Three Boys With Courage
Bench Notice
These are the stories we need to hear more of. Three boys with courage who will grow into men of character. Nice job guys.
Anxiety In Teens
Why Anxiety Might Increase During Adolescence, and What Parents Can Do
Bench Notice
A great article that really covers all the bases when dealing with teen anxiety. One piece I would like to add though. Anxiety is uncomfortable and at times can be mystery to many young people. All they know is that they have a knot in the middle of their stomach during certain situations. This can lend itself to the possibility of self medicating with opioids or other illegal drugs. Keep your antennas up for any behavior that could indicate substance abuse or addiction. These would include, behaviors such as irresponsibility, crankiness, disrespect, lying, moodiness, stealing, and a change in friendships or a disinterest in activities that were in the past something that was enjoyable for them; to name a few. My recommendation: Pay Attention! Don’t fall into the trap of denial.
The Quality Of Alertness
They interviewed a group of muggers in NY a few years back and asked them what they looked for when they were zeroing in on a victim. The one negative quality that all victims possessed was they walked around looking down at the ground, and were not really aware of their surroundings. The muggers could just sense the victims fear and inability to detect trouble. The victims were not alert to pending problems.
What is alertness? Alertness is the ability to be aware of that which is going on around me so I can have the right responses. At times victims are not even aware that they are being bullied, laughed at, or ridiculed. They believe that the bully is just fooling around and is their friend. Teach your students to always be alert to what is being said to them and done to them and help them to create healthy boundaries. It starts with two words; Pay Attention!!
Bench Notice
This quality becomes even more important as a person becomes older. If we don’t pay attention to our thoughts, words, actions, attitudes, and motives our relationships will suffer along with other areas of our life. If we are not alert to a dwindling bank account and high credit card debt the chances are pretty good we are headed for bankruptcy. Going broke can take on many forms. No money is one thing, let’s not become mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt as well. Pay Attention!!
The Kryptonite Syndrome
Faster Than a speeding bullet,
More powerful than a locomotive,
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Look, up in the sky!
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
It’s Superman!
Yes. It’s Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American Way.
Great stuff, but with those powers anyone with a deviant mind was always out to get him. He always stood in the way of those who were counter to the American Way and put the kibosh to their plans. They figured it out over time though and discovered his weakness. No, it wasn’t Lois Lane rather it was the remains of the planet Krypton that exploded upon his departure to earth. Kryptonite took the man of steel and turned him into a mortal man and if he got a big enough dose of the stuff it would kill him. As kids we dreaded the time when Superman was going to be in contact with Kryptonite and discovered that Superman was a mere mortal when George Reeves the actor who played Superman allegedly committed suicide on June 16, 1959.
In reality Kryptonite doesn’t exist in physical form but the concept of it does. There are many things and individuals that weaken us. There are kids that weaken, spouses that weaken, philosophies, theories,and policies that weaken. There are systems that weaken, government can weaken, and religion at times can weaken. As an example it only takes one or two behavior problems in a classroom to make the students and at times the teacher feel unsafe to the point where the entire class is weakened and learning almost becomes impossible.
Religion and spirituality is a great way for many to quell fears, and deal with the stresses of life. If the leader of a group or organization though becomes bigger than the group itself and uses his/her position to control others with the use of their Svengoli powers the individuals who are part of the group can become more reliant on him/her than on what the group actually represents. This can produce weak and fearful followers who unwittingly have been lead into a cult.
What one generation does in moderation the next one does in excess. Once a society has been weakened inter-generationally meaning over time the battle for truth, justice, and the American Way becomes all that more difficult. We begin to lean more toward the path of least resistance and mediocrity and become more focused on political correctness than on the truth. The habits, beliefs, and thoughts, that had their origin forty years ago that were meant for good have become twisted and are now used as either a crutch or worse yet as an excuse for deviant behavior.
Yes the schools are filled with Kryptonite and more and more of it is being brought into classrooms everyday by families, society, and by some of the faulty theories and philosophies that have been communicated in our colleges and universities. The educational system has been weakened and needs to be looked at through a different lens, with a paradigm shift starting to take place.
Bench Notice
I have really taken a good hard look at the way things are today as opposed to the way they used to be. I have gone off on tangents at conferences and did nothing but speak from my heart. I feel as though my way of thinking is slowly becoming extinct, but I believe that regardless of popular opinion or political correctness I have a voice, I mean everyone else does right? I have written hundreds of essays and blog posts but, the fifteen essays contained in this book are the essays that describe what I call the Kryptonite Syndrome and explain what really is weakening our schools and at times weakening us as a society.
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I Like You But…
I like you, but I don’t like your behavior. This little gem came out of the self-esteem movement of the 60’s and 70’s. Certain phrases or philosophies that may have worked 50 years ago may suffer from an over-use injury or are just antiquated. Students who are rude, discourteous, and disrespectful can be difficult to like. Ask yourself this: if you were treated by an adult in the same negative manner as a student treated you, how hard would it be to stand by this statement? Pretty tough. Our students do become adults, who may not be liked because of their behavior. I am not saying that you should tell kids that you don’t like them. What I am saying is that they know all too well that we don’t. Our body language, attitudes, and words are all indicators of how we feel about certain students. Some kids are very tough to get close to, and in reality, to like. Don’t let your thoughts dictate your actions; fake it, bite the bullet, and keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Do whatever it takes to build a relationship with the student who is unlikable and a potential disruptive force in your classroom. Once we come clean with our real emotions, our influence will be greater and we will then begin to facilitate lasting change.
Bench Notice
Just a side note here. Standing to closely to this statement could produce greater acceptance of deviant behavior and a failure to enforce appropriate consequence. Sometimes we use this statement because we are afraid of a kid or the parent who berates the school and the teacher because they’re afraid of their own kid as well. Try to understand your motives when you say” I like you, but I don’t like your behavior.”
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