Educators Speak

I’m a former victim of Bullying, and I can tell you first-hand how hard it is to get over the emotional scars Bullying leaves. As much as I would love to be able to tell you that time has healed my wounds, it has not. 20+ years later, and I still carry around the low self-esteem the bullying I endured caused.

Kids today are completely unaware of how harmful what they say and do, not only in the real world, but also in cyberspace, can affect people. As part of my curriculum each year, I am required to teach students about Bullying and Cyberbullying.

Each year, I lose a little more faith in humanity as I listen to students say, “Well, if they are too weak to stand up for themselves then they deserve to be bullied.” or “If someone doesn’t want to be picked on about what they’ wear, they should tell their parents to get a real job and quit buying their stuff at Wal-Mart.” or “The Constitution gave me the right to express my opinion and if I think someone is fat, ugly, stupid, or a (enter curse word here), then it’s my God given right to let them know. If what I say hurts their feelings, they need to grow up and get a tougher spine. I shouldn’t have to censor myself because people can’t handle the truth” If we really want to put a stop to bullying, it needs to start at home. In my experience, it’s always either the spoilt rotten entitled child who gets everything they want, who talks to their parents away they want that does the bullying; or, it’s the child who gets bullied so much at home they feel they have to be the bully at school so they can gain so sense of control back in their life. Either way, if we ever want it to stop we need to educate the parents and the students and come together as a community to stop the hate.

Sonya Landrum

I agree that quality professional development is very crucial for teachers to grow professionally. We need more opportunities for professional development. I would like to see more professional development offered in our school district so that we might obtain CEUs. I find it difficult working two jobs and worrying about having enough CEUs for re-certification. I agree with Heather, it is hard to take time off from school to go to workshops.

This really hit home: Teachers think they are creating an amazing lesson plan until it falls short, and they find out it wasn’t that amazing after all. I have spent hours on a lesson, only to find it falls flat, Other times, the most insignificant comment can launch a great discussion or lesson. I do try to communicate the purpose of each lesson and relate the concepts to real world experiences…

My school district has encouraged us to write across the curriculum in the past. I loved the concept for many reasons. One, it made teachers communicate with each other. It is not often that a math and English teacher works on curriculum together. It gives us a sense of ownership and obligation to help our students apply concepts from one subject and apply in another. Second, it challenges the students to stretch their ability and apply knowledge. Lastly, it allows teacher to monitor progress and gauge their strengths and weaknesses according to the Writing Across the Curriculum article.

Kim Somers - Ocean Springs Schools