Published: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009 / Updated: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009 01:40 PM
Staff, students all on the same page
INDIAN LAND --
Teachers, students and staff at Indian Land Middle School had more in common during the first months of school than usual.
All of them, from the office staff to the guidance counselors to the students, spent September reading the same book. “The Bully,” by Paul Langan, was selected by a committee to be the school-wide book of choice.
“The Bully” tells the tale of Darrell, who is bullied at school and has to decide how to handle the situation. The subject matter is perfect for middle school students, according to media center specialist Sherri Alston.
“During middle school, this is when kids start noticing differences in clothing or the fact that kids may not be part of traditional family, and this is where the picking and prodding and all of that starts, so we decided what better way to show students the impact of bullying than to read this,” Alston said.
Staff members tied the book into Warrior Time, a twice monthly, hour-long program for all middle school students. During Warrior Time, students gather in small groups led by faculty and staff members to learn about important skills, including time management, conflict resolution and bullying. Although students finished reading the book last week, activities about bullying that refer back to the book will continue to be part of Warrior Time throughout the school year, Alston said.
This is the second year the school has run the program. Last year, the students, faculty and staff read “On My Honor,” by Marion Dane Bauer.
“It gives faculty members and students a point of commonality, and we are able to have conversations with students who might not usually speak to us about things,” Alston said. “It spurs many conversations.”
An added bonus, Alston added, is that the book has encouraged students to read more. Other books by Paul Langan are flying off the shelves in the media center, she said.
“It's nice to see kids excited about reading,” Alston said. “A lot of times with the television, the Internet, Playstation and Wii's, stimulation from those take the focus off books.”
The books were purchased thanks to a Partners for Youth Alston received from the Lancaster County School District. Each student was allowed to keep their book, Alston said.
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