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In February early March our Life Skills focus has been Bullying. An important topic among all age categories in schools but also just as important for family understanding.
Is it MEAN, RUDE or BULLYING? (see attached PDF)
Kindergarten: We read several books around the topic of Bullying, one in particular was "Howard B Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies". We talked about the difference between someone having a mean moment and a bullying situation. Kindergarten students learned the phrase, "Be brave, Be bold a Teacher must be told." Howard tried several tools in attempt to stop the Snorton twins from picking on him. When they didn't work, he finally worked up enough courage to let the teacher know what was happening to him EVERYDAY.
First Grade: After reading the story "One" students were able to build on their Kindergarten knowledge regarding bullying situations. Our focus was taking away a bullies power to stop them from bullying. Ask your first grade child about our experiment with food coloring and how to stop bullying from happening.
Second Grade: The book, "Tease Monster (teasing vs. bullying)," was a great discussion piece for all second grade students. This book gives great information about mean tease, nice tease and the differences of bullying. We really have to watch what we say because our words are so powerful and can be perceived differently by everyone. Laughing WITH someone is very different then laughing AT them.
Third Grade: We read an all time favorite written by Julia Cook called, "Bully B.E.A.N.S" Ask your child if he/she remembers what this acronym stands for? This story focused on the bystander role of a bullying situation. We discussed several tools to use when dealing with a bullying situation on our own to see if it wills top. Remember, bullying doesn't occur in a single day, which leaves us tools and strategies to try and make it stop. So how do you take away a bullies power? Stand up of course! The bully beans we ate allowed us to find our courage in standing up for others.
Fourth Grade: We read the book, "Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others". This story is about a unique 4th grade classroom. They made a promise to NEVER stand by a student bullying another student. This is not an easy choice, especially if the bully is a friend of yours. Students at Meadowbrook were able to design empowering anti-bullying messages displayed on juice boxes to enhance their learning experience. Check out some of the art work and phrases displayed on my office window.