Bully Shmully Set-up Datasheet
Audience: K-6 Capacity: 400
Presentation Time: 45 to 50 minutes
Set-Up Time: 30 minutes minimum; 45 to 60 minutes preferred.
Take-Down Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Arrival: 45 to 60 minutes before presentation time. No assistance is needed beyond accessibility to performance area.
Assembly Requirements: A portable whiteboard, blackboard, or easel with paper. One power outlet with reasonable range of performance area. A small table and chair. A bottle of water. Students should sit on the floor, with a center aisle between them. **Please provide a copy of your school’s official policy toward physical bullying, which Eric will refer to during the program.
Performer Provides: Eric will provide his own sound system and all related cords, microphones, etc. Eric will provide PDF copies of some support documents which can be distributed to the students prior to (or after) the assembly, which can help to reinforce the concepts presented in the program. A copy of Eric’s DVD for your school library will be sent ahead of time. If classrooms wish to show some of the videos from the DVD in anticipation of Eric’s assembly, that is encouraged and can be helpful for increasing the excitement about his arrival, but is not necessary.
Program Concepts/Content
Be prepared. Before it happens, know what you’re going to think, say, do and feel if you are being bullied.
Why this program? Bullying doesn’t just happen in school, or during the school years; it is something that can continue on throughout adulthood. It’s very important to learn at an early age how to act and react to create happiness in your own life, regardless of the actions of others.
YOU. It’s up to YOU to take responsibility for your life and your happiness. You cannot change how other people act, directly, but you have control over how you act and react, and that can influence others to change how they act towards you.
About physical bullying. This program emphasizes techniques to positively respond to verbal bullying. However, your school’s policy toward physical bullying will be addressed.
We can all bully. We can all be bullied. Don’t think of people as “bullies,” but as “people”; they’re your classmates, your neighbors, your teammates, your family, your friends, etc. How we act towards people can start with how we have labeled them. Use positive labels.
Friends or enemies? Would you rather have friends or enemies? How do you treat people who are friends? If someone is bullying you, does it help to respond to them with anger?
The Golden Rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. It’s easy to be nice to others when they are nice to you, but it’s especially important to be nice to others when they are not being nice to you. It makes it easier for them to be nice to you, because... it’s easy to be nice to others when they are nice to you. (see above)
Verbal Bullying Experiment. Students insult Eric (from an approved list of insults) to prove how his different reactions will produce different results.
Positive ways to react. Using self-deprecating humor. Giving honest compliments. Giving the benefit of the doubt. Extending an olive branch.
S.T.O.P. A method for thinking before you act or react to bullying, or to improve relationships.
S - Stop! Don’t react.
T - Think about it. Is it important to do anything or not? If so...
O - Outline a plan to solve the problem.
P - Put your plan into action. Repeat the process until desired outcome is achieved.
Visual Example. A seemingly aggressive dog approaches a rabbit and barks. The rabbit runs and the dog chases after it. The dog approaches a kid with a stick. The kid gets scared and hits the dog with the stick, making the dog more aggressive. Alternately, the kid throws the stick for the dog, who chases it and returns, wagging its tail.
Making the show fun and memorable. Comedy bits, interactive segments and fun songs that assure the kids will take the concepts home with them. A light way to present a heavy subject.
An effective approach to the subject of bullying.
Award-winning children's music performer Eric Herman puts his immense talent for entertaining young audiences to great use in this anti-bullying assembly program, which presents a powerfully effective approach to the subject of bullying and taking personal responsibility for how you conduct yourself.
Teaches students an important life message they can use now and through adulthood.
Eric's Bully Shmully program focuses on helping the victims of bullying by giving them the tools they need to approach and respond to situations of criticism and mockery with tact and humor. This not only empowers them to be more self-confident and diplomatic, but also deflates the would-be effect of the critic or bully.
Inspired by Izzy Kalman’s “Bullies 2 Buddies”
The Izzy Kalman "Bullies 2 Buddies" method has been shown to be highly effective over many anti-bullying programs. It is important to note that this program focuses on the needs of potential bullying victims and helps to prepare them to deal with their situations head-on in a way that improves relations between everyone involved, wherever possible. Bully Shmully is not a punishment or tattling based program. It teaches kids the difference between teasing and abuse and how to handle teasing with grace and humor, while appropriately reporting abuse.
