An article on Fox News found HERE speaks to the string of suicides in the United States that have been linked to bullying. This article tells the story of Amber Cornwell who took her life at the age of 16. We send our love and condolences to Amber's family and friends.
My heart breaks for those families and kids who are either grieving or wrestling with thoughts of ending their life. Every time a news story comes out like this, it makes me want to rally even stronger against bullying. We have got to change the mindset of kids and administrators alike that this is no laughing matter and is a very serious conversation.
"It's a Wonderful Life" plays across America around Christmas time because not only is it a classic but because there are lessons to be learned and held onto. I'm sure I'm not the only one who cries when George Bailey realizes what a wonderful life he has led and without him the town he grew up in would have been completely different. It causes me to look at my own life and be thankful for the loving family and friends that I have as well as force me to take a stand against those whose attitude mirrors Mr. Potter. Honestly, I can't see a realistic reason that would ever make it ok to push anyone down underneath your thumb. There have been studies done on why people bully such as they are being bullied, they are afraid of being bullied or they are feeling bad about themselves so they in turn force others to feel the same. All of these are terrible reasons to bully, but there is no right reason either.
My personal New Year's Resolution is to be more verbal about my stance on this issue. So when I see someone being bullied at work or when I'm babysitting, I will say something. I hope you will join me and take a stand to make our children safer and elimite suicides caused by bullying. There needs to be a change and the new year is a perfect way to start! Happy New Year!!!!
--Ruth Jackson
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Thursday, December 18, 2014
A Christmas Story
Christmas is just around the corner!! Can you believe it? Before we know it, we will all have to double check we wrote the date right! Many awesome things in store for Nobul in the coming year and we would like to thank you for reading our blog and being a part of what Nobul stands for.
Today, I came across an article about an actor in the movie 'A Christmas Story' who decided to stand up against bullying. Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus, talks about how he feels about the issue penetrating kids and teens' lives across America. This is definitely a conversation that needed to happen and still does.
"I don't believe that children who are happy and content and feel loved and supported — those children don't go out and bully anybody," says Ward, who continued his career in acting in films such as Transformers, Almost Famous and numerous TV shows. Ward's point is very important it highlights the fact that we shouldn't just treat the symptoms of bullying, rather we need to go directly to the source. Sure, we can tell kids "don't bully one another" but if we don't offer an alternative or talk to the parents about the problem in depth, we will accomplish nothing. I love the fact that the actor who plays a bully sees the negative implications of his "actions."
I'm glad that his role of being the bully brought changes to Zack's understanding of the world as well as the harm that bullying can do. Not everyone has to play a bully in a movie or play in order to understand that bullying isn't a good thing. Personally, I'm extremely thankful for Zack sharing his point of view and encouraging others to be nicer to each other. We should be doing this year round, not just around Christmas time.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday whatever you celebrate!
--Ruth Jackson
Today, I came across an article about an actor in the movie 'A Christmas Story' who decided to stand up against bullying. Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus, talks about how he feels about the issue penetrating kids and teens' lives across America. This is definitely a conversation that needed to happen and still does.
"I don't believe that children who are happy and content and feel loved and supported — those children don't go out and bully anybody," says Ward, who continued his career in acting in films such as Transformers, Almost Famous and numerous TV shows. Ward's point is very important it highlights the fact that we shouldn't just treat the symptoms of bullying, rather we need to go directly to the source. Sure, we can tell kids "don't bully one another" but if we don't offer an alternative or talk to the parents about the problem in depth, we will accomplish nothing. I love the fact that the actor who plays a bully sees the negative implications of his "actions."
I'm glad that his role of being the bully brought changes to Zack's understanding of the world as well as the harm that bullying can do. Not everyone has to play a bully in a movie or play in order to understand that bullying isn't a good thing. Personally, I'm extremely thankful for Zack sharing his point of view and encouraging others to be nicer to each other. We should be doing this year round, not just around Christmas time.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday whatever you celebrate!
--Ruth Jackson
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
"The Elephant in the Room"
Hi Everyone!
For some of us the semester is coming to a close and others it's just frenzy all the way around. The last week or so following Black Friday, life has jumped into hyper-drive, every waking moment is filled with something to accomplish and every sleeping moment is spent figuring out the next step. Anyways, let's get away from all that and focus on something that I feel isn't talked about enough. It seems that in our culture people aren't aware of pressing issues until someone dies, a phenomenon happens or news stories are splashed in front of our eyes for more than a 24hr period. None of these occurrences should have to happen in order for our nation, government or school system to wake up to what is really going on. Cyberbullying is a huge issue in our culture today and we need to start taking action to teach our youth the importance of creating safe, respectful online presences for themselves. Unfortunately, cyberbullying is so prominent it causes children to hurt themselves in many ways.
