National Anti-Bullying Month at Aaron School
October is National Anti-Bullying Month and Aaron School is thrilled to be participating once again in taking a stance against bullying. As educators, parents, and guardians, we are all responsible for modeling the type of behavior we wish to see in our children, and promoting kindness whenever possible. We have a wonderful student body and are fortunate to witness kind acts every day. Aaron School 30th Street has decided to focus on empathy and inclusion this year in order to increase awareness of others’ feelings, and cultivate new friendships while strengthening existing ones.
On October 18th, Dr. Blake Brandes, a renowned youth motivational speaker and hip-hop educator, led an assembly that taught the concepts of empathy and inclusion in a fun and relatable way. Dr. Blake Brandes, who is also a beatboxer, rapper, and music producer, spoke of his experiences in high school when he was thankful to be accepted and included by a welcoming group of peers. He also spoke of auditioning for the celebrity judges on America’s Got Talent. Blake shared how nervous he was to perform in front of thousands of people, and how he used their ultimate rejection to propel him forward in his career and gain meaning from the experience. He also described the benefits of having empathic friends in high school. He taught our kids how to be empathic by asking these three questions:
How are you feeling?
Why do you feel this way?
What can I do to help?
Our students had a wonderful time at the assembly, and several even volunteered to beatbox in front of everyone! They came away with practical skills for how to connect with others, and are still talking about the assembly today.
To continue promoting support for one another, we also participated in National Unity Day on October 19th. Our students and staff all wore orange to send one unified message against bullying.