Odd Pair of Socks!

Amita Raina

Last week has been Anti-Bullying week at our school and each day we had to find different socks as the children went to school wearing odd socks. So I asked : ”What has an Odd Pair of Socks got to do with Bullying?” The answer I got was that one must not be picked on because you may be odd or different or stand out from the rest. We have to be accepting of others’ differences and celebrate those differences. 

The children also learnt an important aspect of Bullying which is accepting differences and also to say ’STOP’ or ‘NO’ when you feel hurt or picked on. 

But bullying is beyond accepting differences – A Bully by definition is someone who is an intimidating, aggressive, disrespectful and dominating individual, using threatening and hurtful words or actions. Some bully because they have been bullied and return the favour to someone else, some bully are ageists, some bully because of their position, some because they are envious and deeply insecure and some bully because they get pleasure out of the act. 

As we raise awareness about ’Odd Socks’, we also need to : 

• Raise their Self-Esteem
• Standing up for yourself and each other.  

A child who is loved unconditionally and valued for who they are rather than who you want them to be will gain high SELF-ESTEEM. Knowing one’s self worth is makes us feel good, gives us confidence in our own abilities. It gives us the boost to face challenges, taking risks to learn new things and develop.  

Working with young children, we are often presented with all kinds of artwork and though one may be tempted to say, ’It‘s wonderful’ or ‘beautiful’ for every artwork, the children value more if we are specific and genuine in our praise… ‘I like the colour combination you have chosen’ or ‘the leaves look very real in your picture’ 

Giving them the right kind of praise / feedback allows them to understand their work and abilities but also develop it further whilst valuing your advice in their life. This is key to raising their SELF-WORTH or SELF-ESTEEM to make them stronger adults for later.

Self-Esteem can lead to Believing in yourself which empowers children to Stand up for yourself or for others. The confidence that is built into us gives us that power to be assertive, which can be used most certainly be in a respectful and dignified manner. Children exposed to positive and effective communication in their environment will be able to state their opinion, relaying their message successfully. 

Communication is a powerful tool when used correctly! 

Sometimes its best to be silent in a situation if it does not honour your self worth. 

Speak up on things that matter most! 

Speak up for those who matter most!