First, I have signed with BenBella Books to publish the sequel to Please Stop Laughing at Me… It is titled, Please Stop Laughing at Us… and it will be published in September, 2007. I will keep you very well posted on my progress as I begin writing this very week.

I am also thrilled to report that the website ClubMom.com, founded by Meredith Viera, has just named me to be a “ClubMom Expert” for bullying.

Recently, I had the opportunity to tape a television program that can be seen on the Hallmark Channel titled, New Morning. If you have had the opportunity to watch the show, you know that each day there is a theme. The show that I was invited to participate in has the theme “Belonging.” I hope you will tune in. Blanco Group, my Manager and Agent (aka “The Little General”) will fill you in on the details.

To all of you who have purchased the DVD of my anti-bullying program “It’s NOT Just Joking Around!” for your schools and organizations, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m very proud of it, and I’m glad that you find it a worthwhile investment for your school.

As the school year winds down, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have taken your time to sign up for this newsletter. Thank you to those who have booked me to speak at your schools. Thank you to the students who have read my book and took the time to write. I wish you a peaceful summer, filled with joy and happiness. Please keep me in your prayers as I endeavor to write the story of “us.”

I am looking forward to getting back out on the road again. I hope to see you in the Fall, but in the meantime, I am here if you need me.

Hugs,
Jodee

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Jodee's message for students:

1. Reach out to the new students at school. It's an easy way to make new friends.
2. Get involved in an activity you enjoy. If the school doesn't offer it, have your parents research other activity
     alternatives.
3. Share your thoughts and feelings with your parents about the new school year, your teachers, and your
     classmates, they want to hear.
4. Visit your school counselor and get to know them now so that you have a comfortable relationship already
     established in case anything comes up during the year that you need to talk about.

Jodee's message for parents:

1. Pay attention to your child's mood. Don't just relegate grumpiness to back to school blues. It could be fear
     masquerading as irritability.
2. It's the beginning of the school year. Get involved now before problems start, not after they've begun.
3. Establish a rapport with your child's guidance counselor.
4. Get to know you child's friends parents and establish an open line of communication and support.

Jodee's message for teachers:

1. Pay attention to where you're seating students, and be sensitive to their reactions and needs. Beware of
     alphabetical seating. Place the shy kid in the middle of the classroom. Be sensitive to the relationships between
     students, and use that as a seating guide.
2. Schedule a few minutes of private time with each student to get to know them as people. Let your students see
      you as a person instead of just an authority figure. This will establishes a comfort zone and create a common
      bond to build the year upon.
3. Incorporate lessons on bullying as you are preparing your assignments. Bring the human element into your
     quizzes. For example. Don't just ask about definitions and dates, ask how it must have felt to have been Benedict
     Arnold, or the lowest on the food chain, or Macbeth.
4. Communicate with other teachers about students who may be victims of bullying and strategize on ways to
     alleviate it. Create a support network among yourselves. It is surprising how many schools I visit where faculty
     members are unaware of what happens in each other's classrooms.

Jodee's message for Adult Survivors of Peer Abuse:

1. If you're an adult survivor of peer abuse and you relive it very time you start a new year with your child, you may
     want to speak to a therapist to get you through this time of transition.
2. Recognize the difference between your baggage and the challenges your child faces. Don't let old memories
     from your school years make you more protective than you should be of your child.
3. Use your insights as a former victim of bullying to help other parents recognize the signs.
4. Remember, your child isn't you - your child is their own strong independent individual.
5. Keep a journal of insecurities and discomfort triggered by the start of the new year. Refer to that journal when
     you have the opportunity to help your child whether they are a bully, victim, or bystander.
6. Do what Jodee does - turn your pain into purpose to help students, parents, and educators in your own
     community.

     Always Remember… Standing up for yourself in the moment abuse occurs is your human right
     Seeking vengeance later on is a mistake.

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It's NOT Just Joking Around!
A SURVIVOR'S GUIDE TO BULLYING AND PEER ABUSE
The DVD/CD Combo set is now available!. Jodee Blanco, author of the New York Times best-seller
PLEASE STOP LAUGHING AT ME... shares her inspiring story, and offers practical advice on the issue of bullying.

The DVD
Student Seminar
The DVD Student Seminar Jodee talks openly with students about the issue of bullying. She draws from her own deeply personal experiences as a former school outcast, sharing dramatic incidents from her past. She specifically addresses the bullies, drawing climactic attention to the severe damage that they cause. She ends this part of her presentation with the concept of moving forward. She illustrates the point with eloquent and rousing inspiration - how she recently attended her 20th high school reunion and, despite her terror, managed to walk through the banquet room doors. The response she received changed her life, and now it is helping her to change the lives of thousands of others. Also included: Questions and Answers, Student Strategies and Guidelines, and A Visual History - Jodee's biography in photographs.

