The Thank You

I am happily teaching my second grade students two bully-proofing strategies earlier today. These powerful anti-bullying techniques are "the thank you" and the "skip away" both invented by me. First I explain that the mean bullying types are sad inside, so they want others to be mad and sad too. which is why they choose meanness to do and say. I need to know who they are, so the children write down the names of any child they have seen being mean, for only the teacher and me to see. We practice the "thank you" this way. I bring up a student who gets to call me names. All hands shoot up. Everyone wants to bully me, until they get up here. Today I gave twenty-three examples, and I implored the teacher to come up and call me names after two children tried, but failed me. The teacher, a personal, great friend of mine,said, "I can't do it! But Cameron can." Cameron ran up as if he was being chased by a bear. BAM! Five mean and ugly things came out. I was amazed and thanked him profusely for each compliment, even did a two-step and a skip to my Lou. So don't let them see you're mad. Don't let them see you sad. If your face is giving you away, use the "skip away." Jimmy yells out, "Can't we just run away?" "If you use the skip away, they wonder why you are so happy. " I tell them as they laugh at my bad skipping. "Skipping indicates happiness too." The children returned to their seats to write down the names of all children who have said or done something mean that they have seen with their own eyes or heard with their own ears since Easter Day. I say, "Not since kindergarten or first grade. Not something you have heard someone else say that they said. Only write down names of children whom you SAW or HEARD do meanness. Okay? I was asked thirty-two times if they were supposed to put their names on their paper, curious since there are only 29 students , and two were absent today. I made a little tally sheet and gave it to the teacher, only. One teacher asked if she could share it with her class, I said "No, because I promised the children this would only be seen by you and me. I smile at my own clever petard. That's when things turned. The teacher got a bit snippy. And I quietly skipped away.