As part of our development guidance program and anti-bullying program efforts, Mrs. Mary Harrison, Director of Guidance for the East Williston School District presented a workshop to our 5th grade students entitled Oliver. The workshop is designed around a fictional student named Oliver (you can see him taped to the board in the picture above) who is the victim of incessant teasing and bullying. Through a series of guided discussion questions, real-life scenarios, and student experiences, students learn how to recognize signs of bullying and develop personal strategies to combat this issue. The primary strategies that the students learned was how to be an empowered bystander. Simply put "If you see something....don't be afraid to say something." More often than not, if a student who is bullying or teasing another student is challenged in a polite and meaningful way by a fellow student to stop the untoward behavior, the bully will comply. Mrs. Harrison also encouraged our students to seek the help of their teachers, counselors, and parents if they feel they need help in dealing with this type of inappropriate behavior.
Thank you Mrs. Harrison!!!
Thanks for sharing Oliver's story with the community! The students were great and made Oliver feel much better. At the end of the lesson, Oliver's frown turned into a big SMILE! The students also signed the Anti-Bullying pledge located on Kindness Court! Willets is doing GREAT things!!
ReplyDelete