Every day, we make choices about the parts of ourselves we’re willing to show to others and the parts to keep private. Sometimes we can’t control how others see us, and the automatic judgments that people form about us—and that we form about them— keeps all of us from truly understanding the complex world we inhabit.
Cross the Line is a part bonding, part diversity-awareness activity that gets students thinking about the ways they relate to and differ from each other. There are many variations of the activity, but we like this one by Hope Alliance, an agency based in Round Rock, Texas, that provides services to victims of sexual and emotional violence.
Intensity of the activity can be easily adjusted according to students’ ages and the social nature of the group. As the school year comes to a close, you may consider altering and adding statements from Hope Alliance’s suggested list to reflect your students, issues, and concerns that have come up in your class.
