Rosalind Wiseman

By Maria Herne
mherne@republicanherald.com
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Rosalind Wiseman believes teachers have a responsibility to make sure their classrooms are safe places for children to learn. “There are kids who don’t want to come to school because they are frightened,” said Wiseman, a national expert on bullying. “I know there are tons of teachers out there who are dealing with difficult situations, but children need to know that we are looking over them.” Wiseman spoke to more than 180 professionals who work directly with children Monday afternoon during the first of two presentations in the auditorium of Pottsville Area High School. She gave a presentation for parents and the public Monday evening.
The presentation was sponsored by the Mental Health Subcommittee of Schuylkill County’s VISION as part of its anti-bullying campaign. Wiseman is the New York Times best-selling author of “Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Dating and Other Realities of Adolescence,” the basis for the 2004 movie “Mean Girls.” She also is the author of “Queen Bee Moms & Kingpin Dads,” a book about parent interaction. Parents, teachers, administrators and students working together can change the climate of a school, she said. “I’ve worked with schools that are in so much pain from horrible experiences, but they have worked together to transform the culture of their school,” she said. Joanne Parulis, VISION executive director, said the idea to present a workshop came during a teacher development conference last year. “This is what teachers told us they wanted and needed,” Parulis said. “I think it’s an important issue that’s critical to our community. If it helps us protect one child, it’s worth it.” Wiseman said adults who work with children should do everything they can to ensure they take a strong stand against unethical behavior and respond in an open, positive way when a child reports an incident of bullying.
“You need to tell the child, ‘I’m so sorry this is happening to you, thank you for telling me … together we can work on this to make it better,’ ” she said. Kathleen Reedy, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Ambrose School, Schuylkill Haven, said she thought Wiseman’s presentation gave educators practical information.
“She gave specific examples of how to respond to different situations, which I thought was helpful,” she said. Barbara Schmidt, a teacher at St. Stephen Regional School, Port Carbon, said she believes learning in the classroom is not limited to just reading, math and science.
“At our school we teach ethics, moral values and the dignity of every person every day; it’s part of the curriculum,” Schmidt said.