How to Be Assertive

Gr 7 Up—Standing up to bullying and peer pressure requires that students learn how to be assertive and communicate their needs. A diverse group of young actors dramatize various situations in which someone is being coerced to do something that they find uncomfortable. Segments depict teens being pressured into drinking, using steroids, going to a party where drugs are being used, and having sex. Some of the vignettes are depicted three times with the teen responding passively, angrily, and assertively. The host explains how to speak in an assertive manner, that it is okay to change your mind, and more. Viewers are told that being assertive "gives them the power to negotiate." The film culminates with a the consultants reviewing the information and stating that "people often mistake aggression for assertion" and that being assertive can be frightening because it requires you to take a risk. Although the "consultants" offer the most concise and usable information of the production, their credentials are not given. This film does a fine job of presenting some very basic points about becoming assertive and would be useful to generate classroom discussion.—Lisa Hubler, Memorial Junior High School, South Euclid, OH