Observing No Name Calling Week

January 21st- January 25th

Lori Piper, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Feb 4, 2008 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

January 21st - 25th is National No Name Calling Week. I am not making this up. This is a great way to observe our language at work... and how even sometimes, simple words can hurt. How did this observance week come to be in existence? By one of my all time favorite authors (and yours too, if you have read any of his books), James Howe (author of the Bunnicula series). It was inspired from one of his books, The Misfits. The story is about four best friends trying to endure the seventh grade as they are often on the receiving ends of teenage terrible taunts... because they are deviant from the norm. (Teenage norms can be so... inject word of choice here.) The "Gang of Five" as they are called, form an alternate political party during student council elections geared towards all the social deviants... their main agenda on their platform is to wipe out name calling of any kind from anyone. They ultimately loose the election, but do garner support for a No -Name- Calling Day at their school.

Inspired by this powerful idea, several partners such as GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing organized a No Name Calling Week in schools throughout the nation during the week of March 1-5, 2004. This year it is celebrated this week!

Educators and children as well as parents are encouraged to attend events, download free activities and literature geared toward promoting no name-calling and in dealing with bullies. Encourage your school to become involved. Log onto
www.nonamecallingweek.org for more information. Talk with your children, their teachers, librarians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers. Encourage any and all involvement that you can.

Although the national event is focused primarily for fifth through eight graders, anyone can participate. After all, anyone can be hurt from name-calling.

I have decided that at my place of employment this week needs to be observed... maybe even more than a week.

Often times we can forget about how harmful words can be, what effect they can have on someone when we are venting or even just complaining. Do you listen to water cooler gossip? Are you an instigator? Or maybe just a passive participant? When feelings are being hurt, lines are being drawn and where do you want to find yourself standing? From a favored children's author we have much to learn.

Be a Misfit... and engage in observing this week!

Published by Lori Piper

Co- Director of South Texas Persian Rescue and all around animal lover. View profile