Put-Downs Go
Up in Flames

John Ash teaches eighth-grade social studies in Michigan. His students are similar to other students around the country. They talk about clothes, video games, and the opposite sex. They also put each other down. "Klutz," "homo," and "retard" are a few of the more popular words they used to ridicule one another.

Tired of battling the verbal violence, John created a plan to eliminate put-downs in his classroom. In each of his six classes, he taught his students about put-downs. He instructed them to take notes as he placed a definition of "put-down" on the board. He lectured about what put-downs were and what they were not. He shared and solicited examples of put-downs. He led a discussion on what it felt like to both send and receive pit-downs.

Twenty minutes into each class, a pop quiz was announced. Students were instructed to number their papers from one to ten. The first question required students to define "put-down." The remaining nine questions were true or false, requiring students to decide whether or not the examples John provided were put-downs. Following the quiz, papers were exchanged, corrected, and turned in.

To begin the second half of each class period, John passed out a handful of paper slips to each student. He instructed students to use the slips to write put-downs about classmates, about themselves, and even about him. He assured them that these put-downs would be anonymous and would never be seen by anyone. He also explained that this was their last chance to get put-downs out of their systems, because beginning the next day verbal violence would no longer be allowed in the classroom. John allowed five minutes' writing time and then collected the slips in a large paper grocery sack.

Students watched as John stapled the bag shut. He then led them out the door, down the hall, and outside to where the cooks emptied the garbage. With his students standing in a circle, John held the bag of put-downs over a burn barrel and set it on fire. Students watched as their put-downs went up in smoke.

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A Safe and Orderly Environment

09/14/2010