The Next Page Entry 53: Thoughts on bullying…

When I see one classmate…

So, yes, I need to be more proactive with this bullying thing.

And yes, it does stem from one person, but anybody who acts as a fan, follower of, or ‘lieutenant’ for, that person is a bully as well. They seem to get a charge out of seeing someone with less power than they have.

Today, I wrote a couple of story starter journal prompts, but then I drew a horizontal line underneath those and added these two:

1. When I see one classmate mistreat another classmate…
2. Some ways kids mistreat other kids include…

I reminded the kids that they were welcome to drop their journal on my desk for me to read and left it at that.

Just out of curiosity, I’m making a point of not using any form of the word ‘bully’. Plus, it’s such a loaded term nowadays.

Next will be a short classroom activity.

The Next Page Entry 52: Who’s who in Room 36?

I just realized…okay, not quite just realized…that I really haven’t mentioned many of my students. 

It’s difficult to NOT mention Beth, the strong-willed one who keeps her eagle eye on me seemingly at all times, unless she’s establishing peace and justice [well, her versions] elsewhere in the classroom. [I can almost hear her wheels turning, cranking out ideas on how to make something we’re doing better or more interesting not so ‘borrrring’…as if I don’t do that enough myself. 

And I’ve mentioned Sanjay because he is often linked with Beth. Great that she has taken him under her wing because he really was a lost little soul at first. She seemed to know what connects with him, starting with technology.

But as the days go by, I have noticed that he at times even stands up to her. And that is no easy thing. 

Unfortunately, the person whom Sanjay hasn’t yet stood up to is none other than Jeremy…I know I’ve mentioned him a little. He is actually a classic bully who knows how to dish it out, but doesn’t not deal well when it’s dished back.

I’ve tried reasoning with Jeremy, but he senses another kid’s vulnerability and he swoops in. Plus, he has a few admirers following him around on the playground. (Or are they just kids who don’t want to get on his bad side?). so that just emboldens him. And while there aren’t many who dare stand up to him, guess who seems to live for the opportunity?  Yes, Beth. 

Kind of funny to see that pint-sized dynamo get on her tiptoes to try to go nose to-nose with Jeremy. She’s known him since kindergarten and has put up with his stuff for all those years. I think it was second grade, though, when she finally had had enough and mashed his burrito with her fist and walked away. So I’m told…A cafeteria legend that has lived on.

A few things I have tried have slowed the behaviors for the short term, but I didn’t sustain the momentum. Blame it on my short attention span. My fault.

But this morning before school, Christina  came to me complaining about name-calling without telling me the guilty party. I was pretty sure who it was, though. So it’s time to revisit the issue.  And I have some ideas I’d like to test out. More later.

 

The Next Page Entry 51: Brownies with a twist

So, here’s the deal. I’ve been giving myself pep talks every day reminding myself that even though I’m not following the much-revered instructional schedule, it’s not as if I’m poisoning the kids’ minds. They’re still working with most of the expensive, bloated curriculum–it’s just that it seems it’s not a bad idea to mix things up…every day.

At the staff meeting, I brought some brownies that had tahini swirled in. I had decided earlier on oatmeal cookies, but this recipe looked too good to pass up, and I figured the chocolate stream would probably counteract anybody’s uncertainty about the tasted of sesame butter.

Mrs. Helm was extremely ‘on board’ with them. Mr. Taylor showed up at our table as well. Not sure if he knew I had treats or not. but there he was. I guess some people have a sixth sense about brownies. Anyway, I got the usual sneers from ‘the queens’ table [closest one to the exit…reserved for specific people, name cards not needed].

I couldn’t help but turn in their direction, lift a brownie just above eye level, drop it down to my mouth, and ceremoniously chomp down–my eyes rolling, my cheeks full. Probably not appreciated by the onlookers, but hey, you’ve gotta get through staff meetings somehow.