It doesn’t matter if you are a child now or if you just remember being a child, you already realize that it is not the easiest life to live. That is especially true if there is any type of bullying involved. It happens in the schoolyard and sometimes, it happens in the workplace but for the youngsters, there are sometimes parents, teachers and other people who are looking out for them.
One teacher, in particular, had something interesting up her sleeve and she was going to teach a lesson that would not be forgotten. It happened in her fifth-grade class and she was passing out index cards. Nobody thought anything of it, but she had something in mind that was inspirational.
The teacher’s name is Kathy Pitt and since 1999, she has been practicing a very effective anti-bullying method. It all starts with passing out the index cards and at that point, she tells her students to write the names of students they would like to sit with. They also were asked to nominate somebody who has been a good friend. The entire thing is done by secret ballot.
Kathy isn’t looking for names that are written down, she is looking for the names that are skipped. The kids that are not included in the list are at a higher risk for bullying.
The teacher had the following to say about her method:
“When I came up with the idea of simply distributing the cards, it really was to find out which children were belonging and which children were not.”
Glennon Doyle Melton, a mother of three and a writer was the first to discover that teacher’s methods. When she learned what was going on in the classroom, she wanted to spread the word. She had come in to see if Kathy would help her with her son’s math homework. At the time, she didn’t understand how to do the homework and that is why she was in the classroom. In the end, it was something that really worked out in multiple ways.
The method that has been used by Kathy for almost 2 decades is now a tried-and-true way of discovering which kids might be lonely. It can also help to stop bullying before it starts. Her method is also gaining popularity.
Glennon did not remain silent about what she learned in the classroom that day. She shared the methods on her blog and moms are absolutely loving the idea. Her blog has been shared more than 4 million times.
“This story isn’t just about teachers and kids. This story is about the beauty that happens when we go through our day and we notice people who might not get noticed.”
Teachers everywhere are starting to use this method. It has always been the goal of Kathy to help her students to care about each other.
You can watch this video to see more about her methods:
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