Over the past few weeks our grade level has experienced some issues with bullying and name calling. We took this as a sign that we needed to go back and revisit expectations and clear up just what bullying is and is not. Even with doing my own reading and research I found information that could be considered confusing. I truly believe that we have done some injustice to the world of bullying by using the word so loosely, that kids with true bully concerns, are not being addressed. By the end of our work I wanted the children to see how their actions and choices affect not only them, but at times those around them. And, that those actions can have lasting, unintended, consequences. So here begins my lengthy post (sorry about that) into what we did to beat bullying in our room.
As I set out to find sources that were grade level appropriate and would paint a clear picture for my students, I came across this blog. I loved her ideas, which she had seen also on another site, and the fact that they really broke it down into small steps that sparked discussion each day. So, following her example I set off to get a grip on the bullying issue in our grade level.
Day 1: I didn't take a picture of my board, but it was completely void of anything! No anchor charts, notices, books etc...NOTHING. The only thing on my board was one word written quite largely in the center, "MEAN". As the children entered the room it definitely sparked some conversations and questions. I also showed them this video and had a short discussion about their reaction to it afterward.
Day 2: I spent day one after school writing a whole slew of words on my board that are reflect characteristics of meanness and negativity. We also watched another short video that were sited on the Nerdy, Nerdy, Nerdy blog. "Stand Up, Stand Out" and again discussed after. I also brought in one of my most favorite books for teaching about bullying and friendship- Enemy Pie. I love that this book speaks to the judgement we make about people before we even give them a chance!
Day 3: On this day I had written over our list of words " How Do You Want To Be Remembered?". As the children filed in there were some great discussions about what this meant and some of them even started saying, " Well I don't want to be remembered as uncaring!" (or any word that was written on the board). We watched a few more quick clips including, Mark Wills' "Don't Laugh at Me" and "Being a Friend". We then continued our discussion from yesterday about how we can judge another without even knowing the truth about that person. I chose to read aloud Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. I love this book! I think I've read it a few times this year already. But, why I like it is because it is a great example of bullying and how it changes how someone acts or thinks about themselves.
As the day progressed, I asked the kids to think about how they would like to be remembered. As they came up with ideas, they were given the opportunity to erase and replace the words written on the board. They came up with some great ideas!!
Finally, the last day just happened to be the due date for our door decor contest for Dr. Seuss week and they kids had the most awesome idea! We saw the quote that was hanging above and they took it from there. They decided on characters they would most like to emulate and then they finished the thought, " I want to be remembered as..." Wouldn't you know--- WE WON!!!
I love the idea of replacing the 'mean' words on the board with 'nicer' ones. What a powerful way for the kids to internalize their thoughts and to articulate the difference between the two behaviors.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, I love coming to your blog. And, as a parent I truly appreciate having access to what is happening in your classroom through this blog.
PS - Have you seen, or ever used, the spoken poem 'To This Day' by Shane Koyczan? I think it is so powerful. Talks about bullying, among other things.