Katie Plunkett

You can’t poster your way out of bullying.

Lately, I’ve been seeing anti-bullying efforts and messaging all over #teachergram . And don’t get me wrong, I think the intentions are good.

But IMO, we’re putting too much emphasis on telling kids not to bully and not nearly enough on teaching them how to be kind.

Because kindness is a skill. So is empathy. So is standing up for someone, navigating conflict, taking accountability, and repairing harm. Like any skill, these things need to be modeled, taught, and practiced consistently.

A poster can remind kids to be kind. But it can’t show them what to say when their friends are making fun of someone, how to take responsibility when they’ve hurt someone, or what to do when they witness bullying.

That’s where we come in. Parents, educators, and every adult who plays a role in kids’ lives.

So rather than abandoning anti-bullying week, let’s make it the beginning of something bigger. Here are five ways we can start.

And to go even deeper comment KINDNESS. I’ll send you the link to LearnKind (a completely FREE K-8 kindness curriculum powered by scientific inquiry and social emotional learning) AND the link to FREE parent and educator playbooks from The Choose Kindness Project.

I use these resources in my own home and classroom. They’re game changing and SO much more effective than a few posters and an assembly.