National expert Fabian Ramirez uses personal experience to connect with kids
By Andy Klotz—
MUNCIE, IN—The first day of middle school changed the life of Fabian Ramirez. On that day more than three decades ago, a classmate pushed him down in front of the rest of the class, and he found out what it was like to be bullied.
That incident led Ramirez to withdraw and struggle in school. Eventually, a teacher helped him through that dark time, and he ultimately graduated college and went on to earn a master’s degree. Now it’s his mission to try to eliminate bullying at schools nationwide.
“Bullying is going to happen, but kindness is going to happen, too.” Ramirez said.
Showing kindness is a big part of the message he shared with Northside and Southside middle school students this week during special assemblies made possible by Meridian Health Services (MHS). Ramirez taught students that reporting a bullying incident is a lot different than “snitching.” It allows the person doing the bullying to receive help for their underlying trauma.
“Hurt people tend to hurt people, but healed people can heal people,” Ramirez said. “When you’ve been around someone who has been healed from something, you want to be around them more and more.”
Ramirez is living proof of that. Students flocked to him immediately following his presentation looking to interact, and to receive one of the stickers he was handing out to anyone who recited a lesson they learned from his talk.
“The convocation was phenomenal,” Southside Principal J.D. Craft said. “Mr. Ramirez presented real world scenarios and strategies on how to conquer those challenges. Our students look up to adults that they can relate to, and our students were able to relate to Fabian’s story.”
Ramirez, 44, also showed students the benefits of kindness and how research proves being kind benefits not only the people directly involved, but also anyone else witnessing it. Conversely, people who bully not only hurt the person being bullied, but also anyone who sees it.
“After I speak at a school assembly, principals will say that reporting went up,” he said. “That’s actually a good thing. That means there was some kind of a bottleneck within the school where things were happening with kids, and they just didn’t want to report that they were hurting about something.”
That is the main reason MHS sponsored Ramirez’s trip to Muncie from his home in Dallas – to help students identify and report mental health issues they’re reluctant to talk about. It’s all part of their mission to build healthier communities, starting with youth.
“We’ve long been recognized for providing mental and behavioral health services in schools across the state, including our school-based health clinics in Muncie Community Schools,” MHS Vice President of Marketing and Development Beth Clark said. “Through the Meridian Speaker Series: School Assembly, we meet students where they are, bringing in speakers who address the real challenges they face every day. We want to remind students they’re not alone and equip them with tools to navigate adversity, then connect them with resources that can help.”
Ramirez also has some tips for parents. He suggests introducing kids to a trusted adult friend or family member who can help their child while they may be at work or unavailable. He also recommends constant reinforcement of living by the “Golden Rule.”
“It’s hard to be mean to someone who’s always consistently nice to you,” Ramirez said. “Show them how to treat other people. Live in such a way where even your enemies respect you because of how you live your life.”
To see a short recap of Ramirez’s presentation, please visit youtu.be/AhqiB8-BbQo.
About Muncie Community Schools
Serving the local community since 1855, Muncie Community Schools (MCS) educates more than 5,000 students at six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school while also managing several other educational facilities. Through its unique partnership with Ball State University, MCS strives to maximize each student’s potential so he or she can be a positive, productive member of society.
