The Adventures of Phatty and Payaso

Over the years, my daughter and her friends have devoured various book series whose main characters were animals. I've wondered if it was the idea that their beloved pets were out living adventurous lives that kept the kids mesmerized, anxiously awaiting the next book in the series to be published. How clever, I thought, those authors are to turn animals into heroes and villains.

So when JKS Communications reached out to me about a new series based on cats, I was like, "Okay. My kids like cats. I'll take a look and see if it is a good fit." I can't tell you how pleased I was to find that "The Adventures of Phatty and Payaso" is unlike all the others for three main reasons:

1. ) The main characters are minorities
2. ) The book actively seeks to teach character skills lacking in today's children
3. ) The storyline focuses on bullying.

Let me tell you the storyline first. So the main character, Phatty, is a fat cat who loves to spend his time sitting on his favorite chair and gazing out the window at Central Park. One day, the meanest hawk around lands in his window and begins to threaten him and his friends. At first, Phatty is terrified, but eventually, he musters up his courage to go alone to Central Park to stop the bully. When he doesn't come back, Payaso sets out to find his best friend, Phatty.

The three main characters reflect three different minorities: an overweight cat, a Latino cat, and a boy on the Autism spectrum. I just love the diversity that is being represented even in an animal-dominated book.

But you know what I love best? It's the fact that the author, Marie Unanue, is a kindness advocate who wrote this book to help children who are being bullied. She actually thought this storyline out carefully and used a teacher's resource - CharacterLab.org - to help her focus on key traits that she believes today's children often need to develop. These traits are:

• Curiosity: Taking an interest in ongoing experiences for their own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering
• Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.
• Grit: Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles
• Self-control: Regulating what one feels and does in the service of goals and standards; being disciplined; controlling one's emotions.
• Social intelligence: Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick.
• and zest: Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated.

The characters in the book each reflect one or more of these traits and they teach them to each other...and hopefully the reader, too! For kids who may be suffering (or who have suffered) from bullying, this is a great resource.

Teachers: This book works well with lessons and unit studies about Hispanic culture, minority cultures, special needs, bullying, character skills, relationships, self-worth, and more.


Disclosure: I received a copy of these books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#RespetoParaTodos: A FREE Spanish Download for Parents & Teachers

The Spanish version of our #RespectEachOther packet is now available!! You may remember that this packet includes:

• posters to be placed as visual reminders
• an educator's guide
• discussion questions & guide
• resources for parents
• phrases parents can use when talking to school officials about their child being bullied
• plans for students on how to deal with a bully
• writing prompts
• writing pages
• and a recommended reading list

I'm super grateful to Lorraine Ladish and her team for this Spanish translation. We hope that you'll find this tool to be a helpful resource for your Spanish classrooms and families.

You can download both the English and Spanish versions here:

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

And remember, if you are a blogger or website manager, please feel free to share this on your sites, listserves, and facebook groups.

This packet is free to download and you may share it with everyone you know. If you are a blogger or have your own website, you can use one of the following images to post on your site and use this link to direct visitors to our downloadable packet: http://bit.ly/2gju6MR

You can even upload the packet to your website and offer it as a free download. 

#RespectEachOther: A FREE Download for Parents & Teachers

If you are actively combatting bullying in your school or other children's program, here's a free anti-bullying download for parents and teachers. 

These resources (in English and Spanish) were created to help you teach your students and children how to not be bullies and how to deal with bullying.

So I have created a packet for parents and educators to use with their children and students. It focuses on bullying and it isn't just for children of color. It's for all children. It not only deals with what to do if you are being bullied, but also what to do if you SEE someone who is being bullied. And it gives advice to parents who have children that are being bullied.

The people who are on the frontlines of stopping racism and bullying are parents and teachers. We are the one who are teaching our children right from wrong, love from fear, and kindness from cruelty. This packet includes:

• posters to be placed as visual reminders
• an educator's guide
• discussion questions & guide
• resources for parents
• phrases parents can use when talking to school officials about their child being bullied
• plans for students on how to deal with a bully
• writing prompts
• writing pages
• and a recommended reading list

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD in ENGLISH

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD in SPANISH

This packet is free to download and you may share it with everyone you know. If you are a blogger or have your own website, please message me directly for images to post on your site.

You can even upload the packet to your website and offer it as a free download. If you need HTML code, let me know.

Over the last few years, there has been an explosion of race-related bullying and hate crimes across our country. New York has even had to create a special police unit as a result. And from grade school to high school to college campuses, children of color or different religions are facing difficult challenges.

So yes, the threat to our children is very real. And we can't stay quiet about it otherwise, the bullies will continue to harass other kids.

I hope that this packet will serve as a useful tool to help not only those being bullied but to prevent bullies from developing. Teachers: You know you can make a difference in a child's life. We're relying on you to help us raise thoughtful children.

An Open Letter to Latino Parents

I started this article over a week ago, but wasn’t sure I’d publish it. Now, on the night of Election Day, as I sit and watch the results coming in, I know that this letter to my readers and Latino parents throughout the U.S. needs to go live.

By the time you read this, in theory, it will finally be over; the circus that we call a presidential election will come to an end.

But you and I both know the challenges and threats to our families and children may just be beginning.