For some of us the semester is coming to a close and others it's just frenzy all the way around. The last week or so following Black Friday, life has jumped into hyper-drive, every waking moment is filled with something to accomplish and every sleeping moment is spent figuring out the next step. Anyways, let's get away from all that and focus on something that I feel isn't talked about enough. It seems that in our culture people aren't aware of pressing issues until someone dies, a phenomenon happens or news stories are splashed in front of our eyes for more than a 24hr period. None of these occurrences should have to happen in order for our nation, government or school system to wake up to what is really going on. Cyberbullying is a huge issue in our culture today and we need to start taking action to teach our youth the importance of creating safe, respectful online presences for themselves. Unfortunately, cyberbullying is so prominent it causes children to hurt themselves in many ways.
An article I found in the Huffington Post, Cyberbullying: The Elephant in the Room, talks about Cyberbullying and the rampant movement of people, kids especially, being tormented and eventually leading to a non-reversible act. Many bullies prefer to harass online because it's virtually, no pun intended, anonymous. Today, we have the power to post things without sharing our names. So when someone does throw someone else down hard, it's difficult to figure out who is talking. Personally, I'm glad I didn't get a Facebook page until college. High school was bad enough without social media.
In a nutshell, as parents, supervisors, guardians, teachers, older siblings etc. we all need to become better role models for those still growing up. We need to be "cyber-shields." We NEED to be more aware of what is happening on the internet. Lets inspire our youth to be loving instead of hateful.
To help protect yourself online you can:
- Keep your information private online and keep private information offline altogether
- Report users with abusive comments to website personnel, generally there is a "report user" button on websites that allow comments
- Tell someone you trust if you are being cyber bullied, a teacher, parent, friend or adult who can help
- If you see someone else being cyber bullied tell someone
To help protect yourself online you can:
- Keep your information private online and keep private information offline altogether
- Report users with abusive comments to website personnel, generally there is a "report user" button on websites that allow comments
- Tell someone you trust if you are being cyber bullied, a teacher, parent, friend or adult who can help
- If you see someone else being cyber bullied tell someone
--Ruth Jackson
Monday, December 8, 2014
Stories
Hope everyone is having a fantabulous week! Today, I wanted to bring your attention to this project: SELF EVIDENT TRUTHS. There is a lot to this site so I'm going to point out something that spoke to me. The first being a video I actually saw awhile ago and has brought tears to my eyes yet again. As a whole, the message this website is broadcasting is the fact that we all are unique and should be seen as individuals worthy of respect. Too often, we label others based on their skin color, accent, neighborhood or what "status" they have in society. This is not right. Why? Because everyone is different but first and foremost, a human being.
The video is about stories and how very often we only have as Chimamanda Adichie states, "a single story." For example, a friend tells you about a fight he/she had with a mutual friend. Until you've heard both sides, you haven't heard it all. Don't assume you've heard the whole story when in reality you've only heard one. Sometimes things get skewed or misunderstood. There have been countless times where I've wished people would have asked me what my side of the story was instead of assuming or looking at the situation one sided.
Another point worth mentioning, again, is that even though differences can be scary, getting to know people is a way to break down barriers. When we approach a person who has a disability we've never seen or from a country we've never explored or even someone who's just plain different from us. Instead of having a story already in our heads, let's be open minded and let them tell their story. Honestly, I wouldn't have the amount of uniqueness in my life if I hadn't had the courage to walk up people who were different from me. Exchange stories with someone new. See what he/she says about themselves. It may just be a whole new world.
--Ruth Jackson
The video is about stories and how very often we only have as Chimamanda Adichie states, "a single story." For example, a friend tells you about a fight he/she had with a mutual friend. Until you've heard both sides, you haven't heard it all. Don't assume you've heard the whole story when in reality you've only heard one. Sometimes things get skewed or misunderstood. There have been countless times where I've wished people would have asked me what my side of the story was instead of assuming or looking at the situation one sided.
Another point worth mentioning, again, is that even though differences can be scary, getting to know people is a way to break down barriers. When we approach a person who has a disability we've never seen or from a country we've never explored or even someone who's just plain different from us. Instead of having a story already in our heads, let's be open minded and let them tell their story. Honestly, I wouldn't have the amount of uniqueness in my life if I hadn't had the courage to walk up people who were different from me. Exchange stories with someone new. See what he/she says about themselves. It may just be a whole new world.
--Ruth Jackson
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