When the kids came into class after school today, they were happy to see each other. Ms. Gilmour greeted each and asked them how they enjoyed their holiday vacation.
Tanner was first to speak. “I had a great time with visiting family. We did a lot of fun things together.”
Carmen added, “I had so many relatives around, I couldn’t remember who was who.” All the kids laughed at that.
Rudy shared, “I had to share my holiday with my dad and his new family, and my mom’s. It was weird.”
Nicole added, “We went away for a holiday trip to where it was warm. It was a lot of fun.”
Stephen then added, “My family did some things in the community to help those in need. At first I didn’t want to do that, but after I did, it made me feel good, and I knew it was the cool, kind thing to do.” The kids cheered for Stephen.
Everyone looked at Truman the Dragon to see what he was going to share. He stood up to his full height, breathed fire out of his nostrils and said, “We had a family reunion. Dragon relatives came from all over the country. We had big dragons, small dragons, baby dragons and grandma and grandpa dragons. It was way too many dragons for me. We had fun, but I was glad when they all went home.” The kids started asking Truman questions about his dragon family.
Ms. Gilmour stopped them and said they could talk to Truman about his “Dragon Reunion” after class. She then asked the question, “We’ve been talking quite a lot lately about bullying and how to prevent it. Since this is a new year, what are some ways you can think of to stop bullying before it starts?”
Nicole was first to answer. “Encourage kids to be both kind and cool.”
Tanner jumped in with, “Talk to kids about The Golden Rule — ‘Treat others the way you want to be treated.’”
Rudy added, “And show kids the difference between the real Golden Rule, and the one too many people are living by, ‘Treat others the way they treat you.’”
Ms. Gilmour responded, “Those are all great ideas.”
Carmen was waving her hand. “I think we should try to be on our best behavior all the time, wherever we go.”
Rudy added, “We should look our best at all times, too. That will help us be more confident.” Everyone agreed that was a good one.
Truman spoke up next. “We have talked a lot about the ‘Cool Kind Kid Challenge.’ That will help kids learn that it’s ‘cool to be kind’ and that we need to be ‘tough enough to be kind, too.’”
Ms. Gilmour looked around the class and said, “You have all remembered what we have been learning here. Now, I have a challenge for you. Are you cool enough to share these tips with your friends?”
Every hand went up as the kids yelled, “Yes!”
Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour:
Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the US. In addition to these Cool Kind Kid articles, we endeavor to provide up-to-date research, articles, and other news on this topic on our Facebook page. For your kids, we post Tanner’s Tuesday Tips on Tuesdays, and Cool Kind Kid Challenger Tips on Thursdays.
Our newest feature is Tips from Oliver on Fridays. We also post Shocking Sunday Stats to keep this issue in the forefront of people’s minds. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and hear about how you have successfully dealt with bullying. Go to http://www.facebook.com/coolkindkid. To send photos and stories, and give your permission to post, go to info@coolkindkid.com.
