Last week, I met with all of the 7th graders to talk about conflict resolution. Having been in middle school for at least 5 weeks now, I knew they would have some stories to share. Some examples they gave me were being teased, spreading rumors, dating a friend, and having problems with teachers. I then went on to explain that there are THREE WAYS that we can handle conflict:
- Being Passive: Not really "sticking up" for yourself; being a doormat and allowing others to walk all over you.
- Being Aggressive: Becoming the bully; calling other names and responding with physical violence.
- Being Assertive: Sticking up for yourself while remaining respectful.
I allowed the students to role-play these different responses. They had the most fun being passive and aggressive--but they had the most difficult time being assertive. They automatically associated assertiveness with "punking out" or "snitching." I had to explain that being assertiveness does not always mean reporting to a teacher; it means doing in your heart what you know is right.
I'm not expecting miracles overnight. In all honesty, it took me 20 years to finally become assertive; I was always the passive type who couldn't say no--even when I knew it would get me in trouble! However, the more we, as adults, model this assertive behavior, the more our children/students will follow suit.
For more information on assertiveness training, please see the link below:
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=287&id=2411
No comments:
Post a Comment