Sexting IS bad!

I do not write this blog to inflame or degrade parents, I write my opinion to hopefully help adults in kids' lives to give them the tools and critical thinking skills to choose right from wrong.

"Sexting" has become a popular phenomenon with far reaching ramifications. This type of texting involves people, mostly teens, sending explicit pictures to others via cell phones. While many teens view this as harmless it is far from it.

I believe society today has come full circle. The "60s" saw the development of the "I Feel Good" and "It's about me" era. History does indeed repeat itself. As a teacher, I have seen first hand how teens do not understand respect and responsibility not only for themselves but for others. I'm seen the "it's all about me" syndrome firsthand.

According to CNN, one young man is forever a sex offender. He got mad at his girlfriend and sent a "sext" to all his friends. This is distribution of child pornography. Since this young man was charged he will be labeled a sex offender for that distribution.

"Fifteen-year-old Marissa Miller of northeastern Pennsylvania was 12 when she and a friend snapped themselves wearing training bras. "I wasn't trying to be sexual," she says, "I was having fun with my friends at a sleepover, taking pictures, dancing to music." The picture recently surfaced on a student's cell phone and Marissa's mom, MaryJo Miller, was contacted by Skumanick. "He told me that he had a full nude photo of my daughter," says MaryJo Miller, who calls the picture innocent.

Rather than force her daughter to take the classes, which would have required she write a report explaining why what she did was wrong, Miller and two other families ­-- with the help of the ACLU -- are suing the district attorney to stop him from filing charges. "We believe she was the victim and that she did nothing wrong," says Miller. "How can I ask her to compromise her values and write this essay, when she didn't do anything?" - CNN.com

The above except from CNN gives "sexting" a whole new meaning for me. The parents believe their daughter is a victim and did nothing wrong. WHOA! In my opinion the child is not victim and did do something wrong. Whatever the child's intent is irrelevant at this point. She snapped partially nude photos of herself and a friend and DID do something. "Sexting" surfaced in 2005 and I am of the opinion unless you live with your head in a sandbox most people are aware of this fad.

What if a pedophile got a hold of the pics? It is so easy to get information on people today and it would be fairly easy to mask oneself on a website that could be a real danger to this child. This fad of "sexting" is allowing kids to express themselves in an inappropriate way. It is allowing the opposite sex to believe that the person in the pictures would be a willing participate in sexual activity.

Parents and children need to understands the ramifications of "sexting" for the long term. Not only is it labeling the child as sexually active, it is a crime, one that could last a lifetime. There have been girls that have committed suicide because of "sexting." Bristol Palin is right, "Pause before you play." It is my opinion that nude, partially nude, or other explicit photos are not accidental. They are not "all in fun" and "harmless." They may very well be a peer pressure thing. It could be a boyfriend's "if you love me..." Then, BAM! they couple breaks up or has a heated argument and the pictures start circulating.

Parents help your children understand this is not "normal" behavior. And if you think it is, you need to seek professional help. As I always told my daughter, "if you don't want anybody to know about it, then don't write it." Same is the case with "sexting." If you don't want some sicko to ruin your character, don't snap that picture. Or kids, if you don't want to end up "sex offender" at the end of your name don't attempt it.

Parents teach your children about respect and responsibility that come with ownership of a cell phone. Better yet, don't buy them one with a camera. Or block the ability to send and/or receive multimedia messages. Teens live today and think not of tomorrow. As a parent, it is our responsibility to inform our children of the dangerous world we live in today. Make sure they understand that every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction. Whether good or bad, a consequence will be rendered.

Stop and think. What will snapping this picture do for me? What could happen as a result of the picture? Who would really benefit from explicit "sexts?"

Bullying: To Law or Not To Law

Why wouldn't a state put off a law on bullying? Why isn't there a federal statute on bullying?

With the revolution of technology, i.e., Facebook, MySpace, text messaging, etc. bullying laws should be an important part of the books.

In the Massachusetts case of the young girl hanging herself because she couldn't endure another moment of it. The school says they have been unfairly blamed for the girl's death. WHAT?

It is the responsibility of the school to provide a safe and orderly environment that is conducive to learning. It is clear this child was in trouble. There are several reports of disciplinary actions taking place. The school stands by the notion if the girl didn't tell them everything there was nothing they could do to stop it.

HELLO! While there appears to be several discipline actions involving this one student should have raised a huge red flag. It has been my experience that children that are the subject of bullying do not disclose it to the proper authorities. Reasoning at the age is somewhat whack! I know I would be scared for retaliation. If this is a classic case of bullying, this child clearly came to the end of her rope (no pun intended). While it is the village's responsibility to see to the welfare of our children, I see nothing about parental statements.

