Cyber Bullying - A 21st Century Dilemma

Headlines: Half of teens 15 to 18 bullied someone in the last year!
It's almost hard to believe the data.  First of all, who would admit to being a bully? According to this headline, is anybody safe in our high schools?  Like a lot of articles, the headlines can be a little deceiving.  Many of us will admit that we didn't treat someone as nice as we should have, or we have been made to feel inadequate by someone else. That doesn't make a bully. Many of those same people are outstanding citizens. The problem comes with the definition of what a bully truly is. According to Stopbullying.gov:

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. 

Teaching 9/11 to Students Who Don't Know Enough to Care

It has been 12 years since the tragic day of September 11, 2001 when America fell victim to a massive east coast terrorist attack that shocked our nation and lured us into a brutal 10 year war. I am sure that classrooms around the country commemorated the event with various lessons and activities. In my class we read various articles that discuss 9/11 from different points of view as well as videos that show some of the most important images of that day and the days that followed. The question is, should 9/11 finally move into the pages of the regular history books, or should it still be given special regard, ceremonies, and extra class time?

The Boston Marathon Blast - Carefully analyzing the details requires higher level thinking.

The Boston Marathon is one of the oldest and most recognized races in sports history.  Thousands of runners and spectators participate in this city stopping event every year.  Unfortunately it also attracted the attention of someone else, whose intentions we may never know, but thanks to a series of deadly bomb blasts at the finish line, the nostalgia of the race has changed forever.  According to the latest report, at least three are dead, and many more injured, many of them seriously.  One witness, a Gulf War veteran, stated that it reminded him of the attacks they would experience and respond to in the Middle East.  It's no wonder that terrorism, international or domestic, is labeled to this tragic event.  I'm sure there will be stories of heroism, and many speculations as to how and why. Now we need to be careful with our judgement of strangers,  as authorities try to piece together the clues and go after those responsible.

Read and view the most updated news: CNN U.S., New York Times, ABC News,

Already I am disappointed in the coverage of the events and how our media competes with each other to build this news story inaccurately and inappropriately. Last night alone the death toll went from two, to three, and then to over 20!  How can there be that much discrepancy? One source had other devices discovered among the discarded bags in the aftermath and chaos of the explosions, while sources this morning mention that no other devices were found.  This morning, unconfirmed reports placed a man at the scene carrying two backpacks before the explosions, and an Arab looking man is being sought after for questioning.  In the name of reporting the news first and best, how many misleading facts and unwarranted claims  are we allowed to forgive?

View President Obama's response on the Boston Marathon Explosions.

Covering current events in class has built a background knowledge base in my students that will now allow us to analyze these events more critically than we could only a few months ago. We have grown in maturity and our ability to rationally evaluate a situation.  We can now make comparisons to past events, and compare players in these events to people who have been there before today, or those we have recently read about.  We can make predictions and inferences based on fact, and be able to show evidence to support it. We can pass judgment on the tragic events today as young adults should.

It's time to take the news personally.  What is your reaction to the events at the Boston Marathon? How will this change things?  How will this affect you personally?  Be sure to support your comments with facts from your background knowledge or from the links provided.