"No More Band-Aids"

Why do people bully others?  Well, there are many reasons, but I think the biggest reason is they like the feeling of power it gives them.  Bullies gain this "power" over others by calling them names, spreading lies, leaving them out, threatening them, scaring them, taking or damaging their property, hitting or kicking them, pressuring them, and making them look weak and fearful.

Wow...I feel horrible just reading that list.  Imagine being the victim.  Bullying can make a victim feel unsafe and afraid, unhappy and lonely.  Bullying can cause a victim to doubt and blame themself, lose their confidence, and puts them under great mental stress.  Sometimes bullying can even make the victim physically sick from fear and anxiety.  Would you want to live this way?  Do you live this way?

LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...
 
I'm tired of all the "band-aids" we try to put on this problem.  What do I mean?  Too many times we just don't know how to solve the problem, so we give solutions like "just ignore them" or "stay away from them".  Are these solutions?  No way!  The problem is still there.

So, how do we truly SOLVE the problem of BULLYING?  Well...that's next week's topic...

QUESTION THREE:  What do you think would truly solve the problem of BULLYING?  (not a "band-aid"...a real solution)

(Certain ideas and excerpts taken from pages 28 and 29 in The Wounded Spirit Leader's Guide.) 

Time for a Change

I want you to imagine for a moment...Think about someone who has been bullied.  Imagine that you had a sheet of sticky labels and a marker.  I want you to write all those nasty names and negative comments on labels and (in your mind) stick them all over that person.  Now, imagine for a moment what that person must feel like.

Frank Peretti was that person.  He was attacked with labels from the time he turned five and entered kindergarten all the way through middle school.  Frank says that the worst moment, however, came when he had his first PE class and everyone had to take a shower.  The "attack" simply got worse...and for something he had no control over.

Fortunately, Frank Peretti's life changed.  One day when he was feeling especially low, a teacher...ONE teacher...asked Frank how he was doing.  Frank says it was the first time anyone had expressed an interest in him as a person.  Frank wrote a letter to that teacher detailing everything that had been going on and that teacher made the changes necessary to completely alter Frank's life forever.

Just last week I had a student come to me.  Another student had called him a name and everyone around him had laughed.  The student stated that following that incident several other students started calling him that name as well.  The student was "wounded".

I think it's TIME FOR A CHANGE!  All it takes is ONE...ONE student...ONE teacher...ONE...to make a difference in a person's life that will last forever.  Think about the story that "The Standards" shared with us last week.  Will you be the ONE?

QUESTION TWO:  Do you think it is time for a change?  What would you like to see changed?  How can you be the ONE to make this happen?

"The Wounded Spirit"

My favorite author in the whole world is a guy by the name of Frank Peretti.  Frank Peretti writes some scary stuff…books that you have to put away when it gets too dark outside.  In 2000, Peretti shocked his readers by publishing a non-fiction book titled “The Wounded Spirit”.  This book was Peretti’s autobiography and told the story of a young boy who, due to complications at birth, did not look or talk like everyone else.  It told the story of a boy who suffered greatly because of the torment of fellow students at school.

I don’t need to tell you what BULLYING is…you know.  I don’t need to tell you that BULLYING is wrong…you know that, too.  So, why does it happen?  Why do we get such pleasure from teasing other people…often for things they have no control over?  Does it somehow make us better than them?

QUESTION ONE:  Frank Peretti’s book about bullying is titled The Wounded Spirit.  Why do you think he chose that title?

Welcome back to school!

This blog is a place for you to talk and to tell me what you think about our quarterly topics.  I want to encourage you to comment, because there will be a prize!  Every week I am going to pick one comment to be the “Blog of the Week”.  It may be short or it may be longer, but it will be a comment that really showed some thought about the topic.  At the end of each quarter all of the students who wrote a “Blog of the Week” will get a special prize.  (Special note… a winning blog can be written anonymously, but in order to win a prize you must identify yourself.)

How do I post a comment?  Click on “comments” below the post.  Type your comment and then click on “Name/URL” below the box.  This will give you a place to type your name.  If you do not wish to be identified, simply click on “Anonymous”.  When you are finished, click on “Publish Your Comment”.  Please ensure that a yellow box appears at the top of the page stating that your comment was saved.  I will review your comment, and as long as it follows the rules, it will be posted.  If you have any issues, please let me know so we can get them resolved.

So, our first quarter topic is … BULLYING.  Your first question will be posted next week.