Her self-esteem would be deeply affected. Moving into another state is another concern much less a new country. How did she know how to trust anyone? Had she talked to the school counselor? It would seem there was one teacher that took up the matter; however, once that is done, it is an administrator's job to finish the discipline.

Why am I blogging on this subject? I feel there needs to be more proactivity toward our youth today. My problems seemed huge during the teen years but I didn't have to endure what our kids today are living in. Drugs, alcohol, bullying...Sure we had a class bully but I don't remember them being much but hot air. Whip their tails and they ran home to Mama; problem solved. Today kids carry weapons to prove they are serious in their effort to rise to the top for whatever reason. The easiest way to get there is through fear.

However, kids seem to have become much crueler today. Parents aren't as quick to hold their children accountable. In Massachusetts I am sure there are parents emphatically denying their child had no role in this catastrophe. Wanna bet?

Who saw this happening to this girl at school and didn't get involved? I know firsthand what emotions can do to a teenager. My own daughter did not wish to live. She was not being bullied; it was just the opposite. However, we moved and she changed schools. The pressure she put on herself was too much. She felt the "supposed" friends were just that...surface friendships. She was very normal at home and didn't show any signs of being in trouble at school but didn't feel she had a confidant.

But I seem to attack the school system because my child wrote her name on the counselor's board to be seen everyday for three weeks. Don't tell me at that point it was not the school's responsibility. She was never seen, my daughter took matters into her own hands. Praise God she did live and makes it a point to love children and desires to work with at-risk children. She does not want children to feel what she felt and if they do, she wants them to know she's walked the road.

In conclusion, the school authorities think they have been blamed unfairly but I think not. Among all the overworked educators in this country part of their duty is to make it safe for that child. 'Nuff' said!

School Improvement

What is school improvement really all about? Should it be labeled teacher improvement? Student Improvement? Or how about Parent Improvement?

For years I have been watching what school improvement does to a district. Administrators and teachers look like circus workers jumping through the hoops. The "new buzz" strategies intended to improve a school is really on a book shelf gathering more dust just like all the other papers disseminated in meetings and workshops. They might be pulled out if the teacher knows their classroom is up for a visit. It seems that new and improved ways to enhance a school and/or educate its students come out each week.

Teachers spend endless hours in Professional Development to learn how to help their students. The continuation of education for teachers is endless. Many teachers will attest to the fact of sitting in Professional Development for six hours with fifteen different subjects thrown at you will literally fry your mind.

While I believe teachers have gotten away without accountability for many years, how can you blame them? If a teacher is not "cutting the mustard" and not held accountable by their superiors for years of bad teaching why do the rest of us have to suffer? I'm not leaving myself out of this loop. I have done many times what it took to get by and sometimes skimmed right by without doing what I was supposed to in the essence of time and sanity.

Lately I've been watching a case develop in Rhode Island where 88 teachers lost their jobs. This tactic has been threatened for many years and BAM! it happens. The district was given three models to follow and ultimately chose this one because they felt it was workable for them. Now, the district can hire 50% of those teachers back. 44...How would like to have that job?

When you look at the case closer their student body is highly mobile and poor. If states use their own standards there will be a gap in the education of students. The graduation rate is what tipped the scales against them. If the student body is highly mobile would that mean the anticipated graduates moved?

Living in the Delta region of the United States I can tell you high school students come to school without education on their mind. Many come for the food because they have none at home. Many come for the pure socialization with their peers. Education is the last thing many students want. So how can students be improved? All the information is given to the teachers to use but what is given to students to motivate them? Do we include them in this "circus" and see if they will jump through hoops? Highly doubtful...

With so many people involved in the education of children one would think parents would be at the front of the line beating down the doors for a great education. NOPE! Many parents use the school system as a babysitting service. Many parents are not involved in their child's education until it is too late to help the child. There are a vast majority of great parents that are concerned and want a good education for the students. Unfortunately, those students do not fall into the improvement category. The rise well above the threshold and gain knowledge. My parents weren't the most educated of people but they stood by my brother and I to make sure we stayed in school, did our best, and got that education. Let me tell you the methodology my Mother used was right on target. A belt to my backside. All she ever asked was for us to do our best but she knew when mine wasn't the best and I felt the heat!

