Blog #9 - School Bullies

My project was on school bullies. Bullying is a serious matter, but in my blog #10, I took a funny side on how to handle bullies with the bodyguard and the crazy eyes. These are some attempts that can be made to ward off the enemy, but unfortunately, these solutions do not work on all bullies, like it did in the movies.
I think at one time we have all had to deal with a bully. I myself did when I was in the fifth grade. I was the new kid in class and she would pick on me in different ways. One of them was to offer me candy and then take it away while she and her followers laughed. When I shrugged my shoulders and showed that it did not bother me, she got mad and tried to shove the candy in my mouth. I still would not eat the candy. I would just stare at her with no emotion. I handled her with an "I don't care attitude", so my bulling did not last long because she got bored with the lack of response and me not showing fear.
As a parent, I had to deal with my son being bullied. We took the required steps that the school wanted us to follow, but the bulling continued till momma stepped in. No, I did not handle it myself...I taught my son how to handle the bully. Was it the right way? I think so. Would other parents or school staff agree? Probably not. But it worked and he was left alone!
As scary as it was for him, the first step was to address the bully and ask why. The second step was to give a warning that if he did not stop, he would suffer the consequences, and the third step was to take action. The bully did not heed his warnings, so it was taken to the third step; which was to make sure no teachers were around, that there was not a crowd of kids as witnesses, to make one good solid punch to the stomach to knock the breath out of him, and walk away. If my son got caught, he understood that he would have to accept the schools punishment. He was lucky. He did not get caught and the bully never bothered him again.
My solution to school bullies is that the parents need to be more involved with their kids. Don't rely on the school to handle your kids problem. Involve the school but also be there to support your kid and listen to their fears. Parents need to teach the different steps on how to handle a bully without teaching them to go in with guns blaring.
As you can see, my bully backed down when I showed no interest or fear, and my sons bully backed down after a physical confrontation. As with everything in life, each problem has a solution, but it comes in different forms.

Blog #10 - School Bullies

Blog #8

Entrophy
1 Car broke down
2 Root canal
3 Frig conked out
4 Windows leaking when it rains
5 No show babysitter
6 Hair turning gray
7 House needed paint
8 Holes in sons sneakers
9 Could not send child to public school
10 People are unemployed

Bombs
1 Bumped head sledding
2 Had a brain tumor
3 Surgery right away
4 Poor grades
5 Grouchy teachers
6 Dateless weekends
7 Friends sister arrested for drugs
8 Boy shoot himself
9 Car full of seniors die in car crash
10 Best friend died in her sleep

Blog #7 - Abolish Grading

Of course I am for abolishing the grading system. I am one of those people that does not test well and that is why I hesitated for years to go back to college. There are the people that are very intelligent, but give them a test or a short time frame to complete something, and they freeze up or fall apart because of the pressure. Grades should not apply because everyone has something different to contribute. This actually applies to any area of work, school, and life situations.
For instance, you have two police officers on the force. One, who is buff , in shape, and could out run and catch a criminal, but dumber than a door nail. The other officer is a little heavier and not in shape, but knows the law, knows how to handle a dangerous situation, and is aware and alert of surroundings. One officer passed the academy because of his physical endurance and the other one passed because of his knowledge and skills to handle the public. Together they would make a good team because they both have something different to contribute.
Students are the same way. We are all different in how we learn and test. Kids today are not learning because the government has enforced the TAKS test. Teachers are under the pressure to have their students pass this test for fear of low test scores, which is a reflection of their knowledge as a professional educator and could lose their job. They are so busy teaching this government test, that they do not get to teach the actual subject. So in my opinion, the students are bored and not learning the importance of the subject. Bring fun back into the classroom!

Blog #6

Playlist Blog 5

Facebook and freedom of speech

        I found an article in The New York Times - "Facebook wrestles with Free Speech and civility".
        Facebook has become an open book into peoples lives. People provide everything to everyone. Their schedules, events, likes & dislikes, pictures, and opinions on different topics.
       This website allows people to voice their feelings on certain subjects. Some subjects are funny, some are stupid, and some are very serious. It doesn't matter what the topic is, it will offend someone. So where does Facebook draw the line on what people say is freedom of Speech? They have bullying, people threatening people, pornographic pictures, political discussions on race or religion, etc. How do they decide what to leave up and what to take down? 
       I feel that Facebook is a great way to advertise a product or business, and to stay in touch with friends and family that live far away. I have an account with Facebook, but I am not a big Facebook fan. I do not go crazy with it or get on it everyday. I just use it to keep in touch with friends and family.