In addition to celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this week, it’s also a time to observe No Name-Calling Week, “one of the largest bullying-prevention initiatives in the country.”
The event is organized by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), in partnership with a whole host of LGBT, educational, youth, and social justice organizations. They have a great series of resources for observing the week with students of different ages — but even if it’s too late to bring these into your kids’ school for this week, most of them make great anti-bullying resources at any time.
Additionally, educational film company Groundspark is offering free streaming of its anti-bullying and anti-name-calling films Let’s Get Real and Straightlaced — How Gender’s Got Us All Tied Up.
- Let’s Get Real is aimed at students in grades five through nine, it is notable for not preaching at kids, but rather letting them speak in their own voices about  race, sexual orientation  (real and perceived), learning disabilities, religious differences, sexual harassment, and more. They talk about how they have stood up to bullies—and in some cases, what has caused them to bully themselves. There’s also a curriculum guide to assist teachers and others in discussions of the film.
- Straightlaced is for students in grades 8-12, and tackles the pressure to conform to gender norms, for both LGBTQ and straight, cisgender youth. I had the pleasure of interviewing Groundspark’s founder, Academy Award-winner (and lesbian mom) Debra Chasnoff, about the film when it first came out.
- Additionally, check out the clips from Groundspark’s It’s STILL Elementary, which shows parents and educators how others have addressed LGBT topics in the classroom (my interview with Chasnoff about the film’s 10th anniversary is here); That’s a Family, about family diversity; and Choosing Children, the 1984 film about lesbians creating families.
Schools are also encouraged to have students create school-wide artistic displays that fit the theme of “Celebrate Kindness,” and to submit photos or videos of them to GLSEN’s Creative Expression contest. The winning school will receive a No Name-Calling Week Prize pack sponsored by Simon and Schuster, Cartoon Network, and Barnes and Noble. The deadline isn’t until February 28, so the displays have time to be shown in the schools.
Regardless of what our kids’ schools are doing, though, let’s make sure we each celebrate kindness with our own children this week — and every week.
