Jenn’s Two Cents

Bullying is a topic that has been in the news a lot lately.  It has always been a common practice of middle school age kids.  And, it has never been acceptable.  What is also common, are administrators and teachers either turning a blind eye or throwing their hands up claiming it’s the parents responsibility and it’s not in the job description of school staff to deal with. Even schools that say they have anti-bullying programs in place still only scratch the surface of what is a much deeper and destructive issue.

We’ve all heard the news reports of suicides related to bullying around the country. And, in our own back yard, there was Columbine, Deer Creek and Platte Canyon.  These, of course, are the handful that you hear about.  What we might be forgetting are the elementary, junior high and high school students that experience taunting, teasing and bullying every day but do not express their torment to anyone.  How does it affect their schoolwork, their relationships with peers and their overall judgment of how things work in this world?

A survey conducted by the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (the survey was conducted by Dan Olweus (pronounced Ol-VEY-us), who is considered the founding father of research on bully/victim issues) shows that 17% of students in elementary, middle and high school report that they are bullied with some frequency (2-3 times per week). Some reports say this is as high as 30%. This percentage is too large to ignore.  Why? Because 10% of these kids have indicated that they have also bullied. These kids will soon become the adults of our society, teachers of our children, managers of business and leaders of this country.  National research shows the effects of bullying can last a lifetime. Do we really want 17% of our population having a history of being tormented and tormenting others?  I think not.

What I believe works are peer or buddy programs that empower students to report, prevent and protect.  There is no stronger influence than your peers at this level. We tell our kids not to tattle, teachers tell students to work it out for themselves – it’s no wonder victims become victims – because they are afraid to tell.  If it’s not cool to taunt then it simply won’t happen as much.  Teller Elementary in Denver does a good job of this with their P.E. Aces (which cleverly spells out “peace”) program started by P.E. Teacher Christine Baumgartner. The program empowers 4^th and 5^th graders to become advocates and mentors for their younger peers out on the playground.

My two cents is in order to decrease this bullying epidemic, we must take a multi-dimensional approach and concrete action.  Schools (administrators and teachers), parents, and students must all be responsible and act upon any incident – no matter how small. Actions speak louder than words.

Kerri’s Two Cents:

Recently, while chatting with some friends, the issue of bullying came up. It’s such a hot topic right now. We all wondered why bullying is so prevalent today. It’s existed for years but why do we hear about it so much now. And, who is to blame for the bullying? Is it the parents, school administrators, or the kids themselves? Are kids not being taught morals and values in the home these days or does the rise in bullying have to do with the incredible explosion of technology? Today, bullying happens not only at school but continues outside of school through the Internet (social networks or emails) or a cell phone text (cyberbullying). No matter who is to blame, the problem needs to be addressed and drastic measures need to happen.

I think it’s important now more than ever that we ALL do our part in educating children about this topic and the effects it has on others. Children are taking their own lives because they feel so powerless, alone and don’t know who or how to ask for help. Parents have to teach their children morals and values, empathy and tolerance. This can be taught through books, discussions, every day life, and by example. Schools have to teach some of these topics as well and start teaching children at a very young age (personally, I think the sooner they teach it the better results they’ll garner). Anti-bullying programs can’t just be an introduction in the schools but rather woven into the curriculum some how. We must empower our children with the tools they need to stand up to bullies, protect their peers from being bullied and refrain from becoming a bully themselves. Schools that empower kids to be leaders and mentor other students in dealing with this issue or schools that teach tolerance and celebrate diversity are off to a great start in diminishing bully behavior. Jenn mentioned a program over at Teller Elementary. Why can’t more elementary schools create a program such as this especially if it’s working? Why can’t more children become peacemakers in the classroom assisting their peers in dealing with conflict resolution or children acting as school ambassadors, mentoring young children to make better decisions throughout the school day. Another beneficial way to teach children more relating to this topic could be through role play. After all, the more engaged the child, the more vested they are in their learning.

A friend of mine watched a PBS documentary recently called “This Emotional Life.” Click here: to view a clip from the documentary. My two cents includes encouraging parents to watch a documentary such as this or read a few articles regarding bullying so we, the parent, are better informed in helping guide our own children to become more thoughtful, accepting, and respectful toward others.

