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Discussions regarding young children and secure schools often focus on children's physical safety and external stressors such as chaotic families, dangerous neighborhoods, and terrorism. Less attention is given to the emotional security of children in schools, a necessary prerequisite to learning and healthy development. The most effective way to create emotionally secure school environments may be for educators to concentrate on building stronger relationships with children and to use language in affirmative ways. This article identifies issues, makes recommendations, and suggests strategies for creating a sense of security for young children in an increasingly complex and threatening world.
Although the homes and neighborhoods of many young children are safe and nurturing environments, for many others, dangerous streets, poverty, or a family life characterized by violence and neglect may make a classroom their only refuge-and the teacher in that classroom may be the one trustworthy, reliable adult in their lives (Doyle, 1997, 2003). Even for children who lead safe, secure lives, extensive media coverage of violence, terrorism threats, and catastrophic events create a pervasive climate of fear and insecurity, and represent potential hazards to children's sense of well-being. Because children spend many of their waking hours in class rooms, it is essential that their schooling experience takes place in an environment of emotional safety and security.
Educators are uniquely positioned to provide an emotional counterbalance to the daily chaos and the potential risks to the emotional, cognitive, and social development of young children (Garbarino, 1987). To do so, educators must engage in a high degree of self-reflection regarding the behavioral management practices employed in the classroom, and they must intentionally cultivate positive relationships with children that are inherently affirming. Beyond creating learning environments and maintaining an orderly, predictable classroom, teachers also must include issues of emotional safety and security as an integral part of the curriculum. As the most significant adult in most children's lives outside the home, teachers have a responsibility to establish practices that support the emotional well-being of children as well as their learning. This is a critical opportunity to inspire, to build confidence and self-esteem, mitigate the impact of external threats, and establish physical and emotional security for children (Garbarino, Guttmann, & Seely, 1986; Pellitteri, Stern, Shelton, & Muller-Ackerman, 2006).
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