What Others Say

“As the Director of Player Development for the World Champion Baltimore Ravens and as a former NFL player, I know the damage bullying does to players and teamwork. Thanks to Paul Coughlin of The Protectors, I now have a unique resource that helps my players overcome the harm from past bullying, help them better handle future bullying, and also help players overcome the urge to bully in the future, creating better teamwork, motivation and trust….” (See full Baltimore Ravens letter) — Harry Swayne, Director of Player Development, Baltimore Ravens

“We would love for you to return to our school! You have been the most inspirational speaker we have ever had!” — Ashland Middle School

“I just wanted you to know how meaningful your presentation was to the students in our school district. For you to be able to talk to students in grades five through high school about bullying in a context that they could understand and appreciate, was very gratifying for us…Perhaps, more importantly, was the time you spent with our parents and neighbors from our school community. For them to hear how many ways they could actually help their own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews grow strong and understand how bullying really works was a most profound experience for them.”
— Dr. Barbara Pulliam Davis, Superintendent, Green County School System, GA

“Paul Coughlin’s presentation was compelling, relevant and accessible to every student. His ability to reach our students on such a complicated topic was inspiring and all of the parents who observed the presentation said it was one of the best assemblies they had seen. Mr. Coughlin has a natural gift and, more importantly, a message that needs to be heard. Having Mr. Coughlin at our school was one of the best investments of PTO funds ever.”
— Katie Tso, President, Hoover Elementary PTO

“Paul is very dynamic and engaged all of our students. I was impressed to see more than 350 high school students remain so attentive and captured by his presentation. He did a great job relating these issues to students and helping them understand how impacting they can be. Not only was I impressed with his presentation style, he also taught our students how to help one another and gave them strategies to use when being bullied and harassed. I strongly recommend Paul. Don’t hesitate to call for a recommendation.”
— Jesse Pershin, Principal, Rogue River High School, OR

“After your anti-bullying presentation, our class discussed times when we might have been bullies and when we’ve been bullied. During this time, one of my students apologized for writing a mean note to someone in the class just last week. She said that your bullying assembly made her realize what a horrible feeling that must have been to have received the note. The two girls went home all smiles today.”
— Fourth-Grade Teacher, GA

“As I left the Protectors assembly, I overheard a student say, “What a waste of time. We don’t have bullying at this school.” I said, “Yes we do, I know several students who have left our school because of it.” That prompted me to change my lesson plan to discuss bullying. To my surprise and delight, one student publicly apologized to another boy for saying unkind things in the past. I affirmed the young man’s courage, and told him I would hold him accountable and so would the rest of the class. The student who had been bullied accepted the apology with grace. It was one of those special moments that I will remember for a long time.”
— Sixth-Grade Teacher, CA

“The Protectors curriculum is changing the lives of our students. After just two weeks parents are already calling the school office to tell us that what we are teaching has had a major impact on their children. Mr.Coughlin gives excellent and tangible examples that our students can use to confront school bullying. He also equips them to become courageous bystanders and to help targets of bullies. This curriculum addresses the issue of confronting school bullying without promoting violence, similar to civil disobedience introduced by Henry David Thoreau and used by leaders like Martin Luther King and Ghandi. This curriculum, while assertive, is a non-aggressive approach that truly is giving our students the ability to stand against injustice at our school. I have already contacted other educators in other states to promote his material, which is easy to follow and implement and the result is life changing.”
— Darla Harms, Assistant Administrator & Life Skills Instructor, Unity Christian School, Energy, IL

“The whole presentation was amazing and it really helped. In the past I have been bullied so I know how important it is to stay positive and appear confident. I really liked how funny you were at times, and it got the point across more when you shared personal things. It was also good that you said the true and false things about bullies. Thank you for speaking at my school. You’re an inspiration.”
— Kaitlin, Freshman Student, Grants Pass High School, Grants Pass, OR