Choose Your Own Adventure

This week we started our study of the Constitution and the freedoms that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

Normally, our first blog post has something to do with the freedoms you value most and whether or not you are proud to call yourself an American. This quarter, I would like to start with something different. A good portion of this class will be spent discussing current events and political issues that affect our everyday lives. For this post, I would like you to tell me at least one issue that you are interested in studying. To help you out, you can look over the blog posts that we've had in the past several years to get an idea of the type of things we've covered. Many of the topics are pretty controversial and I do my best to not censor the information available to you.

So my question to you this week is, "What is one issue that you are interested in studying in this class?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, April 11th, 2012. I hope all of you had a wonderful Spring Break!  For those of you who celebrate - Happy Easter! 

Your Thoughts and Feedback Are Appreciated!

I love my job. I love teaching a subject that I'm really passionate about, but even more importantly, I love being surrounded by the crazy, creative energy that is all of you.  Although I enjoy all of my students, every once in awhile, I get a class that is just "special".  They just gel as a group...we have good discussions, we have fun and we learn something!  For me, you were one of those classes.

I've had a great time with all of you this quarter.  I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I hope you all stay in touch and continue to post on the blog whenever you want. So for your last blog, I would like to get your feedback on the class. "What did you like most/least?  What could I do to make the class better?"  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 21st, 2012.  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter. For those of you who are graduating - congratulations!  All your hard work paid off.  To all of you - Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Erin Go Braugh!  This Irish girl is signing off for the last time.

You Are Beautiful!

I’ve always been consciously aware of society’s pressure on young girls to be thin, pretty and popular.  As a young teen, I pored over beauty magazines and strove to match the images I saw in them.  “Will I ever have those curves? Will my skin ever be that clear?  Will my hair ever have that much volume?” Finally, I grew up, learned to love myself and learned how to support other women of all shapes and sizes. 


So I was so disappointed last week, when I saw that young girls were posting You-Tube videos of themselves and asking the world to weigh in on whether they were pretty or not.  You can check out some of the videos and read the viewers comments here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D9mqqkgH-0


The criticism and negative comments they receive can have a devastating impact on a young girl’s self-esteem. Cases of anorexia and bulimia have been found in girls as young as 5.  The media bombards us with images of stick-thin models and airbrushed actresses that put even more pressure of girls to achieve the “ideal image”. Consider these startling statistics from a recent survey of girls ages 12-18, by Sugar magazine:

·         78% said they worry about their weight

·         1:5 have been criticized by a family member for “being too big”

·         51% said their parents have hurt their feelings talking about their size

Today is International Women's Day! So to celebrate, my question to you this week is, “What do you think can be done to ensure young girls are raised with a healthy body image?” Ladies, I would love to hear how and if you were affected by this as young girls.  Guys, I would like to know how you think men contribute to what women think the ideal body image is. Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 14^th. P.S. This weekend Daylight Savings Time begins – so don’t forget to change your clocks!

It Takes A Village

It is with a heavy heart, that I am blogging this week about another senseless school shooting tragedy.  On February 27^th, seventeen year old T.J. Lane walked into Chardon High School and opened fire, ultimately killing three students and wounding several others. It was reported that teachers locked down their classrooms, covered windows and had students get low to the ground, all consistent with what they had been trained to do.

There have been various reports regarding what set Lane off that morning.  Some reported that he was an “at-risk” kid who had a troubled home life.  Others reported Lane was upset about a recent breakup.  Still others reported that Lane was seen as a “loner” and oftentimes bullied by classmates. Back in 2010, I blogged about the rise of cyber-bullying.  You can read my thoughts and what your fellow students had to say here: http://www.historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2010/09/cyber-age-of-bullying.html

For this week, I’d like to know, “What do you think can be done to stop attacks at school such as this?  Who is to blame – the shooter, the students, the parents, the teachers or the community as a whole?” I’d like you to think about your answer from a security, social and educational standpoint.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 7^th, 2012.