Welcome to the 2005-2006 school year! Throughout the fall months this column will be devoted to YOU, America`s educators who want to know more about how they can help prevent violence among youth. We`re sure you`ll find information, ideas, and motivation in this column that will help you help your students!

We understand that you care about your students` well-being and that you are committed to helping them achieve their goals, prepare for their futures, and make their world a better place for everyone. We also know that educators are over-worked. That`s why all of our materials are designed to be completely flexible to meet your specific needs and to fit within the time you might have available.

We have developed the columns this fall to be “Just For Educators.” While we hope you will consider forming a SAVE chapter at your school or participating in events like America’s Safe Schools Week,National SAVE Day andNational Youth Violence Prevention Week, we understand that right now you might simply need some information or some ideas for class discussion, or even some motivation to work with a particularly scary case of bullying. We`ve designed the fall articles for this column Just For Educators to help meet exactly those kinds of needs. Any educator is welcome to use the ideas in these columns - consider this our gift to you...and to your students!

The Power of the Educator

Somewhere amidst the flurry of assignments to be graded, questions to be answered, forms to be completed, and lessons to be planned, educators sometimes lose sight of the reasons they teach: the indescribable feeling of seeing a student "get it," the moments of connection that define the mentoring relationship at the heart of good teaching, playing a part in the daily small victories of learning and growth that move a child one step closer to who they were meant to become.

As an educator, you owe it to yourself to make the time to remember the great privilege and trust of the profession: the power you have to impact your students` lives. We invite you to use the questions below to help reconnect with your memories of the teachers who touched your life. We encourage you to reflect on the truly amazing opportunity you have every day to change the world -- one child at a time!

Looking Back

• Who was your funniest teacher? What did that teacher`s humor teach you about handling stress and interacting with others? How do you now use humor in your classroom as a teaching tool?
• Who was your most energetic teacher? What did that teacher`s energy teach you about the joy of learning and personal growth? How do you now use your energy and passion for your subject as a teaching tool in your classroom?
• Who was your most demanding teacher? What did that teacher`s standards for your work teach you about self-discipline and your own potential to learn? How do you now use rigor as a teaching tool in your classroom?
• Who was your most caring teacher? What did that teacher`s concern for individual students teach you about empathy and compassion? How do you now show your students that you care about each of them as individuals?

Looking Forward

• What words would your students use to describe you as a teacher? Which of those traits would you like to change to be an even more effective mentor to your students? What traits would you like to add to be an even more effective mentor to your students?
• How could you change your classroom behaviors to better role model compassion for your students?
• How could you change your classroom behaviors to better role model a life-long love of learning for your students?
• How could you change your classroom behaviors to better role model self-respect for your students?
• What other traits or life-skills would you like to role model for your students? How might you incorporate those lessons into your behaviors as a teacher?

A Final Thought On The Power of Educators

Look back over your responses to the first set of questions above. Notice how you still recall a particularly funny thing one teacher said or a single moment of compassion shown to you by another teacher. Making a difference happens in single moments, in the small happenings of daily life. Educators make a difference every single day when they provide students with a model for how to live with respect, compassion, and joy.

What did you do today that your students will remember 5, 15, or even 50 years from now? Was it a lesson that will enrich their lives throughout the years? What lessons will you teach them through your attitudes and actions tomorrow? What influence will you choose to have over them as a role model?

All educators have an amazing power to influence. Amazing educators understand that power, respect that power, and use that power wisely and compassionately in the best interests of individual students.

Upcoming Articles Just For Educators

Warning Signs of At-Risk Schools

October, 2005

Does your school show risk signs for hatred and violence?

Hallmarks of Respectful Schools

November, 2005

Cultivate these traits among your students and colleagues to raise the level of respect for all people in your school.

The Cure: A Fundamental Approach to Preventing Hatred and Violence

December, 2005

Dr. Jody Roy, Rippon College in Wisconsin explains the power educators have to prevent hatred and violence by developing students` fundamental skill sets.