A charitable & foundational partnerships to ensure that portions of proceeds and/or profits are channeled to organizations dedicated to building better lives for underprivileged kids.
It’s the final week of Anti-bullying month, yet, with regret, we know that it’s not the end of bullying. What can we do to help our children live a better life where we promote kindness and battle bad behavior?
Fortunately, we have an excellent resource by our resident expert on character, Dr. Philip Brown, “5 Ways to Battle Bullying” which was featured in the Washington Family Journal E-news website. In this article, below, Dr. Brown lists the specific ways a child is known to bully and the difference between conflict and bullying. After each point, Dr. Brown follows with suggestions of how we can model, enforce, correct, and prevents such behavior.
This article is a must read! Please join me in this battle to make a change for our children and bring back kindness and goodness to not only their lives, but to our society as a whole. The time is now. Will you join me in this important mission?
October is National Anti-Bullying Prevention Month – a month dedicated to building hope and giving our children the strategies needed to eradicate this concerning epidemic.
I created Wear the Cape and the kidkind foundation back in 2012, as a concerned mom of 4 kids and after hearing of several horrific bullying incidents in the news. I dreamed of a kinder, better world for my kids, and decided that I was going to take the first steps in making that world a reality not only for my children, but for all children. We are all about promoting to kids how incredibly cool it is to be kind! We all have the ability to be heroic – as if we are wearing a cape on our backs each day – just by simply being nice and sticking up for the kids who can’t help themselves. That’s how we roll!
Here are the disturbing facts:
One in four children are currently being bullied.
Every seven seconds a child is bullied on a school playground.
160,000 children do not attend school each day for fear of being bullied.
No doubt, these statistics are tough to comprehend. Thankfully, there is hope: According to the ASPCC findings, “When bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds at least 57% of the time.”
Where do we go from there? We at Wear the Cape are here to help guide you. Our teacher team has created lesson plans for you to use in your classrooms, at home, at church, and/or with your Girl and Boy scout troops. They are complete plans, which include Bloom’s Taxonomy practices, that can be cut and pasted directly into your weekly lesson plans. They are adjustable to meet your needs – do all in one day, over the course of the week, or month. This week’s lesson, geared toward grades K-3 is included: http://www.wearthecapekids.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CapeLesson.pdf and be sure to check out the supporting materials on the site that you can cut out and use in the classroom.
We are also thrilled to announce that our team has created a school assembly that we will be offering to schools in early January, 2016. Our multi-media assembly includes interactive features; an amazing multi-media video that features our Cape Kids in action; and follow-up activities for both teachers and parents. Our final edits are under construction. Your school will not want to miss this presentation! We promise it will not disappoint. *
We need to teach our children and each other the strategies needed to step in, to Wear your Cape, and be “Better Than That.” Together we can do this. Together we can end bullying!
Thanks for helping us spread the word!
* For further information from Wear the Cape and kidkind foundation or to book an assembly, please email us at www.wearthecapekids.com
A teacher and ambassador for Wear the Cape, Christina M. attended the New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development (NJASECD) convention at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey on March 19, 2014. Powerful ideas were exchanged at the conference, and we’re glad to be able to share highlights! From Christina:
Hope was the feeling that filled the day at the New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development (NJASECD) convention last week. Hope for a better world for our children. Hope for their future. Hope for change.
Along with this hope, the NJASECD provided the many educators, administrators, and parents in attendance with the tools needed to launch a heroic journey toward these goals. The crux of the NJASECD’s approach is the collaboration of school and home climates to both improve and promote positive character education.
I had the pleasure of hearing Rutgers Professor of Psychology Dr. Maurice Elias address several ideas on how to begin creating a “School of Character” in any district. His recommendations included the following:
Don’t be afraid to be direct with your children and with their school. If you feel they are doing a great job, tell them. If not, tell them.
Determine the climate and culture of your child’s school. What is the common language? What are their policies?
Work together, grow together. Schools and homes need to integrate a common, shared language, which includes their core values.
Make kids feel like they matter. Treat each child as if he or she is your own grandchild.
Encourage buddying throughout all ages. Team up students with those older and younger.
Turn learners’ “on switch” on. Create a mindset for success.
Nurture “rainbows in students’ clouds.” Adapted from Maya Angelou, this phrase reminds us to allow children to overcome their problems in order to succeed.
Encourage what kids can do. “All children must nurture their amazing sense of potential,” explained Dr. Elias. We need to push students to believe in their potential, not focus on their failures.
The feedback I heard from many teachers, administrators, and parents was, “YES! We want to work together to create a synchronized home and school climate for our children.” Dr. Elias’ suggestions did not seem overwhelming, intimidating, or unattainable. We all agreed when he stated:
“Our greatest reward is the smiling faces of our students, not test scores.”
Beyond this inspiring session, the highlight of my day was hearing a testimonial from a young man named Alan. Alan is a recent graduate of the POSSibilities Program (Providing Opportunities for Student Success) at North Brunswick High School. Alan is living with a rare blood disorder, as well as specific learning disabilities. In 2013, he was featured on ABC’s news special Above and Beyond due to his profound success in the program. He credits his success to the teachers, family, and program, which includes an Autism Awareness campaign and work assistance program. Alan shared that, before the help of his teachers and friends in the program, “I was stuck inside myself and didn’t know how to bring out the inner me.” His message was simple, yet so profound: We can help others bring out their inner selves.
Alan is right…and following the eight tips above may help us do just that.
It’s the final week of Anti-bullying month, yet, with regret, we know that it’s not the end of bullying. What can we do to help our children live a better life where we promote kindness and battle bad behavior?
