'Erasing Meanness'
- Jessica McMahon
- Mar 16, 2016
- 2 min read
One teacher, concerned about a developing problem in his elemetary school class, developed an exercise to help open his students' eyes.
Eric Johnson arrived back to his classroom after spring break with a lesson plan in tow aimed at addressing what he viewed as "direct teasing." Realizing this was more than just teasing and 'regular' student school drama, the problem was escalating to the point where guidance councelors were being called in, parents were calling in concerend, and students were visibly isolating themeselves from thier peers.
To summarize Johnson's lesson plan, following showing a short film around the subject matter of bullying he erased his white board and filled it with one word:
mean.
The class watched videos and had discussion around what it means to be a bully and what it means to be victimized. The following morning when Johnson's students came into the classroom, he had filled the board with words of meanness.
And next, erasing only some of the mean words, he filled the board with a phrase:
The final step, and perhaps the most powerful, was when Johnson erased the remaining mean words from the white board leaving only the statement, "How do you want to be remembered?" He posed the question to his students and passed a dry erase marker to each. They took their time and then proceeded to go to the board and fill it with kind, positive, caring words.
To read the full lesson plan, click on Johnson's blog here. The moral of the story is, no one really wants to be remembered as the boy or girl who caused problems, picked on others, or made someone elses life miserable. Johnson's technique was perfect. He recognized the problem at hand, and he addressed it in a subtle yet visual and effective way. His students will likley never forget what he taught them: a lesson in kindness.
One Step Further:
Johnson's lesson plan took off like wildfire. Not only did his colleagues partake in his lesson, but his blog soon hit 100,000 reads, and he knew it was meant for something greater. In 2014 he launched www.erasemeanness.org where they work hard to eliminate meanness from the lives of children. I would encourage students, parents, and teachers alike to take a peek at this website (and Johnson's blog) to gain a little motivation and inspiration. Take the pledge along with 30,000 other students to erase meanness, replace it with kindess and make a difference.
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