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  • What to Do if Your Teacher is a Bully

    What to Do if Your Teacher is a Bully

    Wouldn’t it be great if all teachers were devoted to educating their students and dedicated to encouraging them? Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

    If you are under the supervision of teacher whose behavior has crossed the line into bullying, there are things you can do to stop it. Discussing your concerns with the teacher in question and the head of his/her department, filing a formal complaint with your school and in the most extreme case, asking to be transferred to another class are just a few of your options.

    Many students think that they will never be believed if they bring a complaint against a teacher, but don’t let these unfounded fears stop you. Bullying by a teacher is unacceptable behavior, and no student should be subjected to it.

    What Is Teacher Bullying?
    It’s easy to get on a teacher’s bad side, or for a teacher to get on your own, but this does not mean that the teacher is a bully. Bullying behavior by a teacher includes behaviors such as:

    • Degrading comments about a student.
    • Unwanted or hostile physical contact with a student.
    • Unwanted or suggestive physical contact with a student.
    • Inappropriate or lewd remarks made to a student.
    • Suggesting to a student that his/her grade depends on something other than his/her studies.

    What Is the First Step to Stopping Teacher Bullying?
    If you feel that your teacher is a bully, the first step is to tell someone. This could be your parents, your principal or another teacher that you trust. If you are afraid to speak out, calling Kids Help Phone will get you in touch with people who can help you through this process. Remember – you are not alone and there is help available!

    Teacher bullying is unacceptable and must not be tolerated. If you feel that you are being treated poorly, but are uncertain if you are being bullied by your teacher, confide in a trusted adult.

     

  • Joining the Circus – Cirque du Soleil

    Joining the Circus – Cirque du Soleil

    Some people, such as miners, work underground. Most other people work above ground in buildings like schools, offices, and hospitals. One group of people, however, works on the ground and in the air, quickly moving from one to another. Can you think of what that job is? Acrobats are known for their skills in flying through the air and for performing great feats of balance and flexibility. Acrobats work as street performers and in circuses around the world, including the famous Cirque du Soleil.

    Becoming an acrobat starts early. The physical ability to bend over backwards or to jump high into the air can take years to develop. Joining a gymnastics club or practicing with friends is a good way to learn the skills necessary to become an acrobat. Many people also attend lessons at the National Circus School in Montreal, Quebec, where they learn how to jump, bend, and do many other tricks. Montreal is also the home of the Cirque du Soleil, one of the world’s most famous circuses.

    The Cirque du Soleil started in 1984 in Montreal with two street acrobats. Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix were trying to earn a living by performing their acrobatic feats on the streets and at special occasions. However, making enough money was difficult, and they decided to join together with other acrobats to start a circus. The group called itself the Cirque du Soleil.

    The Cirque du Soleil is famous for being unlike any other circus. Each Cirque du Soleil performance tells a story instead of having a series of acts like other circuses. Over 1300 performers and another 3700 employees work in the Cirque du Soleil around the world. Some of them help prepare for performances or help with some of the other tasks like selling tickets. Every job helps to make the circus experience good for performers and the audience.

    Being in a circus can involve a lot of travel with mostly evening and weekend work. Salaries vary, but they are usually between $40,000 and $70,000 per year. Experience and special skills can help performers rise to the higher income level. Even at the lower levels, however, this money can go far. During the months when people are on the job, they receive free food and a place to stay. Being part of a regular circus troupe like the Cirque du Soleil can be a very career for people with the right skills.

    Not all acrobats work in a circus. Some prefer to be street performers, making a living by setting up their acts as part of outdoor festivals. This type of work gives acrobats a lot of freedom to test and try to improve their skills, at least when the weather is warm and dry enough to work. Street performance is a good way to start if you think that a career as an acrobat is right for you. Eventually, you might be able to show your skills by performing in some of the world’s greatest circuses.

  • What Should I Be?

    What Should I Be?

    With countless options available, the pool of career options may seem frightening.

    There are many ways to figure out what you want to be and many things to consider along the way.

    Firstly, what do you enjoy doing? Even if your hobbies or interests don’t seem like they would provide careers for your future, it’s a great starting point to identify the types of jobs and fields you may be interested in. Some hobbies or interests may have clear career options, like an animal lover pursuing a career as a vet or zoologist, or an artistic person becoming a graphic designer or book illustrator. Other hobbies or interests might require some additional thought. For example, if you like hockey and don’t foresee the NHL in your future, you could work in Sport Management or Sport Marketing. If you enjoy being outdoors with nature you could be an environmental technologist. The options are endless.

    It’s also important to think about what you’ll want from a career. For some people, the goal is to make as much money as possible, for others to work a job that they enjoy, and for many people a bit of both. Identifying your priorities when thinking about the future is important. For example, if you like storytelling but want to make a lot of money and work steady hours, writing novels may not be the best option. A job as a news editor or reporter may prove more fruitful, or perhaps a career in public relations. By combining what you like to do with what you want from life, you’ve made great progress toward figuring out what you want to be.

