Imagine a vibrant elementary school full of 600 bright, energetic students with varying educational needs. Now imagine that the school – and its students – reside in an undersourced community in a metropolitan area that is largely dependent on Title I funding and other services. And imagine that, while they’re at school, the social and emotional needs of those 600 kids falls to you, their one and only school counselor.
That’s the every-day reality for Parkview Elementary School counselor Heather Bone. And she takes her job personally. “My favorite thing about my job is that, for the children of this school, I get to be the adult that I never knew growing up.”
We had a chance to sit down recently with Heather, who helped bring Heroes In Waiting anti-bullying and peace-building assemblies – led alternately by Oklahoma City Thunder and University of Oklahoma hype guy Malcolm Tubbs and Oklahoma State University hype guy and hope guy Les Thomas, Sr. – to Parkview, along with our free anti-bullying and peace-building curriculum. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Heroes In Waiting
What’s your biggest challenge as a school counselor? What keeps you up at night?
Heather
The biggest challenge we face is honestly empathy, and the lack of empathy that children have these days that leads to bullying. Empathy is complicated, and it’s modeled. It’s something kids are taught, and it can be attributed some to home dynamics and some to social media and culture. We live in a society that says, “boys don’t cry, don’t be a little girl.” But feelings are feelings no matter who you are.
Heroes In Waiting
How has Heroes In Waiting programming helped?
Heather
The biggest thing specifically with Heroes In Waiting – the most helpful part of it – were the personal stories of Malcolm and Les. Our student population is predominantly African American. For these kids, knowing that someone they see on TV, someone they’ve seen on a field trip is also someone that shares the same struggles they have…is very helpful. It’s made a big impact.
Heroes In Waiting
What makes Heroes In Waiting different?
Heather
We had another bullying program, but your program is unique. Just the engagement, the beach balls, the way it involved the teachers and the children. It wasn’t simply a lecture. It very much included the audience and called them up to participate. The visual aspect, the video, the hands-on activities…it hit every different learning style!
Heroes In Waiting
What did the kids have to say about it?
Heather
They loved it! Afterward all I heard all day was, “That was the best assembly ever!” Now when my fifth-graders see me in the hallway we do a hero high-five. It’s a bond now – something we can share together. There’s been a lot of enthusiasm. And the little kids keep asking, “Will we get to go next year?”
Heroes In Waiting
Any thoughts you’d want to share about our curriculum?
Heather
The number-one call I get is about kids being bullied, when really they just don’t know how to handle conflict. Bullying and conflict are different things, and that gets misunderstood. That’s one thing Heroes In Waiting addresses. Also, the biggest challenge for counselors is finding a program that doesn’t overload our teachers. As much as they don’t want bullying, they’re so overwhelmed with what they already do, it’s really difficult asking them to do one more thing. With Heroes In Waiting they can click on a video and use it as a morning message or weekly message. It makes it easy.