Power of Words
True or False: The words I send on text message have NO impact on the thoughts/feelings of others.
False
What text message I send.
I am responsible.
You want to invite someone to your birthday party and send:
"Hey! I'm having a birthday party on Saturday at 1:00 PM. Can you come??"
OK to send?
OK to send.
Melanie and Sarah got in a fight and they broke Ms. Gomez's favorite pencil.
Who caused harm to whom?
How can harm be repaired?
Caused harm: Melanie and Sarah
Repair the harm: fixing or getting Ms. Gomez a new pencil.
True/False: I'm really angry at my friend Claire. Before I text her a whole bunch of mean words I should take a deep breath and think about what my text will say.
True: it's always a good idea to breath/think before sending a text.
My responsibility.
You are working on a project with Rachel and Zoe. You trying to coordinate a time to meet in a group chat with both of them. You send?
"Can we meet at Starbucks? Rachel's house smells bad."
OK to send?
Not OK to send. Change it:
"Can we meet at Starbucks? Rachel's house smells bad."
Bridget sent a meme to Mary. Mary didn't really understand it and sent back something inappropriate to Bridget.
Who caused harm?
How can harm be repaired?
Caused harm: Mary
Repair the harm: Mary can apologize to Bridget for sending something inappropriate and ask for information about the meme.
True/False: If my friend Halley posted a selfie on her Instagram. I don't think she looks the best but I leave the following comment:
"looking great Hal!"
My words were helpful.
Who gets added to a chat that I did not start.
Not my responsibility.
You and your friend Kelly get in a fight at school. She refuses to be honest about taking your favorite pen. After school you text her:
"I hate you SO MUCH!!! You are the worst friend in the world and I hate you!!! NEVER talk to me AGAIN! You are also super ugly!"
OK to send?
Not OK to send. Change it:
"I hate you SO MUCH!!! You are the worst friend in the world and I hate you!!! NEVER talk to me AGAIN! You are also super ugly!"
Chris took a video of Diego doing a silly dance. He posted it on his social media account without telling Diego. Now kids are mimicking/making fun of Diego's dance.
Who caused harm?
How to repair the harm?
Caused harm: Chris
Repair the harm: Take down the video and apologize. Make sure Chris gets consent to post things in the future.
True/False: because I can be anonymous on a social media account I can send messages/posts that are hurtful to others.
Staying in the group chat if things makes me uncomfortable or become intense.
My responsibility to leave if I feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
You are in a big group chat with kids from your class. You are all talking about promotion. Someone sends a picture of your friends dress and types "it's ugly". You respond in the group:
"Hey, I don't think it's nice to talk about other people's dresses. Can we keep this group chat about promotion plans please?"
OK to send?
June is really looking forward to summer. She texts her friend April a whole plan of ideas. April responds back saying she'll be out of the country all summer so she can't hang out.
Who caused harm?
How to repair the harm?
Caused harm: April may have upset June, but did not cause direct harm.
Repair the harm: April could text back an idea for something they could do when she is back.
True/False: If I send a mean text I can send an apology text as well. The person will forget I ever said anything mean to them.
False. People will always remember how you made them feel with your words.
Who talks to me or sends me messages online.
Not responsible for the other person, but I am responsible for if I accept the message/respond.
You send a group chat out to some of your best friends about having a sleep over this weekend and you add Erica S. instead of Erica T.! You send a side text to Erica S:
"Hi Erica, I'm so sorry but I actually sent to send this message to Erica T. Please don't come over this weekend! Thanks!"
OK to send?
Not the best to send...try to make some changes:
"Hi Erica, I'm so sorry but I actually sent to send this message to Erica T. Please don't come over this weekend! Thanks!"
Maggie and Eric are at a pool party for their friend Hannah. As a joke, Eric tells Maggie he's going to push Hannah into the pool. Maggie knows Hannah can't swim but doesn't tell Eric. Eric pushes Hannah into the pool. Luckily Hannah is able to grab a floaty and safely get to the shallow end of the pool.
Who caused harm?
How to repair the harm?
Caused harm: Eric and Maggie both caused harm to Maggie. Eric for pushing her into the pool, Maggie for not sticking up for her friend.
Harm repaired: Eric and Maggie should both apologize to Hannah.