FROM THE SHERWOOD FOREST
COUNSELOR OFFICE
Carla Burgi and Stephanie
Paradee
(253) 945-3808
Anti-Bullying
Lessons
Carla Burgi and Stephanie
Paradee, School Counselors
Classroom
guidance lessons are a major part of the counseling program at Sherwood
Forest. When students are presented with information and strategies as
well as opportunities for discussion and practice, conflict resolution
becomes a higher priority for our school community. After several lessons
covering Kelso's Choices, (our school-wide conflict management program)
we have begun lessons in all grade levels covering the topic of anti-bullying/
anti-harassment. (Check out some of our new Kelso posters in our hallways
next time you are at school. The poster is very eye-catching!)
In
kindergarten, the concept of harassment is dealt with through our work
with Kelso's Choices. We discuss that if problems (including the actions
of others) are scary, dangerous, or illegal, we report the facts to
an adult whom we trust.
In first through third grade, we spend three
or more lessons covering the following concepts of anti-bullying/ anti-harassment:
Û
Defining
what a conflict is vs. what a bullying situation is
(one major distinction being: bullying is one-sided
and conflict is two sided)
Û
Exploring
why some individuals may "bully" others
Û
Role-playing
using confidence in the face of teasing
Û
Discussion
on talking to adults about concerning situations (reporting vs. tattling)
Û
Reminders
about standing up for our peers
In grades
four and five, our learning is covered in four different lessons pertaining
to the topic of anti-harassment. The four lessons include:
(Primarily taken from Steps to
Respect Program)
1.
Defining
and differentiating between conflicts and bullying situations
2.
The
three "R's": Recognizing, Refusing, and Reporting harassment
3.
Role
play skits involving strategies for deflecting more minor teasing
4.
Video:
"Gum in My Hair: How to Cope with a Bully" -which includes
techniques for dealing with various levels of teasing.
One of the ideas that we emphasize a great deal
with students, especially with fourth and fifth graders, is that coping
with teasing and dealing with conflict are a normal part of growing up.
This reality is why we spend time differentiating between the "kids
can sort out" kinds of problems and the "adults should handle"
issues. Some of the terminology we cover in lessons that indicate true
harassment criteria are: (WHAT WE WANT REPORTED FOR KIDS TO GET ASSISTANCE
WITH WHEN IT BECOMES A BIG PROBLEM):
Û
On-going,
on-purpose, and one-sided.
As
well as one or more of the following:
a.
Teasing
something personal (appearance, family background, gender, race, abilities, etc.)
b.
Threatening
or power-based behavior (physically or socially)
c.
Foul
language or behavior (inappropriate school interactions)
As educators and parents we believe that all students
have a right to a safe andharassment-free
place to learn and grow. The challenge for parents and educators is to
help kids to be equipped to filter interactions. We want to teach them
to handle what they can in order to develop the life long strategies to
approach social challenges. At the same time we must support them and
intervene in situations where their well-being and/or safety are jeopardized. In our work with students we have to constantly go back to
the clear terms, as listed above, so we provide a consistent message about
what truly is something we want, and expect, them to notify us about.
Lastly,
one of the things we stress at the end of the anti-bullying unit at
various grade levels is sharpening their awareness of what is going
on around them. Some of the latest research regarding anti-harassment
reflects that one of the predominant ways to reverse school bullying
is the presence of bystanders who become active participants in sticking
up for a schoolmate being picked on. This concept reminds us of our
sense of responsibility to one another, and our sense of community at
our school. Thank you for your support as parents to help make Sherwood
Forest Elementary a safe and great community.
Click
here for PDF version of Spring Anti-Bullying Article
Internet Safety 101
Carla Burgi and Stephanie
Paradee, School Counselors
We both
recently attended a Saturday school counselor training on internet safety
taught by office Lynn Mock of the Gig Harbor Police Department. Although
we both have known about the importance of internet safety for our students,
this class took our awareness and our concerns to a whole new level.
Most of
the presentation was information regarding Myspace accounts and use.
If your child has a MySpace or any social networking account, it is
very important that you have their page set to "private".
It is also of extreme importance not to have a photo of your child as
the first photo of their page. For the best prevention, donÍt allow
your child to have any photo of themself online. Photos can be "Photoshopped"
or changed and downloaded and used for negative purposes by perfect
strangers. In addition do not allow your child to post their birthday
on-line anywhere. Identities can be stolen and credit ruined from a
stranger merely having access to one's birthday.
One of
the best and most-comprehensive websites we've recently discovered when
researching this topic further is wiredsafety.org.
In it is a multitude of ideas for internet safety with specific social
sites such as YouTube and MySpace. Some of the tips have translations
in Spanish as well.
The best
advice we can give as your child's school counselors is one we hope
is happening in homes on a regular basis: Do not allow your child to
have internet access without parent supervision. We must do our best
to protect our children from predators and harmful images. It is also
our responsibility to teach children the importance of maintaining a
positive image. Colleges and Universities and places of employment are
known to check the internet to search character issues on individuals.
Once something
is in cyberspace, it cannot be taken back. You cannot control what another
person does with your photo or information.
Our kids
know a great deal more than we do about the net. Ask them questions.
Ask them to show you what web sites they go to. Educate yourself regarding
chat room and text messaging lingo at a site such as cybertipline.org.
If you own a home computer consider safeguarding options if you have
not done so.
Feel free
to contact either one of us at (253) 945-3808. We'd be happy to speak
further about some things we learned at this recent internet safety
class and offer advice if we are able.
Recommended
Websites for Internet Safety:
wiredsafety.org
cybertipline.com
safekids.com
Click
here for PDF version of Internet Safety Article
Click
on the links below to go to the information on this page. 
Return to Sherwood Forest's Home Pa
Back up to Table of Contents
