News from the
desk of your ASACS counselor—
C S
Respect
and Communication
ASACS activities: ·
Individual,
group, and family counseling
for students with substance abuse issues and students who may be at
risk of developing a problem with substance abuse.
Counseling occurs during school hours or after
school by appointment. ·
Prevention
Activities: Ø
Project
Armor Education Groups—Stress Busters, Decision Making, Leadership
Potential and others as recommended. Ø
Parenting
Workshops ·
Collaboration
with school staff Ø
Classroom
presentations on topics related to drug and alcohol use and decision
making ·
Community
involvement Ø
Works
with Command to provide positive interventions for youth at risk Ø
Involved
in the community to help foster a positive
environment for youth and their families
At the Middle School I
have been spending time talking with the students about the topic of
communication. One of the issues that
comes up a great deal with students and adults at both the middle and
high
schools is that of respect. It is often
phrased—“You’ve got to give respect in order to get respect back.” Both students and adults often state that
they are being treated with disrespect.
This is sometimes given as the reason for not giving respect
while
communicating. But what is “respect”
and how is it communicated?
One of
the things being
stressed about communication is that our behavior and body expressions
communicate far more than the spoken or written word.
We need to be very aware of what we are communicating through
these methods. How do we communicate
respect through behavior and body expression?
·
Maintain good
eye contact when someone is speaking to you. Face the person and look them in the eye,
whether you are the speaker or the listener.
It is difficult to have a conversation when the people involved
in the
conversation are not in the same room.
·
Do not interrupt
while someone is speaking.
Listen carefully to what is being said and when there is a
break, this
is the time for you to speak.
·
Monitor your
facial and body expressions.
If
you roll your eyes, sigh, or tap your fingers while someone is talking,
you are
communicating that you are bored, disinterested, disagree with speaker,
or many
other possibilities. On the other hand,
if you smile, nod your head, and lean in towards the speaker you are
communicating your interest in what s/he has to say.
·
Monitor the tone
and volume of your voice.
Speaking loudly and/or with a sarcastic or angry tone, conveys
disrespect, while speaking quietly and calmly conveys respect. It is possible to disagree quietly.
·
C S can be reached at
the High School at DSN 380-9685 or CIV 0621-730-9685 or at the Middle
School at DSN 380-9181 or CIV 0621-720-050
Value the
opinions of the person
with whom
you are communicating. You
do not have to agree with them, but acknowledge the time, energy, and
creativity that went into forming the opinion.
·
Ask questions to clarify something you may not have
understood, show interest in the topic being discussed, and encourage a
continuation of the conversation.
Good communication
isn’t easy—it takes practice.
Share these
observations with your children and enjoy the delightful conversations
that
take place.