It's NO NAME-CALLING Week!

No Name-Calling Week is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities. No Name-Calling Week was inspired by a middle-grade novel entitled The Misfits by popular author James Howe in which a group of students organize a "No Name-Calling Day" at school. Motivated by this simple, yet powerful idea, the No Name-Calling Week Coalition, created by GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, and consisting of over 40 national partner organizations, organized an actual No Name-Calling Week in schools for the first time in 2004. The event is now held annually in schools nationwide.

Find out more at the GLSEN No Name-Calling Week website here.

James Howe has come out with other "companion" books for The Misfits: Totally Joe, Addie on the Inside, and coming up, Also Known As Elvis. Find out more about James and his books here.

Today is the start of No Name-Calling Week!

Inspired by James Howe's awesome MG novel THE MISFITS, No Name-Calling Week is a wonderful real-world event.

With lesson plans (for elementary, middle and high school), resources, and even art lessons - No Name-Calling Week is a great event to know about - and to integrate into your life and school.

Imagine our world being one where no one said "gay" or "lame" or "bitch" as a negative. 

Think about the names you're heard - and maybe even the ones you've said.  We have the opportunity to recognize that our words are powerful... and we can use that power for good!  And we can start right now!

Namaste,
Lee

No Name Calling Week (Jan 24-28, 2011) Starts Today - And What YOU Can Do To Be Part Of It!

Inspired by James Howe's amazing MG novel, The Misfits,



No Name Calling Week is a project of GLSEN, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network. The idea is to recognize the power of words and to talk about how to stop bullying - and then take action to stop it!

There's a cool event happening tomorrow, a Booklist webinar "Battle Bullying with Books: Celebrate No Name-Calling Week at 2pm EST (11am PST)

It will be an "hour-long webinar on how high-quality children’s and young adult literature can help prevent bullying, including a presentation by James Howe, acclaimed author of The Misfits (2001)."




It's also great that a bunch of publishers are sponsoring this program: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Albert Whitman and Company, Rosen Publishing, and Candlewick Press.



And you must check out the Barnes & Nobel website for No Name Calling Week



- including beautiful videos by James Howe, Sonya Sones, Laurie Halse Anderson, and more speaking out about bullying!!! - it's well worth checking out!

Oh, and Pete Hautman has one of the best lines in his video:

"If two dogs with brains the size of walnuts can figure it [bullying] out, don't you think we can, too?"

But I think the best way to honor No Name Calling week is to STOP calling other people names.

Imagine a week where there's no words of denigration used at all. No "fag" or "bitch" or "lame" or "retard." No slurs against those of different ethnic backgrounds or races. No teasing of anyone for being different. Imagine a world where people feel better about themselves based on who they ARE, rather than on trying to feel better than someone else.

And now, let's make that world a reality - one No Name Calling day at a time!

Namaste,

Lee

ps- Thanks to Tyler for sharing some of these great links with me so I could share them with you!