Barbara Smith teaches an anti-bullying lesson.

Barbara Smith isn't your grandma's school counselor.

Do you remember your school counselor? Maybe you had to go to the counselor's office if you got in trouble. Maybe you kept your nose clean and never saw your counselor. That's not the way things are done at John Baker, an Albuquerque Public Schools kindergarten through 5th elementary in the Northeast Heights. Counselor Barbara Smith knows every single kid and they all know her. It's not because they're in trouble. It's because she's committed to preventing trouble. "Teachers, parents and community members all have different ideas of what counselors do, based on when they were back in school. It's very different. We are part of the educational process now," she says.

By The Numbers

Let's get the numbers out of the way. John Baker Elementary decreased bullying reports by 80 percent between the 2008-09 school year and the 2009-10 school year and it's on track for another stellar season. You're reading that right. Reports dropped from 66 down to just 13. "That really speaks to being able to go into the classrooms and really teach bullying and conflict resolution," says Smith. She visits each classroom multiple times throughout the school year to talk about recognizing bullying, how to prevent it and how to deal with it if it happens. She covers the difference between tattling and reporting bullying and shows how easily kids can report bullying issues by telling an adult or using the school's bullying report form.

Ramping Up

John Baker's bullying prevention success hasn't gone unnoticed. The school was nationally recognized in April as a RAMP school by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). This is a big deal. RAMP translates to "Recognized ASCA Model Program." What that really means it that the school has a comprehensive counseling program that has passed ASCA's rigorous requirements. "It looks at counseling as a program rather than a service. It legitimatizes our job and helps explain what we do," says Smith. It's about breaking the old counseling mold and finding better ways to connect with kids. John Baker is currently the only RAMP school in New Mexico and the first elementary in the state to receive the honor.

Steps To Respect

Anti-bullying posters from 3rd grade students
at John Baker Elementary.

Smith isn't going it alone. APS has implemented the Steps to Respect curriculum for 3rd through 5th graders across the district. This program gives counselors and teachers a comprehensive toolbox for opening up the conversation with students about bullying. Even the kindergarten kids are learning about bullying prevention. Getting started early is key to helping them grow up in a bullying-free environment. "Bullying can take a lot of forms. We have to start talking about bullying to kids younger and earlier so that they begin to recognize what it is," says John Baker principal Denise Brigman.

Brigman and Smith join up to visit every classroom within the first two days of school. "I wanted to talk about bullying and bullying prevention early so the kids know what to do from day one. They will come to Barbara first because she is in the classroom so much. They get to know her and they hear the message," says Brigman.

John Baker's accomplishments are part of a district-wide initiative that is bringing together students, teachers, parents and administrators to tackle bullying and create safer schools. "It's a central issue everywhere. This year all schools are supposed to be doing action plans on bullying and how they are addressing bullying," Smith says. She has one key piece of advice for other school counselors. "Use the data. The classrooms are driven by data. The district is driven by data. Data is a huge piece of getting everyone on board. You can't argue against it when you see that huge of a difference," she says. You definitely can't argue with 80 percent change.