Anonymous Writing Partners

Signs of bullying are sometimes difficult for teachers to catch -- someone "accidentally" tripping someone in the hall, someone whispering cruel comments to belittle and embarrass another student. As a 7th-grade English teacher in a predominantly white community, I do see the results of this behavior, students being bullied over being "different" from the accepted norms.

Some argue this kind of behavior isn't a big deal, targeted students just need to buck up and not let it bother them. But when a student is subjected to 70 or more of these "little" moments in a single day, it becomes more than any ordinary middle school student can endure. The result often is that the academic performances of these students plummet, along with their sense of self-worth.

That's where my journal project comes in.

To begin, I assign every one of my 124 students a number and a shape -- 11-star, 23-triangle, 43-circle, etc. I then tell the kids this is their journal identification. As far as our journals go, the students no longer have a name; all they have is a number and a shape. I then pair the students as anonymous writing partners.

Each student writes on assigned topics, with the journal entry addressed to another 7th-grade student -- not to oneself or a teacher. Students must keep their identities secret, not disclosing personal details -- attending volleyball practice, singing in the choir, etc. -- or names of friends.

Students are intrigued by the activity, knowing their writing partners are real people with real stories and real feelings -- including feelings of anger or sadness over being bullied. Through the activity, my students come to realize that people are more than they appear on the outside and that not everyone has to fit into a certain group to be acceptable.

By the end of the year, a lot of the pairs figure out who their partners are. Those who do not already know each other's identities write to each other and introduce themselves. By the end, cliques fade, and students build bridges with individuals they once may have mistreated or harassed.

Hollie Noah
Brookville Middle School
Brookville, Ind.