"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved as he who helps to perpetrate it." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
So begins Chapter 7 of the "anti-bullying" book. In this passage, there is a lot of discussion about the role of the bystander. Life is so ironic sometimes as Morgan and I were discussing (Tuesday--she had reread Night by Elie Weisel) how the Germans and Poles stood by and did nothing while Hitler and his goons put to death 6,000,000 people. How did this happen? In the same way we inoculate ourselves to bullying today (remember the Nazis didn't begin with the Death Camps but they started out as a bunch of bullies). Now I'm not saying that every child who bullies will grow up and become a Nazi. I am saying we MUST model and teach our children (and ourselves) not to ignore bullying behavior (yes, I'm reading these posts Robbie, Macie, Jean! Plus nobody better cut in front of any of you in line when I'm there!!! I won't be silent on your behalf. LOL). I also love the place in the book where it states, "People don't get others in trouble. A person gets in trouble due to his/her own actions." And finally, the chapter ends with another quote from Dr. King, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." It is our bound duty to our KES children to create a culture of involvement and an environment of safety. That's why we must teach them to speak up and speak up correctly for one another. . . .
Finish reading chapters 7, 8, and 9. Feel free to utilize one (or more ) of the activities in the chapters in either your Morning Meeting or in some way throughout the school day. Blog about the experience (good or bad!). No bullying here!
