I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody. — Lily Tomlin
I’ve always thought that Lily Tomlin was hysterical…but now I also think of her as very wise.
It’s that One Can Count moment when it dawns on you that you’re the person who could make a difference. All people, including young students, can be taught to seize the moment and realize that they are “somebody.” There’s a really powerful and positive statistic:
When friends help out, 57 percent of the time bullying stops in 10 seconds. —Hawkins, Pepler, and Craig, Social Development, 2001.
Think about that. If it only takes 10 seconds, why aren’t we concentrating our efforts on making sure kids know how to step up?
I’m hoping that One Can Count, based on Kathryn Otoshi’s award-winning book, One, will do just that. Bullying starts early so it’s critical that we begin training kids to be “upstanders” in the youngest of grades. One Can Count works best as a mentoring program because when kids become teachers, they become leaders. Leadership is the anti-bully.
I want to thank New York State Senator Lanza, St. John’s University and national speaker and author Kathryn Otoshi for making One Can Count a reality.
What’s your One Can Count moment?
