A UK teacher used a simple but extremely powerful metaphor to show kids just how damaging bullying can be, and her message is now going viral.
Rosie Dutton of Relax Kids Tamworth, based in London, visits schools teaching young children mindfulness and relaxation.
On Thursday, Rosie posted online her latest lesson involving two apples, writing: “Before the class I had repeatedly dropped one of the apples on the floor, you couldn’t tell, both apples looked perfect.”
“We passed the apple around the circle calling it names, ‘You’re a smelly apple’, ‘I don’t even know why you exist.'”
“We then passed another apple around and started to say kind words to it, ‘You’re a lovely apple’, ‘Your skin is beautiful’, etc.”
“I then held up both apples, and again we talked about the similarities and differences, there was no change, both apples still looked the same.”
“I then cut the apples open. The apple we’d been kind to was clear, fresh and juicy inside. The apple we’d said unkind words to was bruised and all mushy inside.”
“I think there was a lightbulb moment for the children immediately. They really got it, what we saw inside that apple, the bruises, the mush and broken bits is what is happening inside every one of us when someone mistreats us with their words or actions.”
She returned to Facebook to thank everyone for their support and shared her hope that the apple lesson could start conversations about bullying in classrooms everywhere.
“It starts with us,” she wrote, “Let’s support each other; be kind, build each other up and begin to strengthen the emotional resilience of every child.”
“Also remember to be kind to unkind people; they need it the most.”