Pakanasink celebrated No Name Calling Week last week! They started out talking about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and all the work he did for civil rights in our country. They also discussed what Dr. King would thing of No Name Calling Week – he would be supportive they concluded.
No Name Calling Week is a project created to combat bullying and harassment in schools. It promotes kindness, empathy, and respect through educational activities, student-led initiatives, and school-wide events.
Library Media Specialist Aubrey Zamonsky did activities with all grade levels throughout the week. With the younger kids, she read the book “Alma.” It’s the story of a little girl with a big long name – Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela. She was embarrassed of her names until she learned the meanings of them. She was named after many of the important people in her life and it wasn’t until she learned about them that she appreciated her very long name and was no longer embarrassed of it.
They discussed how words can hurt people and once you say them, you can apologize but you can’t take that hurt back. They should think before they say things. Ms. Zamonsky used a tube of toothpaste to show the students how once something is said, it’s impossible to take back. There is no getting the toothpaste back into the tube.
The students then created shields of kindness, drawing pictures of kids doing kind things, like hugging someone, helping someone, inviting someone to play with them, and giving compliments.
The older students in grades 3-5 read a similar book called “The Name Jar.” It’s the story of a young Korean girl named Unhei who moves to the United States and feels anxious because her new classmates cannot pronounce her name. She considers picking an American name from a glass jar filled by classmates but ultimately learns to embrace her own name and its meaning.
Students from all grades learned about being kind to each other, making everyone feel safe and able to be themselves. Great lessons for all involved!