I was the same with my child. A single parent I knew she would need her education to go to college. I was full aware that college was needed for a job in this generation. I never blamed a teacher for my daughter's lack of capabilities. She once argued with a teacher all the way out of the classroom into the hall over her lack of understanding. She was punished by me, not the school, for the way she handled the situation. You might wonder the teacher's point of view..."Why your daughter is the best student I've got. OK - if she is the best student then why is she arguing with you over math to the point you both end up in the hallway?" (This would be case in point of teachers afraid of students and their parents - which is another blog.)

School improvement is about everyone. States hold districts accountable. Districts are starting to hold teachers accountable. But who really holds students accountable or their parents? I keep hearing that students aren't going to receive credit or fail a certain grade if they don't score proficient on the benchmark. Has it happened yet?

I have a saying that rings true here: "You can lead the student to the test but you can't make them bubble in the right answers."

I honestly believe our government needs to look hard at the way they create accountability for education. Consistent standards across the country would close some of the gap. Looking at the content of benchmark testing dependent on the area of the country a student is raised would be a great start. My students don't care if Dick saw Jane run. They don't care if Spot runs with Dick and Jane. They care about the bills being paid, the parents not being drug addicts or alcoholics, the love they don't receive from family yet long for each day. For students, it's about survival. I don't believe that my area is much different than many areas in the United States. Write benchmark prompts in a variety where students can relate to the content.

School Improvement...Teacher Improvement...Student Improvement...Parent Improvement...Schools are in distress, teachers are suffering from stress, and students only care about the way they are dressed and no one told the parents about the test. See the pattern here? School improvement will only be an improvement if everyone connected to that one student step up to the plate and see they receive the best education they can get.

Just a LOONNGGGG thought!

Blogs and Copyright - Final Answer

In July 2009, I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to visit my cousin for a week. My favorite author, Dorthea Benton Frank, just released her new book, “Return to Sullivan’s Island.” The heroine of the story, Beth, had just completed her college degree in journalism. She went back to Sullivan’s Island to live for one year while her mother went to Paris to teach. As the conversation of Beth putting her life on hold took place she mentioned she might “blog” while in South Carolina. To Beth, this would be a good way to hone her journalistic skills. Her eccentric old aunt that was leaving for California said, “Are you crazy? People will steal your thoughts!”


This statement caught my attention. I have never thought about blogging or other types of Internet communication as vulnerable to theft. As part of the Multimedia frameworks I am required to teach about Copyright laws. One part of Copyright law is specific: once that thought is completed on paper, the writer has a copyright to it. Do we really have that security?


I have heard on the news about people being fired from jobs for what they have said in blogs, on Facebook, and MySpace. Personally, I have always thought, “Way to Go, STUPID!" I can't believe someone would talk negatively about their job in this type of forum and I never gave a thought to a thief of words. It truly does make sense in today’s world. Most people, especially students, don’t comprehend plagiarism and its seriousness.


Anyone stealing someone else’s work is irritating to me. After much contemplation and researching I think I understand why it strikes my nerves. I don’t really consider myself important enough to have my thoughts taken away by a hacker or plagiarizer because they probably wouldn’t be interested in my opinion. However, I have worked very hard to obtain my education. It is sometimes difficult to gather the thoughts and research while giving them a place in the context of assignments. I have done many projects behind the scenes because of my inability to say no and others have taken the credit.


Evidently it bothers me more than I think because I am writing about the subject. Another aspect to look at…some of the postings on blogs are very personal to people. They have taken a risk and laid their life before us. I can see some of their personal issues being turned into a book. Some of the blogs I am currently reading hold my attention without fail and would make a wonderful work for a good book.


I really don’t understand the whole blogging concept unless the author wants someone to read, critique, and comment on it. I know I have become caught up in “blog-o-mania” and find myself blogging constantly. If one’s work is to be that confidential why start a blog? An electronic journal would be the same thing and it could be kept on the personal hard drive of the computer or a flash drive.


I was once told in a workshop the mark of a good teacher is they will share everything they know without fear. I don’t mind sharing; I don’t mind constructive criticism; and I certainly don’t mind mechanic correction, but ask me for the information and I will gladly give it with a promise of credit in return.


In writing on this subject I drew on previous knowledge about Copyright laws. I also completed new research on the subject because the concept of blogging creates a whole new realm of copyrighting. I found an article at http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/02/08/how-to-defend-your-blogs-copyright, which shows the violation of Copyright is still an issue. It also outlines ways to protect your blog. A free licensing web site www.creativecommons.org will let you create a little license symbol in HTML for you to place within your blog. Of course, there are various settings within the blog site to set to help protect your work. Not that either stops someone from stealing thoughts but it gives the writer a little more copyright infringement rights.

