Day 3- Don't Be a Bully.

Along with being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. I didn't know this until I saw a video yesterday of an incredibly brave TV anchor responding to a viewer email on air. Click HERE to watch...

Now, you may or may not think that this viewer was "bullying" this news anchor, but any way you look at it, that viewer's email was unnecessary and it most certainly wasn't uplifting.
As a high school teacher, this really hits home to me. Bullying has become a major problem in our schools. Some people say that kids need to develop a thick skin... but things are different now than they were when I was in high school. The internet and social media really are used as weapons to hurt kids who may be viewed as a little bit "different" by some. I wish I could talk to every one of those kids and tell them that their differences are what will make them stand out in life later on and that it really is SUCH a positive character trait to be able to stand out and be a little "different." But some kids have people kicking them down constantly, and all over the internet. They aren't equipped to deal with that kind of psychological abuse, and they shouldn't have to be. It scares me to think about what is in store for my own child someday.
Watching this video and listening to Jennifer Livingston's words made me really think about my own actions. Because if I stop and think about it, I'm guilty too. I know I've said mean things on Twitter about how someone looks that's on TV. And it makes me think not only about what I say in public, but what I say in my own home and especially in front of my child. I DO NOT want her to ever hear me say negative things about people based on something superficial, like appearance, and have her think it's ok to speak that way. I'm thankful to that news anchor for shedding light on an often misunderstood subject.