When kids are cruel

I discovered today that sometimes kids are just plain cruel. I have always known that kids, especially teenagers, have the capacity to be mean. They can destroy each other with a glance or a few words. I did not, however, know that they would be willing to do these things in the middle of English class.

We are preparing to start Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. As part of our front-loading, we are working out what stereotypes are, how they influence us, and how they can be absolutely heart-breaking. So, today, we showed students the clip in Mean Girls where Damion and Janice provide Cady with a map to the cafeteria. It's a humorous clip, and also very insightful in terms of labels, stereotypes, and cliques in high schools.

After watching it, we discussed - briefly - what cliques are. The definition we decided upon are groups that are exclusive. One student began to share a story about how she and her friends pulled a mean girls thing in 6th grade - only inviting certain people to sit with them. Before she could finish another student piped in that their group had been awful to other students. Then the term punk started getting thrown around in a hostile way. I redirected.

We worked on an anticipation guide. I thought it would be safe, but I was wrong. Epic fail. The anticipation guide brought out the claws in these kids, and I did NOT like what I saw. I saw students saying teachers can't be trusted because they gossip too much. I heard them saying that if a girl dresses provocatively, she deserves whatever negative attention she gets. I also saw them start insulting each other - and me - in a very obvious way.

Clearly, I stopped the activity and very sternly spoke to the students. Even after telling them being mean is the quickest way to be removed from my class, they snickered at and bickered with one another. I have never been more appalled at my own students.

I'm actually nervous about this unit now. How am I supposed to teach them about tolerance and kindness? I'm worrying that they're going to start a riot ... Obviously they need the lessons we've prepared, but how many of them are actually going to "get it"?

I can't leave this post there. I don't want it to sound as though all of my freshman reacted so poorly; they didn't. In fact, two of the three classes who did this activity today were amazing. They might not always practice what they preach, but at least they were preaching it.

So, while I am super worried about one class and whether or not they are going to appreciate the unit we are starting, I have hope that teenagers aren't all cruel. Some of them are very kind, very wise, and very good.