Blogs and Copyright - Part 2

Revisions
Apparently copyright and blogging are a big deal. After doing Internet research I found the following article on copyright and blogging.

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/02/08/how-to-defend-your-blogs-copyright/

This article was actually written in February so it would be considered new evidence of copyright infringement.

Although I don't consider myself important enough to have my work stolen and I have always understood a good teacher shares all the knowledge they have without reservation, this issue seems to be plaguing me.

I think I might understand why...Since I have indicated previously the brain is used to make life easier and difficult problems, analytical thinking, etc. require a great deal of effort from the brain, I might be offended that someone couldn't think for themselves.

I, like my classmates, have worked very hard to obtain this degree. It has been difficult for me to gather some of the thoughts and place in the right context. I don't want some "yahoo" coming along and plagiarizing or writing my work as their own irritates me. If I want you to have the information, ask me and I'll give it to you as long as I get credit where it is due.

I think another reason this bothers me is I have done so many things at work behind the scenes because of my own inability to say no and others have taken the credit. Should I ever decide on the PhD, I may want to use one of these posts as a dissertation thesis or research source.

Another aspect to look at...Some of the postings on some of these blogs are very personal to people. They have taken a risk and laid their life before us. I can see some of their personal issues being turned into a book. Some of the blogs I am reading hold my attention without fail and would make wonderful work for a good book.

Therefore, as part of my revision, I did a little more research. You will notice at the bottom of this post, I have a copyright. This is free from creative commons. You can select your choices and have the code emailed to you. It is also free. In conclusion, I feel a little better that I can at least say, "Hey this is my work. If you want to use it, just ask."

Original Test
"As copyright laws go, once that thought is put on paper, you have a copyright to it. Do you really?

While in Charleston, my favorite author, Dorthea Benton Frank released her new book, "Return to Sullivan's Island" and I obtained my signed copy. Reading through the book the young woman who was a writer talked about blogging. Her eccentric old aunt said, "Are you crazy? People will steal your thoughts."

This really caught my attention. I had never thought about blogging or Facebook notes as vulnerable to copyright theft. Since I really have nothing personal to blog about, it is all on a professional level, I never thought about a thief.

I just don't really understand the purpose for blogging unless you want others to read it. If you wanted to journal, it could still be electronic but stored on your computer or another type of media.

Any other thoughts on this?"



Luv 2 Teach High School Blog by Janice Hudson-Owers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at msowers.blogspot.com.

Three LIttle Pigs and One Wolf

As I was completing the reading for this week I must admit sadly I never knew the wolf had his own story. I have always believed the pig and his story.

I plan on capitalizing on these two accounts this fall. I always have a huge discussion with students sometime during the year about our realities. I always explain to them that my reality may be different from their reality.

To explain this I will use a fight illustration. If two students are fighting and a teacher gets caught up in the fight I am focused on the teacher. Students for some reason flock to fights all seem to see different things. Their focus is on the students fighting. In my reality I don't really care who swung first I care who keeps swinging endangering my co-worker. The students each have an account of stops fighting first. At my school for some reason it takes a huge investigation when fighting occurs. I guess that would be the democratic way. However, in my opinion, they both go home if a teacher gets caught up in the middle of it all (I'll save that for later).

In the above illustration two different realities occurred. The student reality and my reality. While I will most probably stay with my original statement, the student(s) will have different accounts of the fight. Therefore, given the position of the student, physically and mentally, their reality of what happened is different.

I have always had a hard time getting this point across without concrete evidence to show them. Alas, enter The Three Little Pigs and The Wolf's Side of the Story. After reading the passages and the table in the text I have decided to draft a lesson plan on reality from these stories. Although the first story seems to be told by an unbiased outsider which could preclude any prejudice that might occur, I am certain the second story is full of bias. After all, it is told by the wolf.

My plan will be for the students to read both stories and form opinions on each. Then, they will create a presentation in groups (I think) of the events and the reality of each story. This will lend itself to the ability to analyze the components of the stories. It will give them the opportunity to complete a teamwork activity. Finally, it will give them insight of people having opinions and it being alright to express those opinions without judgment.

Please give me your thoughts on this idea and help me expand it to be able to deliver it effectively.

Some People...

While I was at my Career Guidance Conference this last week we had a wonderful speaker. Paul Vitale is a nationally known motivational speaker that hails from Arkansas.

He talked about getting out of the ruts and moving on...Standing up and taking the chance...Risking it all...

He showed this from YouTube and I just had to share it. Get moving People!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSIkjNaICsg