Polly Bath: Every period, when the bell rings, kids spend four minutes in the school hallway going to their next class.

There would be an amazing decrease in behaviors, bullying, and rule breaking if every adult would just step out into the hall. Just be visible.

Kids are smart enough to look around to see where the adults are before they do something.

When we’re visible, two things happen.

One, behavior decreases.

Two, the confidence and trust the kids have in adults increases. They realize that we are not there to catch them doing something wrong, but we are there in case they need help.

I have had some of the best relationships with kids just by being visible. Kids who come up and ask me for help because they’ve seen me. They don’t even know who I am but they’ve seen me.

That’s the kind of climate that I want in my building. To be there for you.