    Most importantly, remember that you don’t have to settle on a specific career right away. You may know that you want to work toward a future that will fulfill your love of history, perhaps working in a museum or teaching history, or something else. It’s important to always account for change and be open to exploring other options as your knowledge and experience grow. Your career choice is never set in stone.

    No matter what you’re going to be, you’re sure to find a future of happiness if you take the time to know what you like and what’s important to you. You don’t have to choose your career right now – just follow your heart and do what makes you happy!

  • The Bully, The Bullied and The Bystander

    The Bully, The Bullied and The Bystander

    There is a dangerous notion of what normal is for today’s young person, defined in part by media images, Hollywood and reality television. The rest in a cocktail definition is pieced together by those with a voice and a platform. Whether that platform is prom queen or king, fashion icon or cultural diva, it matters little for the message is clear from wherever it is preached; normal is what normal does and if you don’t fit the mold you do not fit in.

    The reality is that you either fit in or you are cast out. As long as you have a group to fit into, life should pace itself to the rhythmic meter that is everyone else’s. This is the important distinction. Friendship circles do not have to mimic each other, in actuality the only common factor they might have is the willingness to accept each other. What happens when there is no peer group that accepts you? What does a young person do when no one extends welcome and isolation creeps in? Suffer in silence? Dig deep for resilience and self-respect? Perhaps, but the number of suicides in this country has reached an all-time high. More and more teenagers are choosing to end their lives rather than fight for them.

    Why?

    The simple answer is that bullying is also on the rise, but this is an unsatisfactory conclusion. Bullies have always existed. Cruel pranks and hurtful words are nothing new. So why the percentage increase? It comes down to one thing, neither small nor easy to fix – the internet. Cyber-bullying is an emerging form of cruelty that is wreaking havoc on many a teen life and there is little to no awareness on the part of parents and teachers. Think of how fast gossip used to travel before Facebook, text and Twitter. We may live in the age of technology, but when it comes to human decency it appears we are in the dark ages. Kindness, acceptance and grace for our mistakes do not seem to exist.

    Barbara Coloroso, international speaker, author and expert on the topic of bullying, says bullying is about contempt; putting one down to build the bully up. She also asserts that bullying is a learned behaviour and that home is where children first learn how set their moral compass. Those who are bullied typically remain secretive about it. They don’t want their parents to think of them as weak and are afraid of retaliation. They endure while quietly losing themselves. The bystander is the one who watches the bullying and does nothing to prevent it. They may even contribute with laughter or taunts. Bystanders are usually afraid of bullies as well and may have low self–esteem. They worry about becoming a target themselves or go along with the bully for lack of a better option. Even if a bystander would never bully on their own, by not stepping in they are picking the side of the bully and in essence enabling them.

    It is too late to care after the fact. A suicide is not the time to ‘tsk’ the sad situation or wish something had been done about it. Kind words for those around us, a smile, inclusion and a willingness to see into the heart and soul of a person will make a difference. The greatest desire in all of our hearts is to be known.

    We all need to have a story. What do you want to do in the future? What are your goals? What would you like to get better at and how can you make that a reality? When we have a story we have focus on the horizon and all that lies ahead, which makes the daily struggles a little easier to endure.

  • Succeeding In High School

    Succeeding In High School

    Whenever we are facing a life change, we are worried that there may be new challenges that we may have difficulty with. This is natural and is actually adaptive for your survival as a human being. By thinking about what high school might be like, you are helping yourself to be prepared for what may lie ahead. Try thinking of yourself as an explorer entering the jungle on an expedition. Would it be smart for that explorer to enter the jungle without first having thought through the possible outcomes of their expedition? The answer is no. The explorer must prepare themselves for what lies ahead in order to stay out of danger and ensure their success on their expedition. As you enter high school, you are like the explorer – in need of some preparation for what lies ahead. Be sure to think through some of the challenges you may encounter and try as best you can to prepare for these, such as buying appropriate school supplies and being open to learning new things.

    It’s important to keep in mind that a positive attitude is your best friend wherever you go, especially when you are facing new challenges that may intimidate you and challenge you to change yourself in some ways. Being positive will help you to overcome situations that are unpleasant or uncomfortable and to help you remember what it is that you do have, as opposed to focusing on what you don’t have, what you lack, or what is negative.

    That being said, it is equally important to have your own goals and ambitions that surpass your desire and need to be better than others. Remember that you are your highest competitor, and that you can most satisfactorily achieve your goals by competing with YOUR goals and only YOUR goals. Set goals for yourself using the SMART formula: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed (Wikipedia, 2013) and make your own success. You will have more work in high school than you’ve had before, so it’s important to set your goals and work to achieve them!

