Bully Free Zone

Every year we start off with my wrinkled heart activities and then carry on the through the year with our school wide character trait program.  As a teacher you hope that this will be enough. However this year my co-teacher and I have noticed one particular student has been the easy target for our class. She is the sweetest girl with the best attitude so it just doesn't make since.

I was picked on, teased, bullied you name it. I always had trouble making and keeping friends. I was often an easy target and can remember this happening from 1st grade on until freshman year of high school. That being said I DID NOT WANT IT HAPPENING IN MY CLASSROOM.

I got to work. I asked a veteran teacher at my school what she would do. (She is the kind of teacher you strive to be and I am lucky enough to work with her.) I stalked teacher blogs, pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers. Here is what I came up with:


Day One:

We revisited the wrinkled heart poems and discussed exactly what each part meant.

I also told them that I would have zero tolerance of any bullying and if I heard it or saw it they would move their clips.

Then we stomped on, crumbled, hit but did not tear a piece of paper. Then we opened the paper up and told it we were sorry. Then we had a discussion about how saying sorry doesn't always fix everything.

Next we turned this wrinkled paper into the cover for our friendship journal. This is our no bully zone scrap book and I will get back to that in a little bit.

The last activity we did that day was from the Bad Apple.  In this activity the class brain storms what it means to be kind. Then they have to write something kind about other students.

There were a few students that I was worried about not having enough kind words so I did write on a few.

Then they glued the star in their friendship journal and reflected on it. You can grab that here.

Day Two: We discussed ways to not be a bully and completed a book. Its by Natalie's Nook and you can find it here.

Day Three: We wrote about a time our heart was wrinkled and what we learned from it.

Day Four: We completed this activity by the Clutter Free Classroom. Each student told me who they wanted to work with and nominated someone as a student role model. This is when we introduced the kindness desk. I shared the nominations with the class and told them if they didn't hear their name this week they should make it their goal to have someone nominate them next time.

The kindness desk is where anyone who is being very kind can sit. This desk has special supplies to use and even is home to our author's chair when it is not in use. This has the same rules as most Fancy/ MVP desks. Its fluid and students can move in and out of it. I got the idea off of instagram (you can follow me @teachinginbroncocountry) but I can't remember who! I really tried to find it too. Thank you to whomever it was!

I created it from things I had laying around the classroom and its a hit. 

Day Five:

I read Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig  (I bought several of her books and will be reading them in the days and weeks to come.) Then we signed No Bullying Pledge with our favorite color marker and added it to our Friendship Journal. 

I found some no bully zone items on Oriental Trading and that is where the No Bullying Pledge came from. I haven't decided what I am going to do with everything yet. 

A small victory came today when the student I mentioned was picked on again and two girls spoke up for her. I gave them a sticker and thanked them. We aren't there yet but we are taking steps in the right direction. Check back with me to see how it is going and what other activities we have done. 

If any of these activities are of interest to you please check them out tomorrow at the Teachers Pay Teachers Site Wide Sale.  I will be participating and my store will be 28% when you use the promo code HEROS.