"Queen Bees and Wannabes" Author Sets Record Straight on Bullying
By: Kim Behrens
Updated: June 20, 2012
NORMAL--A bestselling author whose anti-bullying book inspired the hit movie "Mean Girls" is on a statewide tour raising awareness about the issue in schools.
Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes is helping teachers across Illinois understand how to handle bullying in schools.
Today she spoke at Normal Community West offering tips on creating a culture of equality in their classrooms.
Wiseman says bullying is a problem for all people, no matter their age or grade level.
If hurtful words are said, she's empowering all educators to take action to stop the problem before it escalates.
"Teachers need to say, 'You cannot use the word "gay" to put somebody down. You can't use the "b-word" to put somebody down. You can't do it. It is unacceptable,"' said Wiseman. "We don't need to have a documentary about it, we don't have to spend the whole class on it, we have standards in this school. We're not going to put people down in class."
Wiseman also recommends teachers openly communicate with their students to address problems together.
She's currently in talks with a production studio on another movie for her bullying book Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads.
