Most of the bullying Michigan Teacher of the Year Melody Arabo endured did not happen until she was in middle school, which is why she was shocked when she, as an educator, saw some of her sweetest and brightest students acting as bullies in the third grade.
It inspired her to author “Diary of a Real Bully” and, subsequently, speak to a recent YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit Girls on the Run team in South Lyon.
She talked to the girls about what they think a bully looks like, and what a bully actually looks like. Turns out, there’s a bully in all of us sometimes. She helped the girls understand that bully stereotypes rarely exist in real life. Rather than react to bullies, Melody believes that recognizing inner bullies and responding to that is critical to making a real change.
“If we can teach children about real-life bullying early on, we will have less bullies,” she said. “If we teach them the skills they need to communicate and solve problems early on, we will have fewer victims. We need common language, effective strategies, and early intervention. We need to identify the bully in all of us, then make a change. That is my ultimate hope for this book.”
Thank you for speaking to our Dublin Elementary Team, Melody!