A film that brings tears to your eyes . . . Just one?! But I'm so easily moved to tears! OK how about 3: Ghost, Tootsie, Up
Describe your first kiss. Two 11 year-olds at the beach. Surprising. Sweet. Fantasy-inducing.
Your favorite children's book, and why . . .
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Such pathos, such empathy in just a few words and some simple line drawings.
A cause that's closest to your heart, and why . . . Bullying. While kids grow, their sense of self is so vulnerable. When they're targeted by others (at school or at home) the way they think about themselves is altered in unhealthy ways. They can start to assume there's something "wrong" with them that makes them "deserving of disrespect." That will undoubtedly erode their self-confidence and hold them back in life. Kids whose aggression is tolerated are also being changed. They assume that threats, manipulation and violence are acceptable ways to behave. That can set them on a path of regrettable choices. And there's a third group... the largest one playing a part in the dramas that take place daily in schools around the world: the silent bystanders. The Culture of Cruelty changes them as well and they begin believing that they're powerless in the face of injustice. That's no way to help develop a new generation of leaders.
If you could be a character in any novel, who would you be?
Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden. She brought herself and others out of darkness into the full bloom.
A quote that motivates you . . . "If you're not modeling what you teach, you're teaching something else." (I don't know who said it first)
The title of the one song you could take with you to that deserted island . . .
"Defying Gravity"
Wishes:
To work together to make our own corner of the planet a safer, saner, cleaner, greener more equitable place for everyone.
Favorite game you played as a child . . . Pretending that my bicycle was a horse and riding really fast
Annie Fox
Bullying is one of my greatest fears for my children. This can impact a child's reality tremendously. A hundred years ago, I can remember starting a new school in the fifth grade (hard enough) and immediately being singled out and bullied by another girl. I would cry to my mother at night and wanted to avoid school at all costs. Being a parochial school, their solution was a "round-table" discussion of sorts with our teacher and principal. This approach eventually remedied the situation, and we were soon playing four-square together at recess.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your school handled the situation effectively. The first step to that resolution came from YOU when you chose to let your mom in on what was happening. Many kids suffer in silence because they're either ashamed of being targeted or they fear Mom will make things worse by going to the administration. Often when parents advocate for their kids, schools drop the ball. We're all part of the Culture of Cruelty and we all have power and responsibility to challenge it. http://CruelsNotCool.com
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