No Name-Calling Week

I have my school celebrate No Name-Calling Week every year. I like that it occurs the same week as MLK day. It is easy to remind students about the power of words because Martin Luther King Jr. changed lives with his words. It was started by GLSEN ( no-name-calling-week ) which has lots of resources for educators. We use it to circle back and reinforce that repeated name-calling and teasing can become bullying. We also emphasize empathy and showing compassion for students who are being targeted. Of course in this digital age we mention how it can also occur using technology. This year I asked each teacher to send home information about the week to families to discuss at home and also to use it as a topic today for their morning meeting.