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Volume 14, Issue 2
August 2005
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| To order the SuperMe booklet, click here to download an order form. |
MACMH is currently looking for funding to continue our classroom visits.
If you are interested in scheduling a visit, call or email MACMH (651-644-7333 or info@macmh.org) to be placed on our waiting list. When we secure funding, we will contact you to schedule a visit. |
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"SuperMe" Classroom Visits
During the spring of 2005, MACMH staff member Matt Jenson visited 38 classes in eight
schools to introduce MACMH’s mini-curriculum SuperMe: A Campaign to End Hurtful
Teasing. Using the superhero theme from the SuperMe booklet’s three lesson plans, Jenson
presented lessons that focused on learning about and practicing empathy, discussing the
difference between fun, silly teasing and hurtful teasing, and practicing responses to use
when being teased.
Creating Their Very Own SuperMe
Jenson began each lesson with a brainstorming session where he asked the students to
identify super powers. Some of the most common “powers” the students invoked were
invisibility, lifting heavy rocks, lava powers, meat vision (believe it or not, this came up more
than once), tornado powers, and running really, really fast. Surprisingly, Jenson reported,
none of the students mentioned weapons. In fact, he said, all of the powers originated or
emanated from the superheroes themselves, which led groups directly into a discussion
about powers that come from within.
The Power of Empathy
As each lesson continued, Jenson told the students that each of their superheroes had another
power—the Power of Empathy.4 Invariably, Jenson noted, at least one student would scrunch
up his face and ask, “What’s THAT?” This allowed Jenson to explore with the children the
meaning of empathy, which they came to understand as “the ability to understand how other
people are feeling.” Next the group practiced their empathic abilities by reading body
language. The group also experimented with understanding how people feel by listening to
how they use their voice. Students experimented by saying the same sentence in different
ways to see if they could convey different emotions such as happy, sad, frustrated,
enthusiastic, or scared. Even though students said the same words, they found they were
able to clearly communicate how they were feeling just by varying the tone of their voice.
The Complexities of Teasing
Jenson concluded each lesson by leading the students in a discussion about the more complex
topic of teasing. Jenson first asked the students to think about a time they had been teased
and reflect about how it felt. As expected, all of the students associated teasing with negative
feelings and none thought about teasing as fun or enjoyable. This provided Jenson with a
perfect opportunity to talk to the students about how some teasing is actually meant as a way
to connect with someone else in a fun way. The group then talked about how they could tell
the difference between fun silly, teasing and hurtful teasing.
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165 Western Avenue North
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Phone: 651-644-7333
1-800-528-4511
Fax: 651-644-7391
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