By Mark Liston
As a kid, I got beat up at home by dad and mom. I’d go to school and get beat up there too. I tried to take different routes when I walked home so the bullies wouldn’t find me. I lived in fear and didn’t like it.
Now, as a dad of four kids and a professional counselor, I wanted to do something to deal with bullying. I read research that said even today teachers often ignore or don’t notice bullying. Someone told me no standard was available to answer, “What is and is not bullying? How serious is the incident?”
Blog
February 14, 2014 - 10:33pm
Manteca, CA Mosque Attack, Photo courtesy of CAIR.
After vandals in Manteca, CA struck a community mosque in early February, faith leaders and the local newspaper responded quickly in support of their neighbors.The attack included “F___ ISLAM” spray-painted on the welcome sign of the mosque as well as on the ground nearby. Vandals also left strips of bacon around the facility, a gesture often used by bigots to offend Muslims, as they are not supposed to consume pork, according to a statement by the Council on Islamic-American Relations (CAIR). .
February 10, 2014 - 10:00pm
Marshalltown Times-Republican Publisher Mike Schlesinger with Marshall County Sheriff Ted G. Kamatchus.
The local Not In Our Town group in Marshalltown, IA offers its help on a piece of legislation that will strengthen anti-bullying policies and provide training on bullying prevention statewide.
The legislation, House Study Bill 525, is currently circulating in the House Education Committee and relates to state and school anti-harassment policies and professional conduct and ethics for school personnel. Not In Our Town Marshalltown chair Mike Schlesinger, also the publisher of the Marshalltown Times-Republican, offered the group’s input to the representatives tasked to the bill.
February 6, 2014 - 1:52pm
In November, a high school student wearing a skirt was set on fire on an Oakland, CA city bus. Sasha Fleischman identifies as agender and prefers to go by the pronoun “they.” In the weeks after the hate attack, many conversations ensued about hate and acceptance alongside dialogue about the way we talk about gender. Here, Mazique Bianco explores gender terms directly, pointing to the empathy and compassion in each of us.
By Mazique Bianco
February 4, 2014 - 4:06pm
At the secondary level, for Black History Month, we share this video, "Profiling Kevin," featuring a 16-year-old anti-racism activist, and “Extraordinary Upstander: Brian Cox,” featuring the former pro football player who came back as a community leader in his native Los Angeles.
Extraordinary Upstander: Kevin Ward
"Profiling Kevin," features Kevin Ward, a young man who steps up as a leader in his high school as he addresses issues of inequity, Standing in a classroom at Palo Alto High School, he tells his classmates, "We need to ... take a bite of the apple of knowledge and realize where we stand and where we need to go."
Click here to find the video and accompanying lesson plan.