I was prompted by a fabulous colleague yesterday at work to add to my blog. Yes, the past week has been incredibly busy. On the gardening front, my endive has just quadrupled in size as have the sage and tarragon. On a cooking front, I made some pesto, recipe courtesy of Maggie Beer. (Is there anything she can't cook?) Last night, after two hours at the gym I got home and made dinner, using some of the pesto and then baked a cake - a butter cake. It's amazing, when just reflecting on the every day activities, how many people contribute to making a difference.
I had a surprise (but very welcomed phone call) from a dear friend (who I think still reads this blog from time to time - do you DJ??) It was so lovely to chat with him and find out about him and his gorgeous Mim - the phone call, albeit short, really made a difference.
Reading 'dropped stitches' again this morning, which never ceases to inspire me, really made a difference, as did its author's comments in the staffroom yesterday. You are going to go places!
On the work front - there is so much of it to do, but I am still confidently separating the forest from the trees. It's the only way to cope with carrying 6kg of marking.
Aside from all of these delights - friendly phone call, colleague's blog, lots of work to do, success in the kitchen and garden, I couldn't help but focus on an episode of 4 Corners last night. It was entitled "The Bullies' Playground." Follow this link to watch the episode. http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2009/s2533505.htm
It was an horrific, but sadly not a surprising (given my experiences as a high school teacher) account of the extent to which bullying can contribute to the loss of self esteem, but also the rise in incidence of clinical depression and even suicide. There was a real focus also on cyber bullying and also on the use of mobile phones. The reporter, Quentin McDermott deserves some kind of accolade for using his investigative journalism talents to bring the the fore, an issue that I am sure many law makers, educators and the like wish would just go away. Whilst I work at a place that takes all incidences of bullying seriously, I have also worked with young teenagers who have been emotionally scarred from such incidents. As a teacher, I have read the horrid email transactions, the msn transactions threatening a young student's life - her friends, family, everything. There have been times where it has taken every professional bone in my body to not want to lash out at the bully - I can't even begin to imagine how a parent must feel in such a situation.
I think that this documentary has made a difference - if for nothing else, it is a conversation starter. By beginning this conversation, I hope that it will prompt you to have a conversation - and then, it will spread. It is time that we stop trying to pretend it doesn't happen, or that it is part of some school yard hierarchy. It should never be about deciding a pecking order in the playground. Everybody should have a place at school. A right to be who they are, not who everybody else wants them to be. A right to express their individuality, without fear. A right to be treated with dignity and respect. Everybody has the responsibility of speaking up. Speaking up when somebody's rights are being curtailed by another. Speaking up is the only way that bullies wont get away with their behaviour. They thrive in the veil of secrecy that they impose on their victims. Remove the veil of secrecy, and you take away some of that power.
Watching the documentary also raised the issue of computers in bedrooms and mobile phones in bedrooms. I couldn't believe the number of children who had computers and mobile phones in their bedrooms. Call me old fashioned but if parents are a little more aware of what is exchanged (not prying or spying on their kids - but promoting an environment where their child can tell them about the cyber bulling without fear that the connection to the internet will be cut) then some of this could be curtailed.
In any case, the documentary is there. Please watch it. Please talk about it. As cliched as the title of my post is - you will make a difference.
