The+RESPECTFUL+SCHOOL

This Study Guide is designed to enhance your understanding of [|The Respectful School: How Educators and Students Can Conquer Hate and Harassment], an ASCD book published in August 2003. The book, written by **Stephen L. Wessler** with contributing author **William Preble**, encourages its readers to have faith in the courage and leadership of our students and belief in the ability of educators to serve as powerful role models to stand up for students experiencing harassment and hate. The Study Guide will help you make connections between the text and school or school district where you work. You can use the Study Guide after you have read the entire book or as you finish each chapter. The study questions provided are not meant to cover all aspects of the book; rather, they are intended to address selected ideas we thought might warrant further reflection and to raise awareness about how your school or district handles hate and harassment issues. Many of the questions contained in this Study Guide are ones you can think about on your own. But you might also consider pairing with a colleague or forming a study group with others who have read (or are reading) //The Respectful School//. Introduction 1. What were the likely emotional and academic effects of the daily harassment experienced by the two brothers? 2. How does the mission statement of your school reflect the core values described in the Introduction? Should the mission statement of your school incorporate these core values, and how should it? 3. How do the data on harassment presented in the Introduction reflect what is happening in your school? 4. How much do teachers and administrators believe harassment by students extends in your school? Is it a realistic assessment? 5. If teachers and administrators in your school do not understand the extent of harassment, what steps could be taken to raise broader awareness? Chapter 1: From Words to Violence 1. Do you hear students routinely use degrading language and put-downs? Even if you do not hear this kind of language, do you think it likely that students use these words? Do you believe that students who use this language intend to disturb and harass; or are they using words without intending to be hurtful? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Consider reading the story about John to middle school and high school students. After you finish, ask the students to turn and look in silence at the second hand on the wall clock for 35–40 seconds, and to think about what went through John's mind as the noose tightened. Ask them what students, acting as leaders, could have done in January (when the verbal harassment had not yet escalated to physical violence) to stop the use of degrading language. Discuss with students which of their ideas would be most effective. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. Have you seen or heard of incidents in your school that escalated from degrading words to more serious misconduct and even violence? Outline and discuss how and why they happened. <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 2: The Dynamics of School Violence <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. In your school, are the students who use degrading language about girls the same students who use degrading language about how homosexuality, body size, intelligence and race? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Have you seen the "following the pack" phenomenon in your school? Do you see students engage in harassment or violence because of peer pressure? How have incidents developed? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. Does your state have a Hate Crime Law? How extensive is it, and how has it affected your school? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. Does your school work with a School Resource Officer (SRO) or other police officers on addressing harassment? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">5. What steps could you take to increase the involvement of your police department in responding to and preventing harassment? <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 3: The Emotional Impact of Bias, Prejudice, and Harassment <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. Do you know students (like the student quoted in Chapter 3) who cannot even imagine a school where there is no harassment? Do you know students whose school experience is dominated by fear of harassment and degradation, anger, and loss of hope? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Ask your students to talk about how harassment makes boys and girls who are targeted feel. Make a list on the board. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. Ask your students why boys and girls who are harassed might become angry and reluctant to tell anyone what has happened to them. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. Ask your students what they can do to stop harassment. <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 4: The Importance of Teacher Intervention <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. Do teachers and administrators in your school consistently speak up when students use degrading language and slurs? If not, why not? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Develop a list of steps your school can take to increase faculty intervention. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. Develop a lesson or activity to respond to the anti-Semitic comment described in the chapter. (Search the Web sites listed in the Appendix for ideas.) <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. Think of sexually degrading words that girls and young women use in your school. What are some of the reasons why girls and young women might "take back" these words? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">5. Have you heard students use slurs that they do not understand? Think of some of these words and write down responses you could give that would explain the meaning of the words. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">6. What are some of the effects on students or teachers of jokes that are degrading to ethnic, racial, sexual, religious, or other groups? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">7. What might be some of the negative effects on students when a teacher walking through the hall hears, but does not say anything in response to degrading language or slurs? <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 5: Addressing the Needs of Victimized Students <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. What steps can your school take to ensure that no student has experiences similar to David's?  <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Why is it important for students who observe harassment to tell a teacher or administrator as soon as possible? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. Have you ever relied on your instincts to follow-up with a student who appeared troubled? What were the signs of his or her distress? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. Do faculty, administrators and staff in your school use language that is inclusive of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning students? If not, what steps can your school take to raise awareness of this issue? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">5. What techniques have you used to make students feel comfortable talking with you when they ask for confidentiality, but when you are unwilling to promise to keep the conversation secret? <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 6: The Role of Administrators <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. Do all teachers have copies of the school's antiharassment policies? Do students? Are those policies provided in summary form? Are they explained to students and teachers in meetings? If the answer to any of the above questions is "no," how effective are your school's policies (no matter how well written)? