Last week we blogged about a group of high schoolers who refused to tolerate bullying against gays in their schools. A great video was forwarded to us about another group of high school students who are “giving back” and also gaining something surprising from it as well.
A group of 194 students at Dublin Coffman High School in Ohio are members of a peer collaboration class, where they provide assistance and support to special needs students. Those students who offer their time have discovered newfound friendships they may have otherwise avoided or overlooked. The students help their peers with special needs in their day to day activities and academic classes. The school guidance counselor says “Pretty soon they erase lines between help and helper and just become friends.” In an environment where special needs students might normally be teased or harassed, many students feel it’s their duty to protect their peers from possible bullying because they have formed genuine friendships with them. The class started with peer collaboration in mind but has created a much stronger bond between the students.