When the BFA and FES staff returned on January 2nd 2019 from winter break, they arrived to the BFA Richard A. Brown Memorial Gym to screen the documentary film The Kids We Lose.
The Kids We Lose is a documentary film produced by the non-profit Lives in the Balance. “The goal of the film is to expose the counterproductive ways, often inhumane ways in which kids with social, emotional and behavioral challenges are still treated in many places, and the desperation and frustration of their parents, teachers and other caregivers,” (Ross W. Greene, Developer and Executive Producer of The Kids We Lose).
The film can be difficult to watch as it depicts real life, challenging situations that adults and children face. As we looked around the gym during the film, it was evident that the audience’s attention was rapt. After the film, staff met with the facilitators from BFA’s Collaborative and Proactive Solutions team to discuss how the film made them feel, to share what we are doing well to support challenging kids at FWSU, and to discuss the issues depicted in the film. The staff’s reflections from these experience were powerful.
The BFA Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) team meets once a month to learn more about what we can do to further support students who exhibit lagging skills. After the film, the team has invited other staff members to join so that together we can create an implementation approach to support all learners. The team’s goal is to bring this approach to BFA within a three year learning and implementation period.
Using Dr. Greene’s work, the CPS team understands the following principles:
- Kids do well if they can.
- Behind every challenging behavior is an unsolved problem or lagging skills (or both).
- By solving problems collaboratively and proactively, we can simultaneously teach skills.
We invite you to learn more about Dr. Greene’s approach by visiting his website at www.livesinthebalance.org
The FWSU Story 