We’ve seen it steadily building over the last year. You may have read about the “build-a-wall” banner hung in an Oregon high school. Or maybe heard about the Muslim and Latino students attacked in Kansas by a man shouting, “Trump will take our country from you guys!” while calling them “brown trash.” Or perhaps you’ve read about the Latino students in North Carolina who carry around their birth certificates and Social Security cards out of fear they will be deported - the “Trump Effect” has already begun and continues to grow into a voracious monster.

And his vitriolic rhetoric is unlikely to stop on November 8th.

Add to this the problem that all of his hateful speech has given new life to every bigot, racist, and supremacist within our country who has until now been more or less restrained by the popular demand for human decency. Unfortunately, he has with his own disgusting words and actions validated their outlook leading to open, unapologetic declarations of hate and even worse, turning their words into actions.

So what do we do? We prepare. It’s time to tighten our cinturones and brace ourselves. I want us to be realistic.

The time to protect our families is here. We need to give our children the tools they need to defend themselves. Those tools include Caution, Strength, and a Voice. To avoid violence, we must talk openly with our children about the possible dangers they may encounter and prepare them to think quickly and act accordingly. We must urge them to be ever vigilant, aware of their surroundings, and mindful of who is nearby.

We must encourage them to be brave and to stand together. We must help them understand the importance of speaking up to identify those who do wrong in order to protect ourselves - and others - from future injustice. No longer do we suffer alone in silence.

Now is the time to create change together. But in order to improve our country and help it to see diversity as beautiful and beneficial, we have to be that change. We have to be kind to everyone. We have to feel compassion and be supportive. Most importantly, we have to set the example for our children, so they will be strong and proud of who they are, unafraid to share their culture. For it is ignorance that leads to stereotypes, and ignorance that causes fear and hatred.

I have faith in the American people. I know that there are more of us who want to do what is right, than there are those who choose to embrace selfish ignorance. But I also realize that change doesn’t happen overnight.

First, we have to reassure our children that they are safe and that we are here to help and protect them. We need to explain our democratic government and teach them that disagreeing with others is not an excuse for violence and hatred. Then we discuss some ways to help your children avoid bullies inside and outside of school.

Be informed

Take the time to read about bullying so that you can identify the signs.

Someone who hurts you physically, mentally, or emotionally once, unintentionally is simply foolish, rude, or ignorant.

Someone who knowingly hurts you once on purpose is mean.

Someone who knowingly hurts you repeatedly despite you asking them to stop is a bully.

Download this flyer from Edutopia for more information about what bullying is, how to identify it, and how to deal with it.

Talk with your child’s teachers

This is one of the most important steps you can take. Teachers may have a good idea of what is happening in their classroom. They see first-hand the social dynamics between students. And if they don’t see it, and your child tells you they are being bullied, then your child’s teacher and school need to be made aware of it ASAP so that they can implement strategies and tools to reduce bullying behaviors before they escalate.

Monitor your child’s tech devices and social media

In this advanced day and age, cyberbullying has become a very real problem. It’s important for parents to take it seriously. In addition to monitoring your child’s tech devices, it’s critical that you take time to talk with them about cyberbullying and discuss with them what they should do if they become victims. Check out this article to learn what steps you can take.

Teach your child how to respond

It’s critical to empower your child. Bullies are less likely to pick on strong, confident people. Either way, it’s important to arm your child with words and actions that will help them diffuse hostile situations or avoid them altogether.

Talk with your children about how to deal with insults. There are several ways a person can respond to a bully. Here are a few:

Walk away. Remember, bullies are all about control. They want to know they are hurting you. If you ignore them and walk away, you are taking that power away from them.

Laugh at them. Bullies want to be feared. If you refuse to fear them, you are taking away their sense of control. If they make fun of you for a mistake you made, and you laugh at yourself, it shows that you are confident enough in yourself to do so.

Report it. Immediately. It’s critical that you report bullying behavior to an adult. And it is important that it be an adult who will do something. If a teacher doesn’t respond, then the principal. And definitely tell your parents.

Take Precautions

The reality is that bullying can escalate. And it is up to us to keep our kids safe. If you have contacted your child’s teachers and school, and they aren’t doing anything, or if the situation is getting worse, then here are some important precautions...

Walk in groups. Teach your kids to walk together in groups with their friends and other students. There is safety in numbers.

Avoid empty spaces and other places where you might run into the bully. Train your child to be aware of their surroundings and not put themselves in dangerous situations. They should stay in places where they can call for help...and be heard.

Give them a smartphone. Teach them to use Facebook Live quickly. It’s important to document bullies and their behavior so that you have proof. It can also help you get help quickly when you need it.

Explore self-defense classes. Do not mistake this for encouragement to fight back. On the contrary. Students who take Karate or Taekwondo learn self-control and develop self-confidence. Both are important for deterring bullies. But let's face it: If my son or daughter's life were in danger, I'd want them to know how to protect themselves.

Consider homeschooling. If you truly fear for your child’s safety, then it is imperative you remove him or her from that situation. Consider moving him or her to a new school. And if that isn’t an option, think about homeschooling. Over 2 million families in this country homeschool their kids, and I can assure you, that like me, not all of them started because they wanted to or because they knew how to teach. I was scared, but I’m so glad I made the switch. My life changed for the better.

And lastly, consider downloading my free bilingual #RespectEachOther packet to use with your children and students. Change begins with us and with our children.