From the Department of Education - It Gets Better

Rice Withdraws

Susan Rice has withdrawn her name from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, citing the unfortunate politicization of the process and the expense and distraction her nomination would cause. 

I wonder if John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte would fit your definition of bullies.  They do mine.  I am sorry to see this capable woman withdraw.

President Obama responded in part: “While I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks, her decision demonstrates the strength of her character, and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first,” he said. “The American people can be proud to have a public servant of her caliber and character representing our country.”

The State as a Bully

I watched a movie yesterday called The Education of Little Tree, a 1997 movie which purports to be about the way Native American children were treated by the state.  Unfortunately it is a Hollywoodized version of the true facts which really are horrible. Children were (and are) taken from their families and placed in state schools and foster care where their Native American Heritage is educated out of them.  

The Lakota people (and possibly others) are fighting back.  You can go to this web site to see a short video about it and learn more about what is happening today in the state of South Dakota which is acting a a bully  - Here.  I urge you to become educated about this despicable practice and then take any action you deem appropriate to counter it.

BTW - The Book was written as an autobiography and later proven to have been written by a KKK member who was an ardent segregationist.  Oprah had it on her booklist and then took it off. It is a book of fiction and as I said the movie was Hollywoodized and I don't really recommend them. It just got me to thinking about the Lakota Project which I was already aware of and wanted to let people know about this ongoing travesty.

This courageous woman calls a bully a bully.  There is no room for bullies...
Watch and listen..

Safe Schools Are for Every Student

                        
WWW.IOWASAFESCHOOLS.ORG 

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Be a Buddy, Not a Bully
By Nate Monson, Executive Director
We are reminded again through tragedy that bullying remains a critical issue impacting our youth, families, schools, and communities.Bullying is something that has become so prevalent in our society that nearly everyone can say that they or someone they know has been a victim of bullying.  Bullying can take many forms including name calling, gossip, cyber-bullying, or even physical violence.  It can have severe consequences including youth physically harming each other and themselves. 

Bullying rarely starts in its most violent form.  It takes time to fester and grow into something worse.  Words and phrases like 'fag', 'dyke', and 'that's so gay' are the start of this growth of bullying.  I am reminded about a quote in the play The Laramie Project which documents the aftermath of Matthew Shepard's murder in Laramie, Wyoming.  In the play the playwrights meet with a priest in town and the priest says "Every time that you are called a fag, or you are called a lez, or a dyke, do you realize that is violence? That is the seed of violence."  When we allow students and adults even to say these things - that's the seed of violence.  Violence rarely starts in its most vile form - it will grow as it gets fed by more words, cyber-bullying, or beginnings of physical harassment. 

We must all work together to eliminate these seeds of violence.  This isn't just a school's responsibility.  This isn't just a family's responsibility.  This is a community responsibility to eliminate the beginnings of bullying behavior.  Faith communities, schools, local organizations, and businesses must all work together to ensure our state is a safe and supportive place for all students.  We were reminded this past week that we have a long ways to go to be successful, but I believe it's possible.  

I heard that one of Kenneth's favorite phrases was Be a Buddy, Not a Bully.  We need to embrace this phrase and emulate it if we are to be successful.  That means we must take that extra ten minutes out of a day and talk with a youth that seems to be sitting alone.  That means we as adults need to exhibit positive behavior if we wish youth to follow suit.   The little things make the biggest difference when it comes to bullying.  Below you will find several resources and other research-based information on bullying that can help. 

A number of vigils in memory of those lost to bullying and a number are happening tomorrow night across Iowa.  I encourage you to look below at some that are happening and attend if you are able to.

If you know a student struggling with bullying, please encourage them to talk with their school administrator immediately.  If you know a student who needs someone to talk to - The Trevor Project provides 24/7 LGBT youth suicide prevention assistance by calling 866-488-7386. 

Together we can eliminate bullying. 

Thank you for all your support,

The Latest
Iowa must refine its anti-bullying efforts, Branstad says
“It’s not an easy thing and I know maybe this is a difficult area for school districts but it is critically important that we do everything we can to make sure we have safety and security for all of our students in the state of Iowa.” - Governor Terry Branstad
OUR OPINION: We Must Stop Bullying. It starts here. And it starts now. Sioux City Journal Editorial, April 22, 2012
"We must make it clear in our actions and our words that bullying will not be tolerated. Those of us in public life must be ever mindful of the words we choose, especially in the contentious political debates that have defined our modern times. More importantly, we must not be afraid to act."

White House Endorses Safe Schools Bill and Student Non-Discrimination Act
"The White House today announced that President Obama is endorsing the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) and Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), two bills pending in Congress to address bullying and discrimination faced by students across the nation."

Schools, parents try to keep pace with cyber-bullying tactics
"I felt like I almost had no one that would help me through it or be there for me," recalled Katie, 16, now a junior at Maryvale Preparatory School in Brooklandville. "You just feel alone. I kept telling myself, I'll be out of middle school in no time and I'll get a fresh start."

