During the week of January 26-30, 2009, thousands of elementary and middle schools across the United States will participate in the sixth annual No Name-Calling Week. The goal is to raise awareness about why name-calling and bullying are bad.
No Name-Calling Week was inspired by a novel called The Misfits by James Howe. It’s the story of four best friends trying to survive the 7th Grade despite being taunted and called names because of their weight, height, intelligence, etc. Motivated to make a change, the friends create a new political party during student council elections and run a platform aimed at wiping out name-calling of all kinds. Though they lose the election in the end, they win the support of the school principal, and No Name-Calling Day is started at their school.
No sticks, no stones, no dissing
Words hurt. More than that, they have the power to make kids feel unsafe to the point where they are no longer able to perform in school or conduct normal lives.
Before you call someone else a name, stop and think – think about how it hurts them and how it hurts you.
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