Teachers called to protect and serve

The Diocese of Corpus Christi Office of Catholic Schools held a professional development day for teachers and staff entitled, “Called to Protect and Serve” on Aug. 2 at St. John Paul II High School. Keynote speaker and author, Jodee Blanco, presented two sessions on bullying. Other speakers included Special Agent Heath Hardwick of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Corpus Christi and Detective Alicia Escobar, who works with the  Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes; Jim and Diane Hall from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Senior Officer, Travis Pace, of the Corpus Christi Police Department.

Blanco who is a survivor of bullying, turned activist and advocate for those being bullied spoke of her own life experiences, her mindset at the time and how being bullied made her feel lonely and sad. Her presentation included teachers who, however well-meaning, made some situations worse and other teachers whose wisdom empowered her to become part of the solution. To learn more about bullying go to www.jodeeblanco.com.
 

Kaitlyn Polly

New freshman English teacher for St. John Paul II, Kaitlyn Polly, learned some interesting techniques on bullying. She said, "it's a good reminder that bullies are people too and that you have to treat them with the same love and compassion that you treat the victim."
 
Other presenters, Special Agent Hardwick and Detective Escobar, discussed real-life cases and how child predators have lured children through online teen chat sites. They also mentioned helpful apps and software that can be used to help parents monitor their child’s use of their devices. Special Agent Hardwick said students who receive indecent images over the internet should not delete those images. If they do, it is destroying evidence that could be used against the perpetrator. They also discussed child pornography, sexting, cyber-bullying, chat rooms and online gaming safety tips.
 
Other topics by NAMI Texas State Board Members, Jim and Diane Hall, included recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness in youth. They offered suggestions on how to help in the classroom setting and where to go to get resources outside of the classroom.
 
During the final session, Senior CCPD Officer Pace delivered an entertaining presentation on what to do in the event an active shooter gets inside the school. He promoted the strategy of “Run, Hide, Fight” with a special emphasis on “Fight.”
 
Dr. Rosemary Henry, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, said the theme “Called to Protect and Serve, is timely and relevant in light of the recent national spotlight on massive school shootings, youth in crisis and the nationwide increase of bullying and its detrimental effects on development. Today, here and now, let us bond together to ensure safe and secure Catholic schools for each student, our future leaders of tomorrow.”