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Here is one positive effort that Colorado is making on the anti-bullying front.  This program was funded by The Colorado Trust and it’s called Safe2Tell.org –  An organization that’s set up for anti-bullying and school safety by allowing kids to leave anonymous tips on a phone tip-line or on a website. They have also set up a Safe2Text program as well. Law enforcement and the schools follow up on each tip. Since its inception there have been over 8,000 calls and over 2,500 reports resulting in an investigation throughout Colorado. As of October 19, 2010, there have been 67 arrests from these cases.

Also check out Resources on Bullying and Cyberbullying to learn further about about the bullying issue.

Does your school have an anti-bullying campaign? Please share your comments on bullying here.

Kerri’s Two Cents:

I felt mixed emotions while reading this article, More School: Obama would curtail summer vacation Yes, the U.S. is lagging behind other countries when it comes to academics. However, is elongating the school day or doing away with summer vacation the real answer to the education problems our nation faces today?

As I read this article, selfishly I thought here goes our summers back east. Every summer since we moved to Colorado, we’ve been lucky enough to take the kids and spend close to a month vacationing in Massachusetts with our families and friends! What about authentic fish & chips, the ocean, frolicking on the Cape Cod beaches? I’m just saying, it would be very hard to give that up. Many children, as well as parents, enjoy their summer vacations. Summer camps, family vacations, play dates, museums, and road trips provide a nice escape to the school year. They can be educational too. I wince at the thought of sending my children to school year round. Don’t kids need a summer break to re-energize and refocus? At the same time, we moms are always thrilled about the anticipation of sending our children off to school again, so maybe giving up two weeks of summer vacation doesn’t seem that bad.

I don’t know if elongating the school day is the answer either. As it is now, my children get home around 4:00. They eat a snack, play for a while, do homework, eat dinner, take a bath and the next thing you know, it’s their bedtime. We can barely fit that routine into the three and a half hours they have from arriving home from school until their head hits their pillow. If you add on a couple of extra hours of school each day, I don’t know how everything would get accomplished. I think back to my own childhood. In middle school and high school, I participated in seasonal sports, dance, majorettes, tutoring, etc. If the school day was lengthened, what would happen to the extracurricular activities that make us well rounded individuals. However, as a former teacher, I always heard myself saying, there’s just not enough time in the school day to do it all. Some days I could’ve really used an extra hour or so to complete all the projects planned.  It’s a tough dilemma.

I commend President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for their commitment, passion, and resolve in their efforts to improve education here in the United States. I think it’s all about quality education, not quantity. There is no one answer that is going to solve the many educational issues we face in our country today. However, if they are considering having children spend more time in school why don’t we do away with early release days and minimize school vacations? Maybe this would be a good start.

Jenn’s Two Cents:

Kerri’s right; it is about the quality education versus the quantity of education.  You could send a child to school year round, from 8:00 to 5:00, and accomplish nothing if there weren’t quality educators, lessons and enrichment to develop that child’s brain.  To me, it makes no sense to extend the academic school day – even if the curriculum is structured.  I do feel that offering after school enrichment is a better choice.  This way, parents and children can choose subjects and activities that are engaging to the child.  Giving a child the choice to participate in something that is of specific interest to them can only benefit the learning experience.  If they were forced to follow a routine lesson plan for more than 6 hours a day, I don’t think they would thrive.

There must be some research done on how a child’s brain responds and absorbs after being in a learning environment for an extended day.  In my experience, young brains and bodies are completely sucked of their energy after 4:00 PM.  They just can’t absorb any more.  Certainly we’ve all tried asking our young ones how their day was and what they did in school when they come home.  Were they too exhausted to tell you?

Extending the school year is a different story.  Patch working together a myriad of summer camps, activities and vacations is a royal pain in the butt, not to mention costly.  Working parents need to fill the time they’re at the office with various activities for their kids and inevitably scramble to get one kid to swimming and zoo camp and the other to soccer and a play date.  My sister-in-law in Chicago sends her five year old daughter to an eight week day camp (for the same as it would cost to send her to public pre-school) that spans the entire summer vacation and incorporates all the various activities (zoo & museum trips, sports, swim lessons, art, etc.)!  I think that if this option were available here, that I’d be first in line to sign-up.  It may not be rigorous math instruction but some of these camps are designed for children to learn outside of the classroom.  Cramming more and more information into our children’s heads just so we can “get ahead” does not seem like the right path to take. For me, it’s that the quality of the instruction and lessons can make up for the quantity of time spent regurgitating multiplication tables and who was the 23^rd President.

