Today I'll start teaching our final lesson of the year in first grade. We are talking about something that seems to be fairly common problem- teasing! We'll read a book called Mookey the Monkey Gets Over Being Teased, and then we'll role play the 7 strategies mentioned in the book. Mookey's ideas are:
1. Laugh or tell a joke. Do NOT make fun of the teaser or say something disrespectful! Just pretend like the teaser is joking with you in a friendly way.
2. Think of things you are good at. Be proud!
3. Take a slow breath, ignore them, and get busy doing something else, like talking to someone, playing, or doing your work.
4. Walk away.
5. Stay around friendly people, and be a good friend to them.
6. Smile and say in a friendly way, “Thanks for noticing!” or “Thanks for your opinion!”
7. Remember– teasing is not about you! The teaser is the one with the problem, not you.
One idea from the book that I will stress to the kids is that we might not be able to change the teaser's actions, and we might not be able to change whatever it is about ourselves that they're making fun of, but we CAN change how we feel about and how we respond to the teasing. I think this can be really empowering to students- instead of focusing lots of energy on something that may be impossible like stopping the teasing completely, we can put our energy into feeling good and having fun even if the teasing continues! (Of course, more serious bullying is a different story and should always be brought to the attention of an adult so it can be properly dealt with. For this lesson we are focusing on just everyday typical teasing.)
Look for your first grader to bring home a half-page handout titled "Mookey the Monkey's Tips for Teasing." I will see Durrett and Dockery's classes today. Next week I will see L. Foster, Payne, Thomas, Galloway, Sevedge, Simpson, and Lee. All other first grade classes will take place the week of May 2. If you have any questions, please let me know!
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