Nineteen Minutes
A few weeks ago I was introduced to a new resource being developed to help middle level educators deal with bullying issues. Australian filmmaker Christopher Faull has worked with groups of 8th graders from Illinois and Nebraska to produce two 23 minutes films that highlight the students’ experiences of bullying. The storylines and dialogue are that of the students and it is so realistic that I felt at times I was reviewing a surveillance tape instead of watching a scripted drama unfold in front of me.
While the project is still in the production stage, shortened previews of the films are available to view at www.storiesofus.com and on-line previews of the films will be available at the site during the week of April 7 – 13 (www.storiesofus.com/launch).
I share this not only because it’s an exciting new resource for middle level educators but because this past week I finished reading a novel that again drove home the important role leaders must play in stopping the bullying that occurs in our schools. If you have not read the novel Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, I urge you to do so. It’s now available in paperback and tells the story of a school shooting. While it is a piece of fiction, it is well-researched and tells a realistic story of the bullying, harassment, and peer pressure that can be occurring in the lives of today’s students. It is sobering, horrifying, thought-provoking and should be read by school leaders at all levels.
Fortunately, few leaders will face an incident of the magnitude described in the book, yet bullying continues to happen and can lead to acts of school violence. Bill Bond, NASSP’s specialist on school safety, is one of the few who have lived through this type of event. Bill was principal at Heath High School in Paducah, KY when a freshman student shot eight fellow students; three girls died and two others suffered paralyzing injuries. As he puts it, “it’s not a club you want to join.” As leaders, we must do all we can do to provide a safe, harrasment-free environment for our students.
An additional resource for middle level educators opened up this week from the state of California – and it also includes a section on school safety and bullying prevention. Over the past year, the California Department of Education has been developing a web portal that includes thousands of articles, resources, video-clips of middle school classrooms in action, and more. Check it out at http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/TCSII/ -- and while designed specifically around the California standards for middle level, it offers a collection of information valuable to middle level leaders from all states.
