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      • visualizing
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bullying: end it at home, school, everywhere

home / family life / parenting / behavior management / bullying: end it at home, school, everywhere
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Thanks to The Bully Project for sponsoring my writing.

Visit their website to join the movement and learn more.

 

 

Bullying is not okay.

It’s not okay at home, at school, on the field–anywhere.

And though a lot of families view ‘sibling issues’ as, ohhh, just a part of life–we do not.

For us, under our roof, in our home, and in our family, it’s not okay to treat another person in an unkind way.

And there’s no such thing as ‘that’s how brothers and sisters act’ or ‘sisters will fight’ย  or anything of the sort.ย  Yes, I know that sisters will fight. I grew up in a teeny house with one bathroom and three sisters. I know things can get. . . tough.

But I also know that growing up, even if we argued, it was not ignored. My mom said something.ย  My dad said something.ย  We were punished or sent to our room or talked to or something.

Don’t get me wrong–I’m not saying that things were always squeaky-clean and perfect at our house; a lot got by that shouldn’t have. But a lot was stopped.ย  And though there were some rocky times, my three sisters have become my best pals, my favorite people in the world, my bff’s.

So I do think that a lot of bully-prevention can–and should–begin at home. With siblings. And the earlier, the better.ย  Because if children are taught about kindness and empathy and sharing and love and all that good stuff from the very beginning, perhaps bullying–at school, on the field, and and everywhere will slowly diminish.

One of our all-time favorite books, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, covers the topic of bullying.

Here’s the skinny. . .

  • Bullying– End it at Home, School, Everywhere:ย  I’ve admitted that I have been worried about my tiniest for the last few months–I’ve googled ‘bullying’ and ‘what to do when your child is a bully’ more times than I care to admit because I have been anxious about how Cora’s been acting toward Maddy and Owen.ย  And I’ve been worried about how she’s acting toward her friends at school.

She is learning how to push buttons, how her words can control her brother and sister’s temper and mood, and she’s realizing the power she can exert over others.ย  So we’ve practiced showing kindness and changed our Gem Jars and have doing a lot of showering with love.ย  And to my father’s suggestion, when she’s ugly or mean or throwing a fit–if I can take a deeeep breath and calm myself down–I wrap my arms around her in a big hug and hold her tightly.

And for Maddy and Owen–who can both dish it out–we’ve talked about standing up for yourself and using your words and moving away from a toxic situation and asking for help.

ย Books about being brave are a great way to build confidence and self-esteem in little ones.

Along with open conversations about treating others with kindness, we’re also talking a lot about bullying–what it is, why people do it, and what we can do when we see it.ย 

And we’re taking the ole Atticus Finch angle of stepping into another person’s shoes:

  • What are some reasons why people pick on others?
  • How might it make them feel to get attention that way?
  • How do you feel when you see another person get bullied?
  • What kinds of things do you think when you see bullying–what do you wish you could say?
  • How does it feel to be singled out like [Chrysanthemum, or whomever]?
  • What do you think people who are being bullied really want to say to the bully?ย 
  • Why don’t they–or why can’t they–say what they want?
  • What should teachers or parents do if they see bullying?
  • What should friends or others do if they see bullying?
  • What do you do if the person you are with is a bully?
  • How do you think moms or dads feel if they knew their child was a bully?

It’s not an easy topic–I know–but like Stranger Safety and cyber safety–I think it has to happen often and early.

We have always used books for learning over here, so this has been no different.ย  We’ve been doing a lot of reading about kindness, bravery, and love. And I don’t care if it’s corny. I really don’t.

We’ve read books about bravery–what it means to be brave and stand up for yourself and others–and we’ve read books we know and love that deal with issues of bullying.ย  I like the round-about approach; I think books about building character may work as well–if not better–than books that outright address the bullying subject.

In Kids Talk About Bravery, Ruby Bridges is spotlighted for her bravery during the Civil Rights movement.

We particularly like these books for tackling this tough subject–and fyi, not all these books cover bullying in a direct way, but they all generate discussion about kindness, feelings, bravery, empathy, or an awareness of others:

  • Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes
  • The ant bully, by John Nickle
  • Rosa, by Nikki Giovanni
  • Dotty, by Erica S. Perl
  • The Rain Came Down, by David Shannon
  • Bear Feels Scared, by Karma Wilson
  • Kids Talk About Bravery, by Carrie Finn
  • Being Brave, by Jill Lynn Donahue
  • The Farmer, by Mark Ludy
  • The Gardner, by Sarah Stewart
  • Emma Dilemma, by Kristine O’Connell George
  • A Little Book About Feelings, Ruby’s Studio
  • Ramona the Brave, by Beverly Cleary
  • Chrissa Stands Strong, by Mary Casanova
  • Aloha, Kanani, by Lisa Yee
  • The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes
  • Arlene on the Scene, by Carol Lu

It’s not a comprehensive list, but it’s what we’ve got so far.ย  Please do share in the comments which books YOU look to for starting this conversation in your house!

And to continue the bullying conversation, though perhaps for an older audience, is a new movie, Bully.ย  This year, over 13 million American kids will be bullied, making it the most common form of violence young people in the U.S. experience.ย  (This statistic makes me ill.)

Bully trailer:


About the film:

Following five kids and families over the course of a school year, the film confronts bullyingโ€™s most tragic outcomes, including the stories of two families whoโ€™ve lost children to suicide and a mother who waits to learn the fate of her 14 โ€“year-old daughter, incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With rare access to the Sioux City Community School District, the film also gives an intimate glimpse into school buses, classrooms, cafeterias and even principles offices, offering insight into the often-cruel world of children, as teachers, administrators and parents struggle to find answers.
Bully will be shown in select theaters beginning Friday, March 30.ย  Website: www.thebullyproject.com

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. Find showings in your area for The Bully Project and buy tickets here.

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

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How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
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Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
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Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
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What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

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True โœ… or false โŒ?

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What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
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(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
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#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
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Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
Open
How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
View
Open
(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
View
Open
Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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