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Hate speech is spoken or written words that are used to insult or belittle a person or group of people based on an element of their identity. Hate speech can targeted based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other identifying factors. Hate speech is ugly and can be hard to talk about with children and adolescents. It can also be hard for children to relate to hate speech. While many have seen it online or in other media, they likely have not been on the receiving end. While this is a good thing – because we don't want our children to have to experience this hardship – it can make it difficult to convince children that they should act to prevent hate speech. Often our students – especially those in middle or high school – find it easier to scroll past it on their screens or walk by it when overhearing it in the hallway. After all, stepping in could result in them being targeted by the person saying the hateful things as well. At Safer Internet Day earlier this we...

Note: This post was recently  published on the St. John's Prep GOOD to Go blog . Chad Konecky interviewed me and wrote the post based on our discussion. Demonstrating and reinforcing common-sense social media engagement is important, especially when it comes to adolescents and teens. Kerry Gallagher, St. John’s assistant principal for teaching and learning, is leading the Prep’s emphasis on developing best practices when using social media. “Mentoring healthy guidelines like ‘Think before you post,’ ‘be kind and respectful’ and ‘be mindful of who you friend’ are key, but we need to foster—and the boys need to hone—an even keener sense of their life online.” Interestingly, the challenges of building an online identity can become even more difficult if students and their parents choose not to use social media, explains Gallagher. Alternatively, when students do create an online presence, it can become an opportunity to learn how to act appropriately and with accountability....