Bullying: An Unnecessary Tragedy

Images borrowed from http://www.childsafetyaustralia.com.au/children/bullying/bullying.htm

My Issue:

What are strategies to address bullying in the 4J  school district?
    
My solution:
If 4J does not start receiving funding, and community support to help with the escalating bullying problem, 4J will no longer be able to keep our students safe.

Why this matters to me:

There will be many benefits to my argument if I successfully get my point across. Some of those benefits are.
    - funding for an anti bullying task force, that offers crisis management, resources for the schools, and help with education on bullying.
    - Support for “bullying survivors,”education, counseling, and empowerment.
    - Education for parents of bullies and for  the bullied, as well as support groups

This issue seems to have gotten completely out of hand, I watch the news and I hear from friends how bad the “Bullying Issues” really is. I have a possible solution for this issue, and feel that I have to speak out due to a sense of responsibility. This is, after all, my town, my school district, and my village.

  When I was a child a was bullied and barely made it out alive. I was being chased across  a highway, by my bullies, they were throwing rocks at my head. I avoided cars only by pure divine intervention.  I also have an older son who was being bullied in middle school by a child younger and smaller than him. No one listened since they looked at the size difference and decided that there was no way the bullying was happening, thus my son needed lots of counseling to help him be who he is today.
 I am also now a mom of a little boy who is being the bully, however he was bullied before becoming the bully. Again the school ignored and minimized what was happening, and now he is being that bully. He just recently  told me “Why should I let them hurt me first?” “ I am better off doing the bullying...this way I am safe.” This made me think, is he wrong? is he right?
 This is the reason I am writing this paper, there is so much that is being overlooked; there is so much that is not being addressed.

The controversy behind it all:

Lately there has been more and more talk and reports about bullying in the media. Suicides  as a result of bullying. Bullying has become a big controversial issue, it has gone viral.

4J has a limited list of what constitutes “Bullying”, their action plan is minimal.

My evidence is contradictory. Schools know bullying is happening however are unable to address the issue because their Bullying policy has not kept up with time and technology.

Who is involved with my issue?
There are many people involved with this issues and the solution for this issue.There is 4j as a whole, community members, voters, parents, students and myself

Disagreements:
    * parents involvement and their responsibility for the behavior of their child or children..
    * not strict enough or too strict of a consequence for the bully, or the lack of.
    * how to support the bullied
    * funding, necessity of funds being diverted to help school get the right support



 Action plan: Where to start! Who is in charge?

I need to start at the bottom and lay some really great and well organized groundwork, to get the attention of the people on the top (4J). I need to inform other parents about the possible solutions and the misconceptions of bullying. Knowledge is power and I am fully willing and able to use that power to get my point across.
I need to problem solve with community members, and find financial support through fundraising, grants and donations.
Once that groundwork is laid, and the proper meetings scheduled. I can and will move forward on tabling  the “Bullying “ issue. At that point I will be able to reach the top and make the changes that need to be made.
My attention getter will be something like this:
“The destructive path of bullies has left many victims behind; some of the victims, not just the bullied but also the bullies themselves, let me explain where I am coming from:”

Values and beliefs of whom I am talking to

4j values- 4J is doing all they can, there is a lack of funding and support. We already have a Bullying policy and through that policy bullying has gone down. There really is no need for a new anti-bullying policy.

This is only the beginning!

               My Feedback

                                         

I believe my most helpful comment was my last one.  I must say that I loved this blog the best. He made many awesome points and it was easy to read. 

http://jgamboa808.blogspot.com/2012/10/tmitoo-much-information.html?showComment=1350876516857#c1561280684131509754

My most helpful comment was

http://wordwidewriting.blogspot.com/2012/10/gaybies-my-children-mariah-simeon-anna.html?showComment=1350777767044#c5560369628400670962 

I loved getting feedback from my peers, both of the comments were very helpful. I, in my ways, am very critical  of myself . I am constantly stressing over my writing abilities; writing is one of my great passions.
I love words, and I love the freedom to say what I want.
 Getting honest feedback is important and very appreciated.

