Fan Mail Wednesday #134: Audiobook Blues
Monday, January 30th, 2012 Posted in Bystander, bullying | No Comments »Hello, I am an 8th gr. teacher in Ashtabula, Ohio and I am currently teaching the book Bystander. I have searched high and low for an audio CD or cassette for this book to use in my classroom because I ...
Confession: I Finally Got Around to Reading “The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, Interviews & Appreciations, bullying | No Comments »- And indeed there will be time To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?" -- I'm not a ticker by nature. You know tickers, right, those bird-watchers who have the list in their back pockets, and are all too delighted at each ...
Santa Always Disappoints
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 Posted in Around the Web, bullying | No Comments »A writer friend of mine, a relatively new mother, recently commented: "Every year I'm thrown by what an as*hole Santa is to Rudulph." I nodded in agreement. That movie, which I love, probably contains the worst characterization of Santa ever. He's never ...
“Bad Decisions Make Good Stories.”
Monday, December 5th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, bullying, the writing process | No Comments »I came across this wall photo on the web. I wasn't too crazy about it, frankly, didn't strike me as hysterical, but number 10 got my attention: Bad decisions make good stories. (Click on the image if you wish to make it ...
I Got Your Back
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 Posted in Around the Web, bullying | No Comments »I've lost track of the original source for this photograph, so my apologies in advance. I seem to recall the photo was taken of a random student in a coffee shop somewhere, passed along by ABC: Anti-Bullying Coalition, which I ...
Fan Mail Wednesday #128 (student poem)
Sunday, November 6th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, bullying | No Comments »I recently received a letter from a student named Ellen. She included two powerful writing samples along with this note: Mr. Preller, My school is reading the bystander for a unit. Before starting it I remember laughing and thinking to myself ...
Bystander — the Play!
Monday, October 17th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, Happenings, bullying | No Comments »"Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand." -- Chinese Proverb And on that note, look at this amazing, full-page newspaper ad . . . Pretty cool, don't you think? The group that's putting on the ...
“One Book, One School” — One Amazed & Grateful Author
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 Posted in Bystander, bullying | 2 Comments »Found this via Google Alerts today . . . Every student at Passage Middle School is reading "Bystanders," a novel about bullying by James Preller, during the school's "One Book, One School" initiative. The school spent about $5,360 to ...
Bullying: When It’s Emotionally Too Painful to See Oneself as Powerless or Abusive
Friday, September 23rd, 2011 Posted in bullying | No Comments »Just passing along a link to an excellent op-ed piece in the 9/22 edition of The New York Times, written by Danah Boyd and Alice Marwick, titled "Bullying as Real Drama." By all means go to the link and read the ...
Fan Mail Wednesday #125 (further thoughts on bullying)
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 Posted in Bystander, Fan Mail, Readings, bullying | 2 Comments »As part of a late summer assignment, I received a terrific letter from Zander in Brooklyn, including his answer to the question, "What will happen to the characters in Bystander after the story?" Here's an excerpt from that letter . . ...