ASCA National Standards as they align with a Guidance

Unit on Bullying
Academic Development:
A3.1 Take responsibility for their actions
C1.5 Understand that school success is the preparation to make the transition from student to
community member

Career Development:
A2.4 Learn about rights and responsibilities of employers and employees
A2.5 Learn to respect individual uniqueness in the workplace
C2.2 Learn how to use conflict management skills with peers and adults
C2.3 Learn how to work cooperatively with others as a team member

Personal / Social
A1.1 Develop positive attitudes towards self as a unique and worthy person
A1.2 Identify values, attitudes and beliefs
A1.6 Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior
A1.8 Understand the need for self-control and how to practice it
A2.1 Recognize that everyone has rights and responsibilities
A2.3 Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences
A2.4 Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity
A2.8 Learn how to make and keep friends
B1.5 Demonstrate when, where and how to seek help for solving problems and making
decisions
B1.7 Demonstrate a respect and appreciation for individual and cultural differences
B1.8 Know when peer pressure is influencing a decision
C1.2 Learn about the relationship between rules, laws, safety and the protection or rights of the
individual
C1.3 Learn about the differences between appropriate and inappropriate physical contact
C1.5 Differentiate between situations requiring peer support and situations requiring adult
professional help
C1.6 Identify resource people in the school and community, and know how to seek their help
C1.9 Learn how to cope with peer pressure
C1.11 Learn coping skills for managing life events









American School Counselor Association (2005). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for
School Counseling Programs, Second Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author.


Reflection
A guidance unit about Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) was delivered in
every seventh grade classroom at North Middle School (NMS). We opened the lesson with an
activity about the labels students wear. More specifically, we cut out t-shirts and talked to the
classes about how cruel words are worn like a label on the victims shirt. We asked the students
to write the words they were hearing in the hallways on the blank paper t-shirts. We asked for
maturity and honesty and reinforced that it was fine to write swear words on the shirt. I have an
eighth grade son so I felt confident in both what would be uncovered and in how I would address
the words that were used. I collected the t-shirts and I began to read aloud each and every word
on the shirt. I taught the same guidance lesson in seven classes and there was a theme.
Racial slurs and degrading comments about women were commonplace. In the first two
classes, I kept teaching the district approved lesson-plan. By third period, I decided that an open
and honest discussion needed to fill the rest of the class period. I read all the words on the shirts
and then asked the students if they had personally unleashed these comments. The girls were the
ones using the hurtful comments about women and they were shocked to learn that whore and
slut were degrading. We discussed why these words are harmful. Im not sure that the impact
was meaningful. I am sure that more guidance support is needed.
The racial slurs were harder to discuss. I reread the racial slurs, asked people how they
felt and then remained silent. The first person to speak in each of the five remaining classes was
a white student, and each time the same comment was uttered. Its no big deal. We dont mean
anything by it. Everyone talks this way. I grouped the students of color together and asked them
to talk amongst themselves in private and then to respond as a group. The same information was
gleaned in each classroom. The words are very harmful. The students of color talked about
feeling a lack of control over their surroundings at school. They talked about feeling constantly
angry and full of rage. They talked about not caring about school and hating NMS. It is
interesting to note that the students of color and the white students hung out and were friends. I
asked the white students how they felt in response to the conversation. There was some very
meaningful dialogue. The room got very heated at times. I think the conversation was impactful,
but more guidance support is needed.
In terms of data analysis, we grouped the comments into three categories: racial slurs,
degrading comments about women, and other. Degrading comments about women were the most
common. It is important to note that the girls are making the degrading comments about women.
Through self-report from both genders, the boys are not typically using degrading words to
female students. We learned some valuable information from our students; we have started a
meaningful dialogue. The next steps to reduce and eliminate harassment, intimidation and
bullying have been illuminated through an analysis of the data.
Two content areas for future classroom guidance lessons:
1. Self-esteem for middle school girls.
2. Racial slurs are not benign, even if you are friends and dont mean to be hurtful.