Colorado Conservatory of Dance
Step 1: Learning the Story Synopsis of the Ballet My Secret Bully
Students learn the basic story of My Secret Bully to prepare for what they will see in the theater or on film. My Secret Bully is a book written by Trudy Ludwig. With Trudy Ludwig’s permission and guidance, CCD has also used the sequel to this book, Confessions of a Former Bully, to present a full lesson on anti-bullying strategies. Here is the synopsis of CCD’s story: Katie and Monica have known each other since kindergarten. They have spent a lot of time together because they like doing the same kinds of things. Monica likes being around Katie…when she’s nice to her. But there are times when she can be just plain mean. It all started a few months ago, during school recess, when Monica noticed Katie whispering to a group of girls while looking at her. When Monica went up to them to ask what they were talking about, some of the other girls giggled like it really was something, which made Monica feel bad. Later, when Monica was playing with Sarah, Katie grabbed Sarah and pulled her away. “If you play with her,” Katie whispered in Monica’s ear, “I won’t come over to your house tomorrow.” Confused and conflicted, Monica continued to play with Sarah thinking Monica was just having a bad day. Everything seemed to get worse, though. It got to the point where no one would play with Monica at recess. She wondered if there was something wrong with her. She felt like no one liked her, and she wondered if they all made fun of her behind her back. Finally, she confided in her mom and told her how hard it is to be friends with Katie. Monica’s mom used role-playing to help Monica know what to say. Mom acted like she was Katie, and Monica got to practice out loud what she wanted to say, without sounding like a bully herself. The next day, Monica was ready. The moment Katie saw her, she began whispering to her circle of friends. Monica stared at her straight in the eyes and said, “Katie, does it make you feel good to make me feel bad? Because friends don’t do that to friends.” Monica knew that Katie could no longer hurt her. The next day Katie was sent to the Principal’s office. Also invited were Katie’s parents who were very disappointed to know that Katie had been bullying Monica. The Principal declared that Katie had chosen to wear the “bullying hat.” He asked her to think about how her behavior made Monica feel. The Principal said there would be consequences for choosing to wear the “bullying hat,” and Katie would need to begin thinking about what she did wrong and to write down ways to handle herself differently. In addition, Katie was required to meet with the school counselor once per week to learn more about “bullying behaviors” and how to be a better friend. Finally, Katie was required to reflect on how she might make up for the hurt she had caused when bullying other kids. The school counselor taught Katie a lot and had her keep a journal about everything she was learning. The first thing she learned was what bullying behavior looked like: Bullying can be physical - when someone hurts your body on purpose; Bullying can be verbal - name calling; taunting; threatening to cause harm; l Bullying can be social - laughing at someone, ignoring them, making faces, or excluding someone from a game, outting, or the lunch table; l Bullying can be controlling - telling friends what they can and can’t do; and, l Bullying can be cyber - using the internet, cell phones, cameras, and text messaging to hurt others. l l
Bullying happens whenever someone hurts your body, your feelings, your reputation, or your friendships ON PURPOSE. Next, the school counselor taught Katie about her “Totally Awesome Empower Tools!” These were tools that a Target could use when someone says something mean on purpose. Here are some examples: l l l l l
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“Stop!” “Why? Why? Why?” Walk Away “So,” “Whatever,” “Who cares?” Agree
