Bullying Lesson

Today was a fun yet intriguing day. I taught the kids an old but true lesson about bullying. I had each and every student start off with a blank sheet of notebook paper. I talked about how it looked, asked them how it felt, and we admired the beautiful blank sheets of paper. Then, I instructed the kiddoes to DESTROY the papers...(some bit them, some stomped, some yelled, some crumpled, some pinched, etc.) After 30 seconds of hurting the paper, I asked them to sit down and flatten out the destroyed paper. They flattened the paper out as best as they could, but we couldn't help but notice the crumples and the "scars" left on the paper, even after we did our best to flatten it out. We had an in-depth conversation about how those marks will always be there, and how hurtful words crumple our hearts, and kind words do their best to un-crumple them. What started off as a funny and goofy activity became incredibly powerful. It was an awesome lesson, one that I hope they carry with them in their hearts, forever-words are so powerful.