On the other hand, I do think extending the school year another couple of weeks makes a lot of sense.  Six weeks is plenty of time for summer trips back east or road-tripping to Yellowstone. I don’t think an additional two weeks will give the United States much of an academic boost over other countries, though.  There is a lot more that needs to be done to fix that issue.

Please make a comment and tell us your two cents on the subject!

We are excited to bring you a new series called “Two Cents.” Every month, we will post a new topic for you to read and “talk” about. The topic may come from an article surrounding the education world, parent banter in the parking lot, or someone sharing a unique and engaging program that happened at their child’s school. Whatever it may be, we want to conjure up some conversation! Remember, the goal of these discussions is to make one think and to have your opinion be heard. We hope that you are willing to speak up and add your “two cents” to get the conversation started.

(if you would like to suggest a topic for this series, please email us at jennandkerri (at) scooptoo (dot) com)

School Lunches

Kerri’s Two Cents:

I admit I am one of those people that cringe at the thought of my children buying a school lunch in the cafeteria. Even when I visit my own children at school for lunch occasionally, I can’t help but wonder what is in that unattractive food that I see lying on the tray.  Sometimes the smell from the cafeteria gets to me. With that being said, the lunch line is always down the hall and around the corner.

Last year, my twin boys would beg me to buy hot lunch. I found myself trying to convince them repeatedly that I, your devoted mother, make the best lunch around! Whether it was a sandwich, salad, or leftovers from the night before, they were always accompanied with veggies, fruit, and some type of dairy. Every once in a while the lunch would be completed with a note from yours truly. Their lunches were healthy, nutritious and made with loving care. What more did they want? The answer was hot lunch. Yes, I caved from time to time, although it was only a handful of times, okay maybe two. One day, I even overheard one of my sons telling his grandmother, “No Nana I never buy hot lunch because it’s gross and not good for my body.” Kids say familiar things, don’t they?

Healthy or not, school lunch has not drastically changed from when I was in elementary school. Therefore, it’s always been up to the parent to make the choice for their child, cafeteria food versus a homemade lunch. I haven’t put much more thought towards this topic until recently. A friend sent me the article A Tale of Two Lunches and I can’t help but wonder a few things now. Shouldn’t we as parents be demanding better for our children when it comes to nutrition? Shouldn’t the standard school lunches be a thing of the past? What if DPS could become a candidate for a pilot program where lunch is catered by Revolution Foods? Their food is not only appealing to the eye but organic, locally grown, and prepared fresh daily. Would I allow my children to buy lunch at school more often? Would parents pay more money for a better, healthier lunch option for their child? Today, child obesity dramatically increases from year to year. While a healthy lifestyle should be taught in the home, why not have it modeled in schools?

Jenn’s Two Cents:

I ate school lunches as a child all the way up through high school, although in my elementary years, I recall having more packed lunches as opposed to a $1.10 in my pocket for a hot lunch.  Friday (pizza day) was the only exception of course.  Mostly I came sporting a PB&J with an apple and some carrots in a brown bag. It’s probably not much different than kids today with the exception of a fancy initialed lunch box.

To have organic and healthful meal options in public schools (or any school) sounds idyllic if it were not for one fact; they’re expensive.  My son’s school offers an organic daily lunch service and frankly they’re not incredibly appealing to him.  I’d rather him eat healthy foods that I know he likes than spend the money on healthy food he doesn’t like.  Now if I could pay $5.00 and have those lunches delivered to me each day, I would!

I can’t imagine it will be easy to have Revolution Foods, or any other service, partner with an entire public school system.  The enormous amount of red tape that The Odyssey School went through to get the program going will only be compounded by the lack of funding and bureaucracy surrounding Denver Public Schools.  Additionally, it seems like there are more important things for DPS to focus on like…graduation rates and enrichment programs, rather than whether students are getting organic burrito wraps and caesar salads versus chicken nuggets and french fries at school.

We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on school lunch and this article A Tale of Two Lunches?