Just Kidding

     Have you ever been teased by someone to the point of feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed? Unfortunately this kind of scenario occurs all too often. In the beginning the teaser may just having a little fun. Then when other kids begin to laugh at the jokes, the teaser starts to thrive off of the attention. Before long, the teasing turns into taunting, which is a form of bullying. All too often the victim of the teasing blames himself  for the bullying. To make matters worse, when these kids try to tell an adult about what is happening to them, they are called a tattle tale. This gives the victim a feeling of helplessness which often turns into tragedy.
    The book, Just Kidding, by Trudy Ludwig gives the reader an insight to the damaging effects of bullying on a child's sense of self worth. D.J. is a young boy who moves to a new school. He becomes friends with Vince, who in the beginning, seems like a nice and funny guy. Soon Vince begins teasing D.J. and the teasing eventually becomes taunting. This book, even though it is fiction and does not depict any real person or place, is a valuable tool for helping parents and teachers recognize bullying and how to deal with the situations that may arise.

     I plan to share this book with my students to show them the damaging effects of teasing and bullying. To give the students something to do with this information, I would have them create an imaginery newspaper. The students could write articles that deal with different scenarios in the book. They could also write about instances of teasing or bullying they have witnessed, without giving actual names. This would be a great exercise to further educate my students on how to behave appropriately. Check this book out. I know you and your kids will benefit from the information contained inside.