.   

http://robertswrittingview.blogspot.com/2012/10/me-no-dumb-me-have-computor-technology.html?showComment=1350872093342#c5531643844710683067

http://mccoolb.blogspot.com/2012/10/divergence-we-stand.html?showComment=1350873332002#c7292917949497180814

http://jasminejewelhood.blogspot.com/2012/10/its-appeal.html?showComment=1350874111259#c6261175156531614532

http://laneadventuresofliz.blogspot.com/2012/10/access-denied.html?showComment=1350875094834#c1206305435307447978

http://lifeorsomethinglikeallofus.blogspot.com/2012/10/lies-embed-our-lives-with-fatigue.html?showComment=1350875651776#c1308342270210682954

http://smitrovitch.blogspot.com/2012/10/attack-of-ipod.html?showComment=1350876229278#c6733082482627197874

http://jgamboa808.blogspot.com/2012/10/tmitoo-much-information.html?showComment=1350876516857#c1561280684131509754

      Gaybies

                                                   My Children Mariah, Simeon, Anna 
                                                                      ( These are my reality checks)

    My mind as been stretched since I have been made more aware of the different lifestyles surrounding me. I must say since my daughter Mariah has come into my life over two years ago, she has managed to completely change my point of view on certain issues. In my writing class we were asked to pick our own topics; which ones seemed more important to us. My number one choice was marriage and gender roles. This is my most challenging topic, since I have had my own ideas about what marriage should be and what a gender role is. To me a gender role was, which job I as a wife and mother would carry out in my home, and what was left for my husband. If you would have talked to me a little over two and half years ago about this, that would have been my answer.

   When people talk about gender roles it goes so much deeper. There is such a big controversy about this issue; about gay rights, lesbian rights. Should a gay or lesbian couple be able to be foster parents, adopt or even have the right to raise a child? Would that be damaging to the child, will it ruin the child? I have heard pro's and cons about this. 

   Let's get back to class, we had the choice to pick an article that belongs to our topic, the guys in my group let me pick first (that was so nice, thanks :) )I chose this article "My Daughters Have No Mothers" by Max Mutchnick, I did not read what it was about, the title just caught my eye. I am really glad that I chose this one. For two and a half years I have been trying to explain how I feel about all of this. I believe wholeheartedly that it should not matter whether kids have a same sex couple, hetero couple, or a  single mom or dad for parents, as long as they are safe people; the love of a parent is the love of a parent.

                                               Author Max Mutchnick with his twin girls and life partner

  In his article "My Daughters Have No Mother" Max Mutchnick  describes the hoops "Gay" people have to jump through to have a baby. The planning, the waiting, the anxieties and the search for the right person to donate the egg, the same for the person to carry the baby, the right DNA. To me this sounds as if it's not any different then when my aunt was looking for a sperm donor, or for any other couple that can't get pregnant to find just the right stranger(s) to help them. Mutchnick describes how he felt during all of this, and how he is realizing that his daughters do not have a mother but they do have a big family, a clean and safe environment, laughter, and lots and lots of love from two wonderful doting fathers. Wow, this really did it for me, it sounds to me that these girls have everything their hearts will ever want or need.

                                           Family image shutterstock.com

 Is this not what being a parent is all about? Being there for your kids, loving them and spoiling them? 

So why should it matter if the parents are same sex or not, love for your child is love for your child, and trust me there are lots of kids out there living in hetero households that never get to see even a fraction of the love Mutchnick's girls see daily.

                                               It-Takes-a-Village image from brokendownhouseonfire.com    
"It takes a village to raise a child" how often I have heard someone tell me that's the way it should be, a village, meaning it will take more than the parents to raise a child. I believe that this concept  is what Mutchnick was talking about, he even uses a version of this old saying "It takes a village to make a gaybie".

                   The Truth About Lies Opened my Eyes!

                                            My Youngest Son Malachi

  This is the look of a kid who just got busted in an out-and-out lie, yup he thought that no one was watching as he sneaked it to my tent to steal some candy, he was wrong. Yes this is the face of a boy who is still lying and is trying to use his cute blue eyes to convince me (mom) that I did not see what I saw. I don’t know if it is a parent thing or a just me thing, but I do know when someone is lying to me. He is just about to realize that lying will get him nowhere, except into more trouble. 

  I always tell my kids how much I hate being lied to; how much it hurts and frustrates me when they think that I am stupid enough to fall for their lies. Of all the rules that I have in my home, the one about lying gets broken the most. 

Today in class we read this essay about the different kinds of lies.  The author, Stephanie Ericsson catalogs them in "The Ways We Lie". This essay has broadened my horizons, and helped me to see where I have been a hypocrite.

I have learned that I lie more than I could have ever imagined. I thought I was an honest person, but in reality, I am an avid user of the white lie. 

I feel like I should be in a meeting of Liars Anonymous 

My Name is Simone and I am a liar?

I think maybe I am being just a little bit melodramatic, maybe just maybe it is not all so bad to use a white lie? But who is to say where a white lie ends and another kind of lie starts.

I do not have the answer to that question, however I need to say, that got me thinking and made me more mindful of what comes out of my mouth.

What has been learned cannot be unlearned! 