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Do the antiharassment policies of your school prohibit harassment based on sexual orientation? If not, what barriers exist to the addition of sexual orientation to the policies? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. What security measures does your school have in place (e.g., video cameras, metal detectors)? Has the school articulated why those measures are needed? What messages do students receive from their implementation? What are the emotional effects of these security measures on students? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. Are there threatening or degrading graffiti in your school? Does your school have a protocol for identifying and removing graffiti? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">5. What type of relationship does your school have with local police? What steps could your school take to improve that relationship? <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 7: Developing Peer Leaders <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. Ask students in your school to describe incidents in which students did something positive to address harassment. Students can give these accounts verbally or in writing. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Consider having students read aloud the account at the beginning of the chapter. Ask students to discuss or write a description from the girl's perspective of her experience. Ask students to suggest concrete things that students could do to make school a welcoming and safe place for her. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. Does your school have a peer leader harassment prevention program? If not, what barriers exist to starting a program? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. If your school does have a peer leader program, what are the criteria for selecting participants? Should students who engage in harassment participate in the program? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">5. Do faculty, administrators and staff in your school demonstrate a belief in the leadership ability of students? What can adults in your school do to send that message to students? Why is sending that message important? <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 8: Responding to Terrorism and Related Prejudice <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. What incidents of serious violence have your students witnessed? Have these incidents been in your community or elsewhere in the country or world? How have students witnessed this violence: in person, on television, by word of mouth? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. What emotional and physical reactions did you observe from your students, both immediately following and over the weeks after September 11, 2001? Did these emotional or physical reactions differ depending on the age of the student? How did your own emotional reactions to the events of September 11 affect your ability to help students? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. Do you have immigrant or refugee students in your school? What reactions to September 11 did you observe in these children? Were these reactions different than the reactions of other children? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. Have you seen the reactions to September 11 reoccur for some students, even months after the event? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">5. After September 11, did Muslim students experience bias-motivated harassment? Did students mistakenly targeted as Muslim experience anti-Muslim or anti-Arab harassment? Did you hear adults in your school express disparaging comments about Muslims or Arabs? Are Muslim students in your school still experiencing anxiety and tension related to events since September 11? Do faculty or students speak up to interrupt derogatory comments or jokes about Muslims or Arabs? What techniques could you utilize to educate your students about Muslim customs, history and religion? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">6. What steps would you take to talk with and support your students if they should witness a traumatic violence event in the future? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">7. What steps would you take to meet your own needs and the needs of other educators in your school? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">8. What projects—in class or schoolwide—would you help organize to help students' react in a positive and tangible way to serious violence? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">9. Do the history textbooks in your school discuss the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II? Consider leading a discussion comparing the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II with the experiences of Muslims today in the United States. <span style="color: #666644; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 15pt;">Chapter 9: Standing Up for Each Other <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">1. Are there students in your school who feel as helpless and overwhelmed as the two students described in the opening paragraphs? What can your school do to ensure that these children do not fall between the cracks? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">2. Structure an assignment for your students around the experiences of these two boys. (For example, your students could write those boys letters.) <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">3. What steps can your school take to empower students to reach out to classmates who feel excluded and helpless in the face of constant harassment? <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">4. Consider reading to your students the account of nine high school freshmen walking to a local swimming hole. Stop your reading at the point when the driver of the car, while holding the noose out the window, says to the Black student, "You come here." Ask your students what they think happened next. After a few minutes discussion, read the end of the story and discuss with your students why these students stuck together. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">5. Ask your students to write about one incident in school in which a student or group of students stood up or spoke up to stop harassment. Then ask students to read (or you can read) a number of their writings. <span style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">6. Ask your students to write about one incident in which a student or group of students reached out to a boy or girl who was harassed or excluded. Then ask students to read (or you can read) a number of their writings. //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;">The Respectful School: How Educators and Students Can Conquer Hate and Harassment //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9pt;"> is by Stephen Wessler with contributing author William Preble. This 188-page, 7" x 9" book (Stock No. 103006; ISBN 0-87120-783-4) is available from ASCD for $18.95 (ASCD member) and $22.95 (nonmember). Copyright 2003 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's [|Online Store].
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">An ASCD Study Guide for The Respectful School: How Educators and Students Can Conquer Hate and Harassment **