Lesson Title: The Golden Rule — The Ancient Solution to Bullying

Grade Level: All Grades (3–12)
Time: 35–45 minutes
Goal: Students will understand that the Golden Rule teaches us how to treat our enemies like friends, transforming conflict through kindness.

🟡 WATCH (16 minutes)

Video: Brooks Gibbs — The Golden Rule: How to Stop Bullying

Show the video of Brooks telling his high-school story

Purpose:
Students experience the story emotionally — seeing how calmness and kindness can stop cruelty in its tracks.

Prompt Before Watching:
“While you watch, ask yourself: What did Brooks do differently than most people would? How did his calm, kind reaction change the situation?”

💭 THINK (15 minutes)

Discussion Guide (small groups or class discussion):

1. Understanding the Rule

   • What is the Golden Rule in your own words?

   • Why do you think it was invented for our enemies, not our friends?

2. Making It Personal

   • When someone is mean or disrespectful, how do you usually feel tempted to react?

   • What might happen if you chose to stay calm and kind instead?

3. Applying It at School

   • How can the Golden Rule help stop mean behavior?

   • What does “treat everyone like a friend” look like in the lunchroom, hallways, or online?

4. Reflection Question

   • Have you ever seen kindness change someone’s behavior? What happened?

Write key insights on the board — focus on “Kindness disarms meanness.”

🎮 PLAY (15–20 minutes)

Game Title: “The Golden Rule Challenge”

Goal: Practice responding to “enemy” behavior with calmness and kindness.

Setup:

• Divide the class into two teams (Team A and Team B).

• Each round, one volunteer from Team A draws a “Scenario Card” (read by the teacher).

• The volunteer must role-play how they would respond using the Golden Rule.

• Team B listens and decides if the response showed Calmness, Kindness, and Friendship.

  • 1 point for each quality demonstrated.

• Then switch teams.

Sample Scenario Cards:

1. Someone cuts in front of you in line.

2. A classmate posts something rude about you online.

3. A friend ignores you at lunch.

4. Someone calls you a name in gym class.

5. You accidentally bump someone, and they shove you.

Bonus Round:
Students must act out a scene showing both a “typical reaction” (anger, revenge) and then a “Golden Rule reaction” (calm, kind).

Debrief Questions:

• Which response made the situation worse?

• Which response made the situation better?

• What makes it hard to choose kindness when someone is mean?

✨ Closing Thought (3 minutes)

Write this on the board:

“Treat everyone like a friend — even your enemies.”

Say:
“When you treat others like friends, even mean people can’t stay mean for long. The Golden Rule gives you control over your own peace and happiness — and that’s how you end bullying without fighting back.”