My Rose-Colored Shaped Pyramid Glasses

The Pyramids of Giza

Photograph by Jochen Schlenker/Picture Library

From any angle, Giza's Pyramids inspire awe. Memorials to Egyptian kings, the Pyramids have risen above the desert outside Cairo for more than 4,000 years. Stone—not sun-dried mud brick—gave permanence to these ancient monuments.

I just bought my son a book all about Egypt, about the pharaohs, Moses and the children of Israel. We both just sat there and enjoyed the story; both of us wondered how awesome it would be to go to Egypt and meet the pharaoh from today. For some reason Egypt for me has always been a magical place, a place of wonder, a place where Mummies come to life and where bugs eat you from the inside out. My so called rose-colored glasses where shattered as I came across an article by Hany Rashwan "Communication Key to Egypt's Uprising" In this article Rashwan talks about the causes of the Egyptian revolution; the fear the government had of the internet, fear that the people would be able to communicate faster and more often, fear of the sheer amount of information the Egyptian people would have access to and therefore understand that they could have a better life, fear that others would come and support the people of Egypt, fear that democracy would take Egypt over. Rashwan paints a beautiful picture of unity, how through a joint effort the Citizens of Egypt were set free.

Demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square on 8 February 2011

I asked myself if this article was effective or not? I thought for a long time, effective in which way? Hmm.

If the author wanted others to know about the revolution and truly think about what happened in Egypt, then no.  If, on the other hand, he wanted to show people how the Internet and the Information Superhighway can be used as a tool, yes even as a weapon, then definitely yes.  It was so refreshing to me so see how the internet was used this time.  I've heard of commanders using smartphones and the internet to call in airstrikes and other war machines.  This time the Internet was used to organize a relatively peaceful revolution that ended with the dictator being ousted without such a huge loss of life and so much damage.  Yes, people were killed and injured, but not nearly as many as there would have been in a military revolution, and the violence of last winter was mostly one-sided.

I am glad that I got to shed those rose-colored glasses; I have now read a lot about Egypt, (the modern Egypt) and have learned many great things. I hope that everyone will have a chance to read up on this amazing story and how through the internet people were able to "Unite".

Set Dumbo Free

Bull Elephant Stands his Ground

                                                                                   Photograph by Chris Johns

Male African elephants usually travel alone and are significantly larger than females.

In his 2005 Washington Post article " Let the Elephants Go," Les Schobert claims that elephants in zoos and circuses are dying young, because of inadequate space and living conditions.  These poor living conditions are causing the pachyderms to suffer from foot and joint problems so severe that the elephants have to be euthanized to take them out of their misery.  He explains that in the wild, elephants have an extensive home range and live in herds.  These herds are necessary for their social development.  Many elephants in zoos and circuses live either alone or with only a few other elephants.  Mr. Schobert asserts that, though zoos and circuses have come a long way in treating elephants in their care much better than they have in the past, it is not enough.  These elephants need to be put in sanctuaries, set aside for them to live out their lives and heal from the damage of zoo and circus life.

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Schobert about the elephants needing help with better living arrangements.In a world full of humanitarians where our minds have been opened to all kinds of animal abuse; where we as a race have a better idea of our role in the scheme of things, we need to stand up and pass laws that will no longer allow zoos to keep elephants unless they meet proper space, terrain, and surface requirements.

I am a foster parent, and in order to be certified to take care of children, my home, myself and my husband, and my life have to be thoroughly investigated in a rigorous and sometimes tortuous manner.  On top of that, every six months a social worker will come in and inspect every inch of my home to insure that I am still not abusing the kids or making drugs.  I also have to get 40 hours of training every two years to make sure I am current on the laws and changes in the system.  I believe that such a system should be implemented for zoos, circuses or others who want to keep elephants (or other wildlife, for that matter.)  If we are going to take animals out of their natural environment for our entertainment or education, we owe it to them to give them the best, most comfortable, and closest to their original habitat living arrangements that we can.  If we can’t do this, then we should leave them in the wild.

http://youtu.be/eRF-guicWOM

Through my research I came across this video off an elephant sanctuary. 

This Sanctuary is closed to the public, if you give a big enough donation you maybe lucky to get a private tour.

Check it out !

My Name is Simone Elias and this is a church that is over 700 years old. 

It is located in my home town, across the street from my childhood home.

I am from Germany.

In Germany you will find cigarette  machines like this one, I know that parts of the United States have cigarette machines  The differences is, this one has a slot for your ID to go in. You can not buy Cigarettes unless you are over 16.

I now live in Oregon. 

I love it here, there is so much to see and do, my favorite spot is at the beach.

 I love the stormy sea. 

I am the happiest person alive,

I live here with my Soul mate Nick.

I am also a student at LCC.