The Audio CD
Teacher/Professional Workshop
The only thing worse than a bully, is a bystander, someone who sits back and lets another person get hurt and abused. If your friends are picking on someone, tell them to stop, period. You can also do role playing with the victim. This is really cool. Here’s how it works. Tell the victim that you think you can help them, that what you want to do with them is a kind of play rehearsal. You pretend you’re the bully, and this other student plays himself, i.e. the victim. Act out a scene together. Encourage this kid to look you in the eye, tell you to “stop now,” and maintain the stare. If you allow this person who’s getting bullied a chance to practice with you on how to stare the real bullies down and tell them to stop, you will be the friend they need. Like I said, think of this exercise as a rehearsal for a play—the kid who’s getting picked on is playing the part of hero, you’re playing the part of the villain. It’s a great way to help and you’ll both gain much from the experience.

$495.00 plus $10.00 UPS delivery charge (US Dollars)

District discounts available on orders of three or more.
Please call the office at 708-873-9225.

Make checks payable to: The Blanco Group, 11512 West 183rd Street, Suite SE, Orland Park, IL 60467
Please include your Federal Tax Exempt Number on all checks or Purchase Orders.

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JODEE'S FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


Question: How does bullying affect a victim’s personality?

Jodee’s Response: There are many warning signs that a child is being abused by his or her peers. Some of those signs are more subtle, others more obvious. They include: lethargy; depression; inexplicable fits of rage; faking illness or willing oneself sick to avoid going to school; avoidance of taking the school bus; sudden weight loss or gain; extreme make-over attempts such as body piercings, tattoos or complete change in style of dress; sudden increase or decrease in grades; self-mutilation such as cutting; drug or alcohol use; aggressive behavior changes such as promiscuity or physical violence; and negative self-talk such as putting oneself down. The bottom line is that bullying damages kids and turns them into damaged adults.


Question: You note that there are two forms of bullying, what are they?

Josee’s Response: One form is innocuous, the other far more dangerous. The big school yard bully who picks on everyone indiscriminately, who steals everyone’s lunch money and who shoves everyone into lockers is doing no long-term psychological damage to anyone. In fact, he or she is the outcast.

Then there’s a group of popular kids, whom other students look up to, and faculty and parents adore because they participate in class, get good grades, and are involved in extracurricular activities. Bullying occurs when they single out one youth who’s different and make that person’s life a subtle living hell. They let him/her sit alone at lunch, roll their eyes at him/her as he/she passes them in the hall, gossip and giggle behind his/her back, never invite him/her to anything, and aggressively exclude him/her just to be cruel.

That’s the kind of bullying that’s dangerous because the outcast starts to believe there is something wrong with him/herself. When the outcast tries to tell the adults that he or she is being abused, often, the adults initial response is “well, what’s wrong with you, the kids who are picking on you are my best students, it must be something you did.” That poor kid ends up with nowhere to turn. I was that kid and there are millions of them out there right now who are getting such a raw deal out of the system.

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NEWS FROM “THE LITTLE GENERAL’S” OFFICE
I’m now booking Jodee for 2006-2007 school year. There are spots available, and I can offer a substantial price increase of you mention this newsletter and book by June 15. Please see the website for more information. Click the SEMINAR tab.

The DVD is selling like mad and I expect to run out of the first print run. In anticipation of more stock, I will be offering newsletter subscribers a $100.00 discount if ordered by June 15th. Visit the website and click on the DVD tab for info then give me a call at the number below. Ya know what, I’ll even throw in the shipping for you guys!

For those you looking for a copy of Please Stop Laughing at Me… for summer reading requirements or additional copies for friends and family it is now available in Target and Wal-Mart.

It’s NOT Just Joking Around! T-Shirts are available now. I am in the design stages and would love your opinion. Shoot me an email at info@jodeeblanco.com.

Please help me put Please Stop Laughing at Us… on the New York Times Best-Seller list in honor of Jodee and all of the bullied children worldwide. If you know of a website that will link to www.jodeeblanco.com, or a e-newsletter that would mention Jodee and the books, please let me know, and I will contact them immediately. The new book will be available in stores on September 17, 2007. I’ll keep you posted often as the launch date gets closer. Let’s make a stand and let the world know that when it comes to bullying It’s NOT Just Joking Around!

BE A PART OF THE NEW BOOK LAUNCH!
I am booking Jodee NOW for school seminars, workshops, and keynote addresses to coincide with the book launch from September-December 2007. If your school or organization would like to be part of this ground-breaking anti-bullying event, or if you would like to volunteer to help on a personal level, please let me know immediately. We will be touring throughout the United States and Canada during that time.

Jodee’s in the writing studio working away as you read. Please do keep her in your prayers.

The Blanco Group
708-873-9225
info@jodeeblanco.com