School Bells – Current Affairs – Grade 1 – Week 10
This is the tenth week that I will be meeting with the first grade class which is the class of my adopted niece Sam. I learn a lot from these first graders. I do not remember talking about these sorts of issues at school or at home when I was in the age of these students. As I may have formerly mentioned I do recall that I was well aware of such issues as racism and bullying but I am not sure why or how I became aware of them. Perhaps because I was always short, shy and not did not grow up with the other kids in my class I became an easy target to be bullied. So far I am not aware of any of the students in this class bullying each other but I am sure they have seen or experienced it. Even though they are only in the first grade without using the word bully they have talked about the way the presidential candidates here in the United States are treating each other. I am eager to hear their thoughts and perhaps feeling about bulling. There also had a week to discuss this issue with their families.
I hear them coming now.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim.
Sam: Do we have cookies?
Me: No. As I recall we had cookies last time.
There is a collective sigh.
Me: Okay! I will bring them next week.
Class: Yea!
Me: The assignment was to talk about bullying and making fun of each other. Why do children and adults do this to each other?
Sam: Uncle Jim did you look up the word in the big dictionary?
Me: Very good Sam. You thought you would ask me before I could ask you! Everyone here know that Sam’s is my niece and she and her brother live next door to me. Frequently I suggest we look up words in the big dictionary. Of course, I also know that we can look them up on the internet.
Sam: Well, did you Uncle Jim?
Me: Actually I did and was very surprised by what I found. I looked up the word bully in the Oxford dictionary. I found that until several hundred years ago the Dutch word boele was a loving term often used between friends. Then it was a term used mainly between male friends. It seems as if it was very similar to the terms buddy, bro or bud. Later it came to mean a person who used some power to force someone to do something or to make fun of someone. Who wants to draw on the board someone bullying someone?
Tara: I will!
Steve: Can I help?
Me: Thanks Tara and Steve.
Tara draws two stick character of someone hitting someone else. Steve draws a big pumpkin pushing another pumpkin down the hill.
Me: Wonderful. Good job!
I clap and the students join in.
Me: Steve why is the big pumpkin pushing the little one down the hill?
Steve: Because he can.
Tommy: Because he wants to show how big and strong he is.
Me: Tara, who is the one person beating up the other one?
Tara: The big person feels bad because they are poor and is afraid the other kids will make fun of her. So she wants to make them afraid.
Sue: The little kid called her names and she got really mad.
Me: Why did she get mad Sue?
Sue: Because she was afraid that all the kids felt the same and she knew not to show weakness.
Me: Are you saying that showing weakness is scary Sue.
Sue: Yes, I used to be afraid that people would think that I was weak because I am in a wheelchair. I tried to make everyone think I was mean.
Ahmes: Is this the same for countries. Lots of people in my country are mad because they have no power to protect their families.
Me: Very good Ahmes. People in a country can bully each other or other countries.
Sophia: It is for the same reasons?
Me: What to do you think?
Sophia: I think people are afraid that the big people will use up all food and houses or kill them.
Sam: What is wrong with sharing?
Susie: Yes, Mr. Jim, what is wrong with sharing?
Me: Are we talking about sharing food, clothing and houses or power?
Steve: Maybe all of these?
Me: Then why not share?
Tara: In my drawing if the big person knew no one would make fun of her and would share with her she would also share, but she has to show she is tough and does not care.
Me: Wow. That is very smart of you Tara. So you are saying that we all have to feel safe?
Tara: Safe and maybe that someone cares.
Sam: If someone cares then you feel important.
Me: It sounds as if we should be helping each other feel good about ourselves rather than bullying or making fun of.
Steve: Then no one would need to bully would then Mr. Jim.
Me: Wow! Did everyone hear what Steve just said?
Steve: If everyone felt good about themselves and knew they could have a home and food and stuff then no one would need to bully.
Me: So even though the bully acts as if they are better or more powerful they just want to feel important.
Ahmes: What about the terrorists Mr. Jim?
Me: What about them? Who are they trying to please or to impress?
Ahmes: Allah
Me: Yes. They may believe that if they can make God or Allah happy then Allah will know that they are a good person.
Tara: Should we be nice to the bully?
Me: Yes but the bully may think we are saying it to try to gain power over them.
Tommy: This gets very confusing. Even if we are nice the bully may still be the bully.
Me: That is true Tommy. I am not suggesting that we stand there and let the bully beat us up. I am suggesting that we realize the bully is often even more frightened than we are.
Tara: How should we respond to the bully? I heard on the news that someone bit the nose off another man.
Me: I heard that too. I sure do not want my nose bit off.
Class: Yuk!
Several of the children act as if they are spitting out something!
Me: Okay. I agree. That is not nice at all. We are running out of time. How about for next week we talk with our families about how to respond to the bully. Here are the slips with the assignment which you can give to your family member.
Steve and Susie would you pass them out please.
They pass them out.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Me: Have a good week. You did a great job.
Class: Bye Mr. Jim.
