This recent viral video, “We Are All Daniel Cui,” comes from Facebook Stories, a new site about “people using Facebook in extraordinary ways.” You might use it for classroom discussion paired with the Motherlode blog post “On Facebook, Bullies ‘Like’ if You Hate,” or with any of our other bullying resources.
Teenagers and others – including some members of Congress – are petitioning to have the rating lowered from R on the movie “Bully,” a documentary that tells the stories of five young people subjected to harsh treatment by their peers. Do they have a case? Are movie ratings important? Should the MPAA reevaluate the movie’s rating? Does a film like this have the potential to help more people talk about bullying and bring about change?
Lady Gaga started her Born This Way Foundation, with the goal of empowering and supporting children and fostering a more accepting environment. Do you think she can succeed in affecting the culture of cruelty that often finds its way into interactions among young people?
How much time do you spend every day gossiping, or listening to gossip — whether in person or online? Do think think gossiping is dangerous? Do you think you could refrain from gossip for an entire day? (A 2008 Times article reported on a school in which students were asked to stop for just an hour at a time.) What are some the consequences of gossip that you’ve observed in your own life?
Today, the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights becomes law in the state of New Jersey. Do you think states should have legislation about bullying? Why or why not? How is bullying handled in your school and community? Do you feel the rules and policies are adequate? Are they effective?Read more…
Grade or Level of Students: Middle School (ages 11-14)
Idea: A student peer-leadership group takes on bullying with monthly grade and schoolwide initiatives.
Why We Chose It: With a few Times articles and Learning Network resources as inspiration, this teacher created a semester-long, student-run antibullying curriculum that his peer leadership group has taken and made their own. Mr. Schulman describes the program at his school, then suggests nine ideas any school could adapt. Read more…
An article about “sexting,” or sending sexual photos, videos or texts from one cellphone to another, tells the story of several eighth graders whose lives were upended by a risqué photo. It also examines how schools and legal systems across the country are struggling to confront minors who sext. How common do you think the practice is among your peers? How dangerous? Why? How do you think parents, educators and legal systems should confront it? Do you agree with the expert quoted in the article that adults “have to protect kids from themselves sometimes”? Why or why not?
An article this week about Internet bullying describes the difficulties parents face in keeping their children safe online. Not only are they often scrambling to catch up with the technological sophistication of the next generation, but parents today must also wrestle with issues of how much online privacy is appropriate. What do you think? How aware are your parents or guardians of what you do online or via your cellphone? How much should parents in general know about their teenagers’ life online? Why?
In this lesson, students examine the myriad issues surrounding immigration reform, including border security, the economic impact of foreign-born workers, and paths to citizenship for those who have entered illegally.