Summary of the Story #12
Sofia tells about strangers who are health workers: the receptionist, the nurse, and the doctor, in the Red Stranger Circle. When health workers interact with Sofia, she limits the interaction to business, the business of her health. Sofia explains that she has only health business in common with them. She does not know their names or recognize their faces. She only knows their jobs by the uniforms they wear and the equipment they use. She has no emotional attachment to them; however, she recognizes that the nature of their business (health care) may involve personal, and even intimate touching that is not romantic.
Teacher’s Note
Appropriate business with a health worker is most often carried out through conversation, but certain circumstances require touching as part of the business relationship. Specifically, business related to physical health with doctors and the like, appropriately includes touch, talk, and trust. It should be pointed out that “medical” touch from a health care person has a different intention than touch that expresses affection or is romantic.
Program Aim
- To establish the degree of intimacy associated with health workers who are strangers in the Red Stranger Circle using business conducted through touch as an example.
Methods
Step 1
Review the items from the Evaluation section of “Community Helpers” replaying the video vignette using reminders and cues as necessary:
- Who is the most important person in your world of CIRCLES?
- Ask students to show the sign for the Red Stranger Circle.
- What kind of touch, talk, and trust is acceptable with a person in the Red Stranger Circle who is a community helper?
Step 2
Inform students that today they will learn more about the Red Stranger Circle. The second section will deal with strangers who are health workers whose interactions include business talk, business (medical) touch, and medical trust.
Step 3
Show the video vignette “Health Workers” and pause for discussion when the story concludes.
Step 4
Elicit the Deciding Factors from the students, either from their memory or by replaying the video vignette:
- Sofia recognizes the uniforms of the health workers at the clinic, even though she has never met this receptionist, this nurse, or this doctor before.
- Sofia may never have business again with these health workers
- Sofia has no personal common bonds with these health workers although she does have business with them.
- Sofia does not know the names of the health workers (until they are introduced) but knows the business they have together.
- Sofia does not reveal her emotions during business.
- Sofia’s business with the health workers is limited to business conducted respectfully.
Step 5
Teacher uses the laminated figural icons with the wall-mounted CIRCLES graph to demonstrate the placement of the new characters on the CIRCLES graph. Teacher asks each student to select laminated figural icons (or photos) representing themselves and a person with whom they have this kind of relationship. Teacher asks the student to name the figural icons (or photos) and place them appropriately on the mounted CIRCLES graph while characterizing that relationship.
Step 6
Ask students:
- What are the health worker relationships that you have that are the same as Sofia’s?
- What are different health worker relationships that you have?
Reassure students that there are many kinds of health workers. If the overall emotional tone is strictly business, as expressed by touch, talk, and trust, then the person is well placed in the health worker icon in the Red Stranger Circle. Remind students that liking someone or being liked by someone is not related to how well they do business.
Step 7
Distribute the personal CIRCLES graph, markers/crayons/colored pencils, and “Peel n’ Stick” icons. Have students identify the Red Stranger Circle ID icon that indicates a health worker. Hang up the CIRCLES giant wall graph and use figural icons (or photos) to demonstrate how students can personalize their CIRCLES graphs. Have students personalize the Red Stranger Circle by using the “Peel n’ Stick” icons which best represents the multitude of strangers in their world of CIRCLES making sure that the Six Deciding Factors are satisfied.
Step 8
Direct students, one at a time, to stand in front of the Purple Private Space on the mounted graph. Have students demonstrate the sign for the Red Total Stranger Space from that position. Point out the distance that is crossed in a Red Total Stranger Space relationship and compare it to the press ending circles. Have students observe the degree of distance and notice that the Red Total Stranger Space precludes all personal touch.
Step 9
Tell students, or elicit from students that if they are able, the following information about strangers in the Red Total Stranger Space:
- Touch - Sofia does not touch strangers.
- Talk - Sofia does not talk to strangers.
- Trust - Sofia does not trust strangers.
For Greater Depth (Optional)
Help students to demonstrate their understanding of the levels of touch, talk, and trust with total strangers in their Red Total Stranger Space by using the following roleplays as rehearsal opportunities and emphasizing the elements of touch, talk, and trust within the role play. Here are some suggested situations for your students to roleplay the level of touch, talk, and trust that is appropriate for strangers in the Red Total Stranger Space:
- Go to the store alone and stand in line with other total strangers to pay for your items.
- Take a public bus and there is only one seat available and it is beside a total stranger.
- Go to a new school where you do not know the children or teachers..
- Go to the library and check out some books and notice all the total strangers around you.
Summary
Replay the video vignettes as needed to reinforce students’ comprehension and skill development. Tell students that the total strangers in the Red Strangers Space are people they do not recognize and that they have no business with. A student cannot tell if a total stranger is helpful or harmful just by looking at them.
Evaluation
Teacher will question and review, playing video if desired:
- Who is the most important person in your world of CIRCLES?
- Ask students to show the sign for the Red Total Stranger Space
- What kind of touch, talk, and trust is acceptable with a total stranger in the Red Total Stranger Space with whom you have no business?
Support Activities
- Ask students a trick question. Tell them that a trick question is coming, and they need to think first. Ask: “Is a stranger a good or bad person?” Many students will blurt out that strangers are bad. Remind them that they cannot tell whether a stranger is good or bad by looking at them. A stranger is a person they do not know and, consequently, cannot tell whether they are good or bad. Repeat this exercise emphasizing that point and reminding students to be cautious of strangers because they CAN’T tell if they are good or bad, rather than “all strangers are bad.”
- Introduce the term “public” again. Inform students that total strangers are likely to be present in public places. Have students make a collage of places where there are likely to be many total strangers.
- With the CIRCLES graph as background, invite a student to stand in front of the Purple Private Circle. Teacher covers his/her face with a mask or photo of a stranger (don’t be afraid of comic relief here, Frankenstein is a stranger too!), and stand away as though in the Red Total Stranger Space. Have students practice ignoring the “stranger” no matter how they look or what they do.
- Take a trip to a community setting (e.g., movie theater, mall, museum) and remind students of the no touch, no talk, no trust relationship they have with total strangers and ask them to practice while on the trip. Ask students to observe whether the total strangers they see seem to know their OWN Red Total Stranger Space relationships and their OWN circles. What do they notice about how people who probably don’t know each other act in public?
For Greater Depth (Optional)
Ask students to share what factors they would consider before placing a person in the Red Total Stranger Space, such as…
- May never have seen the total stranger before.
- May never see the total stranger again.
- Have no common bonds or business with the total stranger.
- Do not know anything personal about the total stranger.
- Do not show their feelings to the total stranger.
- Do not expect help from a total stranger. You do not know this person and cannot tell if they will help you.
For Critical Thinking (Optional)
What if…
- A total stranger offers to drive you home?
- A total stranger asks you to help him find his wallet?
- A total stranger asks you for money?
- A total stranger falls down near you?
- You fall down and a total stranger tries to help you get up?
- A total stranger asks you to go to the movies with him?
- A total stranger signals you to go into the bathroom with him?
- A total stranger contacts you online and wants to meet you?
See Part 2, Disk #4 “Cyberspace Rules” for Red Stranger Space considerations for online safety.
Consider This
David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, dispels many of the myths about “dangerous” strangers. While it’s essential to protect vulnerable individuals, and here at Stanfield we believe “better safe than sorry,” it’s important for you as teachers and parents to know that most children are vastly more likely to come to harm, even be abducted, by people who are known and familiar to them. Being able to recognize early on when touch, talk, and trust crosses a boundary empowers students to avert potential danger by disengaging and getting help