Written October 18, 2016
This is the tenth week that I will be meeting with the first grade class which is the class of my adopted niece Sam. I learn a lot from these first graders. I do not remember talking about these sorts of issues at school or at home when I was in the age of these students. As I may have formerly mentioned I do recall that I was well aware of such issues as racism and bullying but I am not sure why or how I became aware of them. Perhaps because I was always short, shy and not did not grow up with the other kids in my class I became an easy target to be bullied. So far I am not aware of any of the students in this class bullying each other but I am sure they have seen or experienced it. Even though they are only in the first grade without using the word bully they have talked about the way the presidential candidates here in the United States are treating each other. I am eager to hear their thoughts and perhaps feeling about bulling. There also had a week to discuss this issue with their families.
I hear them coming now.
Me: Good morning class.
Class: Good morning Mr. Jim.
Sam: Do we have cookies?
Me: No. As I recall we had cookies last time.
There is a collective sigh.
Me: Okay! I will bring them next week.
Class: Yea!
Me: The assignment was to talk about bullying and making fun of each other. Why do children and adults do this to each other?
Sam: Uncle Jim did you look up the word in the big dictionary?
Me: Very good Sam. You thought you would ask me before I could ask you! Everyone here know that Sam’s is my niece and she and her brother live next door to me. Frequently I suggest we look up words in the big dictionary. Of course, I also know that we can look them up on the internet.
Sam: Well, did you Uncle Jim?
Me: Actually I did and was very surprised by what I found. I looked up the word bully in the Oxford dictionary. I found that until several hundred years ago the Dutch word boele was a loving term often used between friends. Then it was a term used mainly between male friends. It seems as if it was very similar to the terms buddy, bro or bud. Later it came to mean a person who used some power to force someone to do something or to make fun of someone. Who wants to draw on the board someone bullying someone?
Tara: I will!
Steve: Can I help?
Me: Thanks Tara and Steve.
Tara draws two stick character of someone hitting someone else. Steve draws a big pumpkin pushing another pumpkin down the hill.
Me: Wonderful. Good job!
I clap and the students join in.
Me: Steve why is the big pumpkin pushing the little one down the hill?
Steve: Because he can.
Tommy: Because he wants to show how big and strong he is.
Me: Tara, who is the one person beating up the other one?
Tara: The big person feels bad because they are poor and is afraid the other kids will make fun of her. So she wants to make them afraid.
Sue: The little kid called her names and she got really mad.
Me: Why did she get mad Sue?
Sue: Because she was afraid that all the kids felt the same and she knew not to show weakness.
Me: Are you saying that showing weakness is scary Sue.
Sue: Yes, I used to be afraid that people would think that I was weak because I am in a wheelchair. I tried to make everyone think I was mean.
Ahmes: Is this the same for countries. Lots of people in my country are mad because they have no power to protect their families.
Me: Very good Ahmes. People in a country can bully each other or other countries.
Sophia: It is for the same reasons?
Me: What to do you think?
Sophia: I think people are afraid that the big people will use up all food and houses or kill them.
Sam: What is wrong with sharing?
Susie: Yes, Mr. Jim, what is wrong with sharing?
Me: Are we talking about sharing food, clothing and houses or power?
Steve: Maybe all of these?
Me: Then why not share?
Tara: In my drawing if the big person knew no one would make fun of her and would share with her she would also share, but she has to show she is tough and does not care.
Me: Wow. That is very smart of you Tara. So you are saying that we all have to feel safe?
Tara: Safe and maybe that someone cares.
Sam: If someone cares then you feel important.
Me: It sounds as if we should be helping each other feel good about ourselves rather than bullying or making fun of.
Steve: Then no one would need to bully would then Mr. Jim.
Me: Wow! Did everyone hear what Steve just said?
Steve: If everyone felt good about themselves and knew they could have a home and food and stuff then no one would need to bully.
Me: So even though the bully acts as if they are better or more powerful they just want to feel important.
Ahmes: What about the terrorists Mr. Jim?
Me: What about them? Who are they trying to please or to impress?
Ahmes: Allah
Me: Yes. They may believe that if they can make God or Allah happy then Allah will know that they are a good person.
Tara: Should we be nice to the bully?
Me: Yes but the bully may think we are saying it to try to gain power over them.
Tommy: This gets very confusing. Even if we are nice the bully may still be the bully.
Me: That is true Tommy. I am not suggesting that we stand there and let the bully beat us up. I am suggesting that we realize the bully is often even more frightened than we are.
Tara: How should we respond to the bully? I heard on the news that someone bit the nose off another man.
Me: I heard that too. I sure do not want my nose bit off.
Class: Yuk!
Several of the children act as if they are spitting out something!
Me: Okay. I agree. That is not nice at all. We are running out of time. How about for next week we talk with our families about how to respond to the bully. Here are the slips with the assignment which you can give to your family member.
Steve and Susie would you pass them out please.
They pass them out.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Me: Have a good week. You did a great job.
Class: Bye Mr. Jim.
Written October 18, 2016
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