Well another quarter has come and gone! I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and hearing your opinions in class! When we started together, most of you hated politics, and now you are ready to go out and change the world! I wish all of you blessings and success in the future. Please stay in touch and feel free to visit and post on the blog whenever you like.
So for our last blog post, I would like to get your thoughts and feedback on the class. "What did you like or dislike about the class? What could I do to make it better?" Answers are due no later than Tuesday, September 21st, 2010. After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter. To those of you who are graduating, congratulations on all your hard work and achievements! For everyone else, I hope you enjoy the break! Signing off for the last time....(okay maybe not the last time, but it sounded good)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Cyberage of Bullying
Growing up, my school, like almost every other school in America, had different “cliques” of students. There were the “jocks”, the “nerds”, the “band geeks”, the “Goth kids,” … the list could go on and on. In the interest of not offending anyone, (I probably already have – sorry to those of you who play instruments) I won’t continue, but you get my point. Some kids got bullied, some kids did the bullying and that’s just the way things were. Nowadays, school bullying is on the rise, and the issue is heating up all around the country.
Statistics on the rates of bullying and cyber-bulling vary between studies depending on the measures used and the population studied, however the general consensus is one out of every three students in bullied in school. School bullying can cause physical and mental harm to students. Students affected by bullying have lower attendance and grade point averages, and a higher propensity towards violence and criminal activity.
Indiana State Senator Tom Wyss said that while Indiana school systems may have bullying policies in place, he wants to make sure they are enforced. “We’ve got a lot of school systems where the administrators aren’t really following through like they should,” Wyss stated. Indiana law defines bullying as “any verbal, physical or other act committed by a student with the intent of harassing, ridiculing, intimidating or harming another student”. The law sounds pretty inclusive, but cyber-bulling isn’t specifically covered, which is another aspect Wyss is trying to change. It seems more and more students are victims of cyber-bullying, in which technology is used to harass, tease and spread rumors about students.
So, my question to you this week is two-fold. “Do you think bullying is on the rise, or are parents and the media making too big of deal out of it? Realistically, what do you think could be done to stop school bullying?” You must answer both parts to get full credit. Answers are due no later than Tuesday, September 14th, 2010.
Statistics on the rates of bullying and cyber-bulling vary between studies depending on the measures used and the population studied, however the general consensus is one out of every three students in bullied in school. School bullying can cause physical and mental harm to students. Students affected by bullying have lower attendance and grade point averages, and a higher propensity towards violence and criminal activity.
Indiana State Senator Tom Wyss said that while Indiana school systems may have bullying policies in place, he wants to make sure they are enforced. “We’ve got a lot of school systems where the administrators aren’t really following through like they should,” Wyss stated. Indiana law defines bullying as “any verbal, physical or other act committed by a student with the intent of harassing, ridiculing, intimidating or harming another student”. The law sounds pretty inclusive, but cyber-bulling isn’t specifically covered, which is another aspect Wyss is trying to change. It seems more and more students are victims of cyber-bullying, in which technology is used to harass, tease and spread rumors about students.
So, my question to you this week is two-fold. “Do you think bullying is on the rise, or are parents and the media making too big of deal out of it? Realistically, what do you think could be done to stop school bullying?” You must answer both parts to get full credit. Answers are due no later than Tuesday, September 14th, 2010.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Rest, Relax and Have Fun!
I’ve been looking forward to the three-day weekend coming up for a long time. I get a “free” day off of work, football season starts and summer ends – which hopefully means and end to the debilitating heat. We always get together as a family and have one last summer cookout. I’ll admit, I’ve never given any real thought to why we have Labor Day until this week.
Labor Day is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the first Monday in September. It was first celebrated locally in New York City in 1882. In 1884, President Grover Cleveland supported making it a national holiday and Congress unanimously signed it into law. By the end of the 20th century, all fifty states had also made it a state holiday. According to the Department of Labor, the holiday is “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of U.S. workers”. It is a tribute to the “contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country”.
So, in honor of the holiday, my question to you this week will be an easy one. “Did you know anything about the origins of Labor Day? How do you plan to celebrate your three-day weekend?” Answers are due no later than Tuesday, September 7th, 2010. Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!
Labor Day is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the first Monday in September. It was first celebrated locally in New York City in 1882. In 1884, President Grover Cleveland supported making it a national holiday and Congress unanimously signed it into law. By the end of the 20th century, all fifty states had also made it a state holiday. According to the Department of Labor, the holiday is “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of U.S. workers”. It is a tribute to the “contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country”.
So, in honor of the holiday, my question to you this week will be an easy one. “Did you know anything about the origins of Labor Day? How do you plan to celebrate your three-day weekend?” Answers are due no later than Tuesday, September 7th, 2010. Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!
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