bullying
Should Students Be Required To Wear School Uniforms?
School uniforms are a contentious issue in many schools. Students and many parents disagree with the enforcement of school uniform policies. Arguments in favor of school uniforms are that they lower the rate of bullying and discrimination, save parents money, and promote school spirit. Others argue that uniforms take away the right of self-express, hide more prominent issues, stifle creativity, and cause students to feel punished or singled out (particularly those who happen to be girls or non-binary). On balance, the arguments against school uniforms outweigh those in favor. Accordingly, school uniforms should not be mandatory in schools.
Emily Clare BurgessPublished 2 years ago in EducationMy Extraordinary Fifth-Grade Year
“A truly great teacher is hard to find, difficult to part with and impossible to forget...” —Magdalena Walulik My fifth-grade year was particularly memorable for a multitude of reasons.
B.R. ShenoyPublished 2 years ago in EducationThe Epitome of Professionalism
I gulped as I read the email from Principal Myers, asking me to stop by his office after school. Afraid that he wanted to talk about the complaints that Ms. Putram made against Ms. Rochier, a teacher that I worked with, I felt my stomach turn. I was a long-term substitute at the time - as a support person for Ms. Rochier’s class. She and I had become close. For weeks, I helped her manage the classroom and often instructed students who needed extra attention at a table in the back of the room.
Education
Liverpool in the 50’s and early 1960’s prior to the Mersey sound explosion and in particular the emergence of The Beatles was a typical working class British City famous only for its football clubs, docklands and ferry’s that crossed the Mersey into Birkenhead and the Wirral. Growing up in these times was the same for all young men and women living in industrial cities across the nation, war had been over for 15 plus years and although rationing was a distant memory there was concern as jobs were scarce and there was unrest amongst the soon to be referred to as the ‘Baby Boomers’. Teddy Boys were desperate to hang on to their identity as a new wave of delinquents were emerging from the new sounds beginning to filter through from the bowels of a cellar in the heart of Liverpool called The Cavern. To say Liverpool was a hard city to grow up in would be an understatement, anger and resentment hung over the city like a dark cloud, times were tough throughout the UK and Liverpool was just one of many working class cities that was struggling with a wartime hangover. Discipline was the order of the day, conformity a must, follow orders and do as you are told was embedded in the psyche. You must conform or pay the price and most of all remember where in society you fit, the class system expects you to play your part and get on with it. There is no room for anarchy the country expects you to do your bit after all the government knows what’s best for you is the message, what is it you don’t understand? Your social class determined where you lived and your primary schooling would shape your future, your childhood dreams of success no matter how ambitious are taken away and put into the “who do you think you are” category like an orphan from a Dickens novel. Thankfully those days are behind us now but it was not that long ago that this mindset existed. Back in the 50’s and 60’s in the UK the education system in its infinite wisdom had decided that all school children finishing primary school must sit for exams called the eleven plus which would define the educational path you entered into, success (passing) meant winning the ‘Golden Ticket’ and yes this statement is meant to be a reference to ‘Willy Wonka’ as the stupidity of the system resembles a fairy story and failure (not passing) meant mediocrity in education. Successful students moved into the College system providing a pathway to university and beyond, sadly failure meant secondary school an inferior mode of education aimed at herding students through and out into the world of manual labour or the trades if you were lucky at the age of 15. So at the age of 11 the quality of your primary schooling along with the ability to pass an exam would be instrumental and the key to your future. How absolutely absurd and thank God this archaic system is well and truly defunct and today’s generation has equal opportunities to move on academically whenever they feel ready. I have to admit that my primary school years did nothing to prepare me for what lay ahead, was it the system that let me down or was I just not cut out for academia. I suppose these days I would have been diagnosed with dyslexia as the 3 R’s seemed to have passed me by without registering and my only clear memory of attending primary school was the day I was escorted off the school grounds by my class teacher and being told to go home and change having shit my pants, not my proudest moment but control and concentration obviously were not my strongest points. I unfortunately became a casualty of the system having fell at the 11 plus hurdle and was eventually thrust into the secondary school caldron and labeled by my educators along with everyone else a waste of space, a failure and a total loser. Secondary schools housed mainly non achievers either through the misfortune of failing a one off exam or more often than not a load of thick muppets who hated the world and considered education a waste of time, the 3 R’s were not as important to them as having enough grease to keep their Elvis Presley hair styles in place. Sadly the school that I attended falls into the latter and on day one of my attendance at this institute of learning (tongue in cheek) saw me man handled by the older boys who like Vultures survived on the rich pickings of fresh meat that happened to walk into the school grounds. I was duly set upon and dragged across the schoolyard before being deposited down the coke chute and into the bowels of the furnace room where I remained for the first lesson of the day with ripped trousers and a face as black as Louis Armstrong’s bottom. It goes without saying that my senior school years were not and I stress not my favourite times apart from playing football where the kicking at least was controlled, I spent most of my school attendance trying not to be beaten up or have my dinner money stolen. I found having to pay protection money to some spotty moron who thought a Caesarean Section was a district in Rome didn't help my educational aspirations and my thoughts were like those of a prisoner chalking out the days, weeks, months and years of his sentence on his cell wall till it was time to be released. The sheer Joy I felt when I turned 15 having reached the end of my sentence and the education custodians had seen fit to release me out into the real world, was overwhelming, I felt so much joy that I had survived and my time had been served I was now about to become a free man, poorly educated, very bruised and no qualifications but free.
