No Name-Calling Week

This year for No Name-Calling Week, I was introduced to some new material that fit in very well with our Catholic school identity. I gave the teachers a packet of information and several classroom activities that they could choose from to introduce the topic of no name-calling to their students. The lessons involved discussing the many names that we have for Jesus and what they mean to us. The students then discussed the names that they are sometimes called that hurt their feelings. The teachers then led discussions about the names or qualities that the students felt God had given them. They then decorated a candle with these names (or their actual names) and I created a large wall display.


One of the Kindergarten teachers did such a great job with this lesson! She first asked her students to think of all of the names they could for Jesus and created a chart. She then talked to them about the importance of names and how calling someone a mean name can hurt their feelings. She talked with her students about the positive names they would want to be called and wrote down each students "inner name" next to their actual name. Some of the examples were "helpful", "loving", "caring", "special", and "joyful". The students then used this to create their candles. It was such a great lesson and the Kindergarten students really got it!

Here is a picture of our final product. Some of the students wrote their actual names on their candles, which is fine - I would rather have them be called by their actual names than a mean name anyway. This large candle is hung in our main hallway and all of the students pass by it on their way to lunch. It is great to see them stop and look at all of the candles, pointing out their own to their friends, teachers, and family. I am really happy with the way it turned out!