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[CCBC-Net] bullying
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From: Barthelmess, Thom <Thomas.Barthelmess>
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:19:17 -0500
I attempted to post this earlier in the discussion, but was thwarted by my e-mail account. With thanks to the friendly folks at the CCBC, I'm back on, and hope the discussion has not progressed beyond these thoughts:
In addition to having great meaning for the kids who are targets, a book that explores bullying from different points of view, with subtlety and insight, can impact the culture of a community, too, even if it doesn't directly affect any one bully's behavior. Emse Raji Codell's books SAHARA SPECIAL and VIVE LA PARIS come to mind. She is able to express the pain of bullying, for the target and for the bully, and expose the reasons kids act out and act back. The writing is remarkably authentic, and never heavy-handed. The kids she writes about grow in their understandings and empathies, on all sides, and I can't help but believe that the same would be true of the kids who read the stories.
While we're on the subject, Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, does some extraordinary work developing materials for teachers, parents and kids, designed to fight hate and promote tolerance. A few years ago they created a kit called I WILL BE YOUR FRIEND: SONGS AND ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG PEACEMAKERS made up of 26 songs, in print and on CD, and accompanying activities, for use with kids in various contexts. Included is a song called COURAGE by Bob Blue that looks at the price of fitting in. The song is particularly apropos of the recent thread about the passive bullying that comes from standing by. It's one of the most affecting things I've ever encountered. The whole kit, by the way, is free for the asking: http://www.tolerance.org/teach/resources/your_friend.jsp
Pardon the commercial.
T
thom barthelmess youth services manager austin public library 800 guadalupe, austin, tx 78701 512.974.7405 - vox 512.974.7587 - fax http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Tessa Michaelson Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 9:57 AM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu Subject: [CCBC-Net] Bullying in Books for Children and Teens
Schools and communities are looking for ways to address bullying and relational aggression among youth, while children, teens, and caring adults deal with the day-to-day fear and misery caused by such behavior.
Books for children and teens about bullying, teasing, and other aggressive behavior range from purposeful and pointed to highly literary in style, while the offerings span the spectrum from lighthearted to grave. During the second half of March, we'll look at the depiction of bullying (in many forms) in literature for youth, with an eye to how well individual books, and the body of youth literature as a whole, address this challenging reality of many children's lives.
What titles come to mind that deal with these issues? Are books on this topic helpful to children and teens?
An older book that comes to my mind is /Daring to Be Abigail/ by Rachel Vail (Orchard Books, 1996). At summer camp, eleven-year-old Abigail tries to re-invent herself and eventually performs a cruel prank on a fellow camper as a way of fitting in with her bunkmates. To me, this book authentically captures a young girl's struggle with self-acceptance and peer approval. While the prank Abigail pulls is troubling, I feel that this climactic episode portrays the particular kinds of teasing and aggression experienced in female friendships.
Just as powerful, but with a more light-hearted and humorous take, is Jerry Spinelli's /Loser /(Joanna Cotler Books, 2002). Readers follow Donald Zinkoff through school from first grade through sixth grade and observe how his individuality is initially appreciated, but later rejected, by his peers. After sharing this book as a read-aloud in a third and fourth grade classroom, my students had an interesting discussion on the title of the book--did the name apply to Zinkoff or to his classmates?
Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:19:17 -0500
I attempted to post this earlier in the discussion, but was thwarted by my e-mail account. With thanks to the friendly folks at the CCBC, I'm back on, and hope the discussion has not progressed beyond these thoughts:
In addition to having great meaning for the kids who are targets, a book that explores bullying from different points of view, with subtlety and insight, can impact the culture of a community, too, even if it doesn't directly affect any one bully's behavior. Emse Raji Codell's books SAHARA SPECIAL and VIVE LA PARIS come to mind. She is able to express the pain of bullying, for the target and for the bully, and expose the reasons kids act out and act back. The writing is remarkably authentic, and never heavy-handed. The kids she writes about grow in their understandings and empathies, on all sides, and I can't help but believe that the same would be true of the kids who read the stories.
While we're on the subject, Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, does some extraordinary work developing materials for teachers, parents and kids, designed to fight hate and promote tolerance. A few years ago they created a kit called I WILL BE YOUR FRIEND: SONGS AND ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG PEACEMAKERS made up of 26 songs, in print and on CD, and accompanying activities, for use with kids in various contexts. Included is a song called COURAGE by Bob Blue that looks at the price of fitting in. The song is particularly apropos of the recent thread about the passive bullying that comes from standing by. It's one of the most affecting things I've ever encountered. The whole kit, by the way, is free for the asking: http://www.tolerance.org/teach/resources/your_friend.jsp
Pardon the commercial.
T
thom barthelmess youth services manager austin public library 800 guadalupe, austin, tx 78701 512.974.7405 - vox 512.974.7587 - fax http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Tessa Michaelson Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 9:57 AM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu Subject: [CCBC-Net] Bullying in Books for Children and Teens
Schools and communities are looking for ways to address bullying and relational aggression among youth, while children, teens, and caring adults deal with the day-to-day fear and misery caused by such behavior.
Books for children and teens about bullying, teasing, and other aggressive behavior range from purposeful and pointed to highly literary in style, while the offerings span the spectrum from lighthearted to grave. During the second half of March, we'll look at the depiction of bullying (in many forms) in literature for youth, with an eye to how well individual books, and the body of youth literature as a whole, address this challenging reality of many children's lives.
What titles come to mind that deal with these issues? Are books on this topic helpful to children and teens?
An older book that comes to my mind is /Daring to Be Abigail/ by Rachel Vail (Orchard Books, 1996). At summer camp, eleven-year-old Abigail tries to re-invent herself and eventually performs a cruel prank on a fellow camper as a way of fitting in with her bunkmates. To me, this book authentically captures a young girl's struggle with self-acceptance and peer approval. While the prank Abigail pulls is troubling, I feel that this climactic episode portrays the particular kinds of teasing and aggression experienced in female friendships.
Just as powerful, but with a more light-hearted and humorous take, is Jerry Spinelli's /Loser /(Joanna Cotler Books, 2002). Readers follow Donald Zinkoff through school from first grade through sixth grade and observe how his individuality is initially appreciated, but later rejected, by his peers. After sharing this book as a read-aloud in a third and fourth grade classroom, my students had an interesting discussion on the title of the book--did the name apply to Zinkoff or to his classmates?
-- Tessa Michaelson, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education University of Wisconsin-Madison 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 Phone: 608-890-1332 FAX: 608-262-4933 tmichaelson at education.wisc.edu http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-netReceived on Tue 25 Mar 2008 04:19:17 PM CDT