Roy TraversPublished 2 years ago in EducationLGBTQIA+ Representation in primary schools
As all members of staff in a primary school should know, the child should be at the centre of everything we do. So, in discussions like this we need to bring the narrative back to age-appropriate terminology. For example, in EYFS the young children do not need to understand what LGBTQIA+ is, however, they do need to be taught that families different to their own are still as much a part of society as anyone else’s and it is not acceptable to disfavour their peers because of these differences.
Megan KennedyPublished 2 years ago in EducationHomeschooling
I hear many things when I tell people I homeschool my children. Some think it's noble. Others believe that they should be in school and that it is a waste of my time. Many are concerned about my children's socialization; however, they can hold an adult conversation better than most adults. When in traditional schooling, the teachers often have to tell students they are there to learn and not socialize. I heard that a lot as a child until I lost my voice and listened to those teachers. Of course, we all want what is best for our children, but when is it okay for others to tell you how to raise your child?
Ella DormanPublished 2 years ago in EducationCyberbullying: The Tell-Tale Signs And How To Help Your Child
Cyberbullying is an extremely obnoxious experience. Since the rise of social media and internet, it has drastically increased in numbers. In a report by Cyberbullying Research Centre, around 67% students reported that they were cyberbullied in their lives.
David KentPublished 2 years ago in EducationIs homeschooling a safer option?
“The aim of education is knowledge, not only of facts, but of values” William S. Burroughs once said. Without any doubt, we need to take a deep look on how we are educating our children nowadays. Being an educated man is much more than being able to perform a complicated task, on a specific amount on time.
Giovanni ProfetaPublished 3 years ago in EducationPennsylvania School District under heavy backlash for its support of administration’s use of the N word and overall lack of emotional sensitivity to its students of color.
The Parkland public school district is located in the Lehigh Valley region of Eastern Pennsylvania and services North Whitehall, South Whitehall, Upper Macungie, and a part of Allentown townships. The school district’s total enrollment as of July 2021 is estimated at 9,572 students. 1/3 of these students are enrolled in Parkland High School, making it the largest school by headcount in the Lehigh Valley. This district has been known to serve students and their families by providing excellent educational curriculums, wholesome extra-curricular activities, and community involvement. However, there is something more that happens within the walls of this school that can no longer go unnoticed.
A.G. AllumsPublished 3 years ago in EducationViolent Fights Are Back At School
Introduction As a family engagement influencer, I speak my truth about issues related to parenting, education, and families. I raise awareness about relevant issues that some individuals cannot discuss because doing so would be politically incorrect. In doing so, I offer suggestions and solutions based upon my family engagement expertise and vast experiences as an educator. My passion also comes from being a mother.
Dr Deborah M VereenPublished 3 years ago in EducationSimply put...They're not safe.
I started writing this piece with the intention of shining a light on the institutional stigmas attached to young Black males, unfairly, by school systems. After sharing the experiences that my son and I had, I realize that there is a bigger, more horrifying theme running through, our and so many other interactions with the local school district. I realized that our children are no safer at school than they are on a street corner after dark, simply because district policy ties the hands of administrators.
Tiffany FCPublished 3 years ago in Education"Demise to a bully lies into Suicide"
He had everything, and she had little to nothing; not the most beautiful girl, but he made her feel like something. He remembers little to no money, and she was the only one to acknowledge him before he had all that. Fatty, the fat man, is what they would say, but what happens to fat man when he got money, aye? He went ghost as many did to him; built himself up worldwide, so let’s attack him. He became a king; he made it happen big. She was his queen, always left her feeling supreme. He loved her in a $20 dress, as he did in the most expensive; it’s blessed. He remembers every day, each time she would say, you can have better my bae. But better towards what? A girl who did not want him when his pockets weren’t the size of his butt. Said he respects her and her goals to step it up; ready to pay for her business, and she refused; what’s up? He wanted her, unconditional love, all true, nothing above. He tried to ring her, but she didn’t bite, she felt it was early, so they started to fight, hurt right, hurt right? Because it was her, to him it didn’t feel right. Promised on all he had, he loved her, said nothing more beautiful than someone who doesn’t want his money; nothing and no one like her. But what happens when the money becomes his way to impress?
Jessica A. FoxPublished 3 years ago in Education