Second Step E-Newsletter
January 2012
Chrysanthemum
By Kevin Henkes
Reading Level: Preschool to Grade 2
Chrysanthemum loved her name.
“She loved the way it sounded when her mother woke her up.
“She loved the way it sounded when her father called her for dinner.
“And she loved the way it sounded when she whispered it to herself in the bathroom mirror:
“Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum.”
Imagine the shock and heartbreak when on the first day of kindergarten some of this sweet little mouse’s classmates make fun of her name. You would wilt too. Luckily her parents are good at boosting her spirits with love, Parcheesi, and cookies, but they are no match against the continued teasing. Nor are the good luck charms Chrysanthemum carries to school.
Name-Calling: Even Your Own Name Can Hurt
Being teased for one’s name can be just as painful as being called cruel names. It cuts right to the core of a person’s (or mouse’s) identity. Chrysanthemum’s schoolmates don’t have to change her name in order to mock her. It’s all in the tone and the gratuitous comments and veiled threats: “She even looks like a flower,” says Victoria, the leader of the pack.
“Let’s pick her,” says Rita.
“Let’s smell her,” says Jo.
It isn’t until an “indescribable wonder” of a music teacher shows up that Chrysanthemum finds a way back to loving her unusual name.
Social-Emotional Lessons in Chrysanthemum
Getting the support of an admired teacher is all it takes in this case for a happy ending. Chrysanthemum’s parents are behind her 100 percent, it’s true, but they don’t have anything concrete to offer in the way of handling the teasing. Chrysanthemum’s teacher, on the other hand, boosts the young mouse in the eyes of her peers by publicly identifying with her.
Although it is important to find someone—a friend, a teacher, a parent—to back you up when social situations are troubling, it’s even more important to find ways to actively deal with the challenges. Chrysanthemum’s bullying problem is a perfect stage for brainstorming and applying multiple solutions.
Problem-Solving Activity
After reading Chrysanthemum together in the classroom, talk about other ways Chrysanthemum might have solved her problem. Help students go through the Second Step Problem-Solving Steps on behalf of our little heroine:
- Saying the problem
- Thinking of solutions (other than having a fairy godmother of a music teacher save the day!)
- Evaluating the solutions
- Picking one to try
This is also a good time to review the name-calling lesson in the Kindergarten or Grade 1 Second Step program, to remind students it is not okay to call people names that hurt their feelings; that if someone calls you a name, you can ignore the person or respond assertively; and that if the person doesn’t stop calling you names, you should find a grownup who will help.
Have the students re-tell Chrysanthemum’s story a few times with different approaches to her problem. Have them vote on their favorite solution, then ask why they chose it. This is an opportunity to guide students in asking themselves questions to evaluate the solutions; for example: “So you think Chrysanthemum should tell Victoria to stop bothering her. Is that safe? Is it fair? How will it make people feel? Will it work?”