Upcoming Events

Anti-Bullying/Community Vigils

· Cedar Rapids Vigil - April 24th, 2012

· Quad-Cities Vigil - April 24th, 2012

· One Loss is Too Many: Des Moines Community Vigil - April 24th, 2012

Iowa Pride Network Spring Soiree- April 26th, 2012

Iowa Pride Conference - April 28th, 2012

SAVE THE DATE - 8th Annual Iowa Governors Conference on LGBTQ Youth - March 27th, 2013 
SAVE THE DATE - Protecting Kids Stopping Bullies Honors Reception - September 12th, 2012 -  Honoree: Governor Chet Culver 

Anti-Bullying Resources The Trevor Project
If you or someone you know is being bullied and needs someone to talk to call The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386

No Name Calling Week
Lesson plans and information on anti-bullying inclusion in the classroom

StopBullying.Gov
Federal government's anti-bullying website complete with legal information and anti-bullying tips

StopBullyingNow.com
Resources and tips from anti-bullying researcher Stan Davis

Anti-Defamation League
Incredible resources on cyberbullying and religious based bullying

GLSEN
Gay & Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) provides lesson plans, resources, and a Safe Space Kit for schools

The mission of Iowa Safe Schools is to: a) improve school climate in order to increase the personal safety, mental health, and student learning of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied (LGBTA) and all other students; b) increase awareness and understanding among current and future educators, school administrators, and key community agents of inequities regarding the safety of LGBTA students and their family member(s) in schools and communities throughout Iowa.  Iowa Safe Schools also seeks to empower these key actors with effective, research-based tools and strategies to combat intolerance and safety inequities.

The Power of an Apology

An incredible story of a student who apologized to his teacher - almost 40 years later.  Read it here.

Kids are Taught - Anti Bullying Lip Dub

These kids from Cypress Ranch High School are great.  Enjoy.

Anti-Bullying Video

Note - Strong Language

Losers from Everynone on Vimeo.

This is worse than doing nothing. It's a Republican license to Bully

MICHIGAN GOT IT WRONG.



And to bring it home.  Watch this as a boy is ambushed in a classroom and beaten and what was done.  The other students stood around and watched and the bully was suspended for three days...THREE DAYS.

Powerful lesson

This was on Facebook and I think it is a powerful way to teach about Bullying.

A teacher in New York was teaching her class about bullying and gave them the following exercise to perform. She had the children take a piece of paper and told them to crumple it up, stamp on it and really mess it up but do not rip it. 

Then she had them unfold the paper, smooth it out and look at how scarred and dirty is was. She then told them to tell it they’re sorry. Now even though they said they were sorry and tried to fix the paper, she pointed out all the scars they left behind. 

And that those scars will never go away no matter how hard they tried to fix it. That is what happens when a child bullies another child, they may say they’re sorry but the scars are there forever. The looks on the faces of the children in the classroom told her the message hit home. 

Rick Mercer's Rant on bullying

It has been awhile since I put up a post about bullying.  This is excellent.

Stephen Colbert on Bullies

Stephen Colbert tells how to deal with bullies.  Stephen is one of my heroes.  Thanks.

Tom Vilsack - Anti Bully Message

Climate of Hate

14 year old gay student stands up for his teacher after his teacher faced disciplinary action for throwing out a student who had made anti-gay remarks,

The student says that he (the student) tried to commit suicide when he was 9 because of bullying. He calls what is going on in our nation as a "silent holocaust."

Anti Bullying Message

And by the way - That is Cindy (Mrs. John) McCain taking a stand against DADT at about .55 sec in. UPDATE - MRS MCCAIN has just proved herself to be as big a hypocrite as her husband and has tweeted that she agrees with her husband on DADT...11/12/10 - So that makes her a bully in my book.

Bishop Tutu's prayer.

Where does the bullying come from?

Did you ever wonder where the bullying in schools is coming from?... If we say it's okay to be vulgar, to insult and demean, and to disrespect even the highest office in the land, is it any wonder that kids think it's okay to do that to their peers? Add to that the rants of the religious right which do nothing but heighten the fears and bigotry that run so deeply in society. Folks, it's time to reclaim some human dignity here, and I call upon every person who holds or hopes to hold a position of influence or authority to model the common decency and respect that they would like to experience

.

h/t - Nick

It Gets Better

This is one of the most powerful "It Gets Better" Videos I have ever seen. It is Oral Robert's gay grandson's letter to his gay uncle who killed himself. I recommend that you watch it fullscreen as it is much easier to read the chalkboard. But do watch it.

Another Voice Speaks Out.

"We just need to make sure we don't allow bullying in any of our schools," Laura Bush

Thoughts on Bullying

I woke in the middle of the night.

All of the anti-bullying rhetoric that is going on right now has missed one very important thing.

DADT, DOM, gay jokes by comedians, Anti-gay screeds from right-wing politicians and preachers and the myriad of other things such as "marriage is only for one man and one woman" are just institutionalized bullying. It is no wonder that children bully children, adults do it all the time. Come on people we can build our world on better than this.