Fighting Bullies
Cheryl D. Watkins, 1991 Golden Apple Fellow
“If I cried, they would just hit me harder. When I tried to get up, they kicked me and laughed at me.” - Asia, an elementary school child living in Chicago.
September’s Free Resource is from Golden Apple 1991 Fellow, Cheryl D. Watkins, and it addresses the pain of bullying that too many students experience. Cheryl, Principal at John J. Pershing West Middle School, and her team of teachers, parents, and, importantly, students have founded a powerful program that confronts bullies. Significantly, their program empowers “The Bullied” and “The Upstander.” The attached PDF defines “The Upstander” as “the person who says, ‘No!’ to bullying.”
This PDF provides a template for all educators, especially elementary school teachers and administrators, to create their own S-CASS program. For more information, contact: cdwatkins@cps.k.12.il.us.
Award-winning Cheryl D. Watkins has been the recipient of numerous acknowledgements for her excellence in teaching, including the Golden Apple, the Kathy Osterman Award for Superior Public Service, and the Michael Jordan Education Club Teacher Achiever Award, as well as the prestigious national Milken Educator Award representing the State of Illinois.
In 2005, with the help of two teachers and two parents, Cheryl D. Watkins wrote a proposal to open a school under the Chicago Public Schools’ Renaissance 2010 program and was named the Principal of John J. Pershing West Middle School, a highly respected performance model school. Cheryl’s tenure with the Chicago Public Schools includes being an assistant principal, an administrator and teacher facilitator and a special education teacher. In addition to presenting at conferences and workshops, Cheryl works to improve education through her participation on various committees, including the Illinois School Finance Adequacy Initiative and Advance Illinois. She also serves as the 2nd Vice Chair of the Golden Apple Academy. Cheryl enjoys sharing what she has learned by teaching at local colleges and universities in the Chicago area, and she is completing her doctorate at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Her educational interests include teacher and para-educator preparation, cultural language and its effect on literacy, and supporting the teaching and learning of individuals with disabilities.
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