Positive relationships, connectedness, and a culture of caring in every classroom are the core of suicide prevention. On the surface, those concepts seem like something all teachers should strive to achieve. In reality, it can take a lot of effort.
As a teacher, have you ever had a student in your class that you just don’t like? A difficult student, one with behavioral challenges, or hard to communicate with? One that just flips your switches? Can you really help a kid like that?
Yes, you can. There are ways to connect with any student. If you are willing to try.
A
Culture of Caring: A Suicide Prevention Guide for Schools (K-12) was
created as a resource for educators who want to know how to get started and
what steps to take to create a suicide prevention plan that will work for their
schools and districts. It is written from my perspective as a school principal
and survivor of suicide loss, not an expert in psychology or counseling. I hope
that any teacher, school counselor, psychologist, principal, or district
administrator can pick up this book, flip to a chapter, and easily find helpful
answers to the questions they are likely to have about what schools can do to
prevent suicide.
