of these include depression, suicide, heart disease and stress. No parent wants their child to experience any of these, so teaching them how to deal with others who use hurtful words is essential.
Because leaders in the Memphis schools understand and embrace this necessity, they are doing what they can to make sure the parents of Memphis schools’ students are educated. For those of us who grew up with the “sticks and stones” mantra, it can be difficult. It was portrayed, back then, as a weakness if you let someone else’s careless words get to you. But it did, simmering just below the surface. Maybe it made you get lower grades or withdraw from family, friends or school clubs. No matter the effect, the cause of many of Memphis schools’ student’s emotional wounds is from peers who are abusing with words.
After recognizing that children in the Memphis schools are truly being hurt by these cruelties, it is important to help them take the step towards forgiveness. Being able to forgive someone who has hurt you is the first and most likely the most important way to begin healing. Memphis schools have seen the need to address this very real type of bullying, and are taking action to see that it is reduced, if not done away with altogether.
Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Memphis City Schools
Tags: Memphis City Schools
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