A Novel Approach To Stop Bullying

Every seven minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention happens 4% percent of the time. Peer intervention happens 11% of the time. A stunning 85% of the time, no intervention occurs at all. Statistics show that bullying, intolerance, and teasing are the major causes of teen suicide, school violence, and school shootings. Source: Bureau of Justice.

Can reading a novel help change kids thinking? Make them more tolerant. Teach them respect for others? Bestselling author, Diana S. Zimmerman, thinks reading the right books can. And her Kandide series of fantasy adventure books proves it.

I first met Diana when I was nine years old. She came to my school to speak to our class, and I instantly fell in love with her book, Kandide The Secret of the Mists. She has two more in the series out now, and they are also amazing. (www.kandide.com )

She has also spoken to over 45,000 school kids since then. And while all three of her books are terrific, their messagesthough subtleare even more important. You see, Diana was badly bullied as a child and it affected her life and her writing.

To escape the chastising of her classmates, Diana began performing magic tricks and eventually grew up to be the number one lady magician in the world. She later started her own production agency, and produced multi-million dollar events for Fortune 100 companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Siemens, and Toshiba. Today, she is a bestselling author, (6 books) and a Brand consultant for large corporations.

Diana and I have been friends ever since I met her in the library of my school. After her talk, she took the time to speak to a shy kid who was also frequently bullied. That kid was me. Her words (both on and off-stage) certainly changed my life, as well as the way I think about bullies and being bullied. According to Diana, both thought-processes need to change.

The statistics on school bullying are staggering. Here are a few facts, and then Ill tell you more about what Diana does:

• One out of four kids is the victim of a bully.
• Nine out of ten LGBT students experience harassment at school and online.
• One out of five kids admits to being a bully, or doing some bullying.
• 8% of students miss one day of class per month for fear of bullies.
• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
• Nearly 43% of students have been bullied while online.
• 35% of students have been threatened online.
• 58% of kid have not told their parents or an adult about the bullying they receive online

(Source: Bureau of Justice, National Center for Education Statistics, School Survey on Crime and Safety)

Dr. Dan Olweus, who is recognized as the founding father of research on bullying and victimization, presents even more startling statistics: There appears to be a strong relationship between bullying other students and experiencing later legal and criminal problems as an adult. In one study, 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades six through nine had at least one criminal conviction by age twenty-four.

Can a book really help prevent these tragedies?

A few years ago, Diana and a teacher named Jeff Smith (Sable Point Elementary School, Florida) teamed up to find out. After previewing Kandide and the Secret of the Mists, Smith decided that it would make an important personal growth and pro-social acceptance reading project for his class. He felt that if the kids got involved in this type of book, they would not only increase their reading, comprehension, and creative skills, but learn very important life-lessonsits okay to be different, that is what makes you special. And its not okay to bully, ostracize, or make fun of others.

Not only is Kandide jam-packed with fantasy, action, and adventureall the things kids love to read, Smith explains, but the central theme of the book strikes a chord at one of the biggest issues kids face, being bullied and rejected, often because they are different.

Kandide is set in a world that rings true for almost every tween and teenone that is obsessed with beauty and physical perfection, with a healthy dose of intolerance and distaste for those who do not fit this mold. Diana merely changes the scenery. The story takes place, not in the ruthless modern-day hallways of a middle or high school, but in the equally harsh, mysterious world of the Kingdom of the Fe, where beauty and arrogance are revered, and anyone who looks or acts different is cast off.

Smiths class of ten and eleven-year olds all participated in the six-week reading project. The students also created storyboards illustrating what they learned as they completed each chapter. At the end of the read, Zimmerman flew to Florida to speak to the class.

The following conversation is between Zimmerman and two of the students.

Oh, thats Jon, he never talks much, one of the students remarked.

Really, why is that, Jon? Diana inquired.

I I I just dont like to, Jon responded.

Diana quickly realized why Jon didnt like to talk. He stuttered.

Well, your storyboards are pretty amazing, she replied. Would you break your rule just once and tell me what you think of my book?

I think that that its really good.

Why?

Because um it it says it says its okay to be different.

So?

So, its okay if if I dont like like to talk much. Im just different, and thats thats okay.

Not only is it okay, Jon. But with your artistic talent, Id say you are more than okayyou are amazing. Will you be the official Storyboard artist for Kandide?

Re really? His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

Can reading help change kids thinking about them selves? Make them more tolerant of others. Teach them respect for kids that are different?

Kandide changed Jons perceptionand his classmates. With their own stories to write as a follow-up to her visit, several of the kids in Jons class drafted him to help create the illustrations for their stories. Suddenly, Jons differences didnt matter. A year later, one of Jons classmates told Zimmerman, Not only does Jon talk now, he talks a lot. HE even stutters l a lot less.

Jeff Smith changed the thinking of the kids in his class by utilizing a fantasy adventure novel to help them learn that being different is not only okay, it is a good thing. Even his school library benefited. It suddenly became more popular. I cant wait to go there and check out some of the other books, commented one of the boys. I didnt know reading was so cool, another chimed in.

According to Dr. Russell Skiba of the Indiana Education Policy Center, Left untreated, the affects of bullying can evolve into depression, physical illness, and even suicide. Additionally, students who engage in aggressive and bullying behaviors during their school years may take part in criminal and aggressive behavior after adolescence. Skiba goes on to say, In the year following a comprehensive school intervention program, researchers recorded a 50% decrease in the numbers of bullying incidents, while also reducing the intensity of these problems.

Can Kandide and books like it help prevent school violence? You bet they can. Dianas books changed my life. They helped me realize that being different really is a good thing.

For more inform about the Kandide trilogy, or to have Diana at your school go to: www.kandide.com