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Fostering Friendships with Student Designed “Buddy Benches”
Description
Some high school Welding, Construction Trades, and Teacher Ed students are using skills they learned in the classroom to make it easier for younger kids to make friends at school.
On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to Monte Vista Elementary School where there was a big surprise unveiled during a schoolwide assembly. The big surprise was a “Buddy Bench,” made entirely by high schoolers who want to help their younger counterparts combat loneliness and bullying behavior at school.
Audio Transcription
Addison Olsen:
A buddy bench is something that people can use when they're feeling lonely. They can go sit there, and it lets other people know that they need a friend.
Blair Jensen:
They gave me the idea of involving other teachers. They said, "Get your construction trades doing concrete." And as soon as they said that, you know, light bulb clicked, a teacher ed, I’ve got, you know, aspiring teachers that will crush the assembly much better than me and my students.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Some high school welding, construction trades, and teacher education students are using skills they learned in the classroom to make it easier for younger students to make friends at school.
On this episode of the Supercast, we take you to Monte Vista Elementary School, where there was a big surprise unveiled during a school-wide assembly. The big surprise was a “Buddy Bench,” made entirely by high schoolers who want to help their younger counterparts combat loneliness and bullying behavior at school.
[Music]We're talking now with three of the students who were involved in making this project happen. Please introduce yourself, tell us your home school, and then the program that you're a part of.
Ruby Sullivan:
I'm Ruby Sullivan. I'm from Riverton High School, and I'm in the teacher education program.
Austin Edwards:
I'm Austin Edwards. I'm from Kings Peak, and I'm in the construction management.
Mason Goates:
My name is Mason Goates. I'm from Bingham High School, and I'm at the welding program.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell us about the buddy bench project for those who don't know what it is. I think you're visiting about a dozen schools in the way that you did Monte Vista today. So tell everyone about it.
Ruby Sullivan:
Yeah, so it's an interdisciplinary project between the construction management, teacher education, and welding programs at JATC South. And basically, we're just trying to decrease bullying and loneliness in elementary schools by installing buddy benches, free of charge to the school. So it gives children an opportunity to meet and make new friends, and it gives us an opportunity to practice the skills that we're learning in high school.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now, some of the skills that you're learning as a student in the teacher preparation program that's to command a group of students. And you did so beautifully today. You did a great job.
Ruby Sullivan:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
It would be intimidating for many adults to be in front of 600 elementary students and try to keep them on task. How does that feel, and how did you do it so well today?
Ruby Sullivan:
Well, thank you so much. Honestly, it's such an enjoyable experience. I love working with children. I love working with students. And it was a great opportunity to practice my behavior management skills on a larger scale. So it was amazing to really be able to implement the tactics that I've learned about in my classes and practicums, and to be able to see them work at such magnitude.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, when you stood up in front of them, there was no sense that, "Well, I wonder if this will work." You knew it was going to work. You knew what y