    Overall, being prepared, having a positive attitude, believing in yourself and setting goals for yourself is the way to success in high school. Good luck and, above all, have fun!

  • What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

    What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

    “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

    It’s the classic question that every kid has heard at some point, usually before they are finished kindergarten. You’ve probably heard it at every birthday, every get-together, every parent-teacher night you’ve ever been to. And you may or may not be able to answer it. That’s okay – it’s difficult to know what you want to do when you grow up. What most kids don’t know is that they don’t need to choose just one thing.

    In today’s world, many jobs require a wide variety of skills, and it is becoming more and more common for adults to do several different jobs rather than just one. The best thing that you can do is figure out what you like to do, then work on getting good at it – even if you don’t know what kind of job you want to do. That way, you’ll be ready for anything.

    You might enjoy video editing, computer programming and writing. You might start off with a job in programming, and then decide later that you’d prefer to work in video editing. Maybe you’ll write for a magazine in your spare time. It’s always possible to change careers, or to take on a side-job in order to do everything that you enjoy.

    Never limit yourself to only one option – if you have a wide variety of interests and skills, you’ll have a wide variety of job opportunities by the time you’re old enough to choose one (or two, or three)!

  • What’s High School REALLY Like?

    What’s High School REALLY Like?

    For anyone starting high school, it can be an intimidating time. You’re suddenly in an environment where you’re not always surrounded by familiar faces and you have a lot more freedom. But not to worry – high school is one the best and most memorable times of your life.

    High school is the perfect opportunity to explore, meet new friends, figure out your interests and to figure out what you want to do as a career.

    Meeting New Friends
    If you’re starting high school with friends you already know from elementary school, try not to limit yourself to that clique. We all see the typical cliques in teen movies. The jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds…but reality is not really like that. You can be a “jock” who is into academics or be an academic who is into sports. So be open to meeting new people. How do you go about doing this? You can meet new people in your classes. You will eventually have to work in preassigned groups on projects in classes, so this is the perfect time to get out of your comfort zone and get to know new people as you may be spending a lot of time together outside of class time. Take advantage of that time together; you may find you have a lot in common with them. You can also meet new people by joining clubs, extracurricular activities, joining sports teams and attending social events like dances and pep rallies.

    What are Your Interests?
    Maybe you weren’t as athletic in your elementary school but now you want to try out for the soccer or basketball team. It’s a great way to stay active and of course to meet new people that have similar interests as you. Maybe you’ve always been interested in music or pursuing acting. Join the school choir or drama club. Maybe you want to run for the school election or join a committee – it’s a great way to hone your leadership skills! Also, the best part about high school is that you can pick a lot of your own courses that you can choose based on your interests like Art, Drama, Music, Creative Writing and Media Studies, just to name a few.

    Choosing Your Career
    High school is the time to figure out what you want to take in your post-secondary education and to figure out what career path to take. Through your courses, you will figure out what your strengths are and what you’re most interested in. You have a lot of resources available to you to help figure out what you want to do. Teachers and guidance counselors can help guide you to the right path and assist you in the necessary steps to get there. Volunteer hours are now mandatory requirement for high school, so this is the perfect time to work in a field of your interest and to gain first-hand experience in your chosen industry. This experience also looks great on a resume if you’re looking to apply to a job. Maybe you want to become a teacher so you can volunteer at a school. You will gain valuable skills that you can use in the future.

    Your Social Life
    School is not all about work. You need to have some fun, and it’s all about balance. Take advantage of the social aspect of high school. Go to school trips, dances, and parties. You will most likely make friendships that will last a lifetime so take advantage of these opportunities. High school will go by in a flash, but these years will be the ones that you will always remember.

  • Stop Bullying – You’ll Have More Friends!

    The issue of bullying has been talked about a lot over the past year in the media and in schools. In particular, the bullying of LGBT youth has led to many unfortunate cases where suicide felt like the only way out. Are you or someone you know being bullied? Are you a bully? Ask yourself these important questions and you can make a difference in by taking steps to change your behaviour or helping those who you see being bullied by others.

    If you have bullied others, think of the reasons why you did it. Did you want to look cool in front of your friends? How did it make you feel after you bullied the person? One of the best ways to stop this behaviour is to put yourself in the shoes of the person being bullied. If you were called those names, reflect on how you would feel. Often, realizing the power of your words is the best medicine to stop such actions.

    Don’t put yourself into a box – just because you may have bullied people before, it does not mean you still have to do it now. The power to change is within all of us! By changing your behaviour, you will positively impact everyone around you. Be the person in your school who sets an example and says no to being a bully. Change starts with one person and grows larger from there.

    If you have been bullied, or are currently being bullied, reach out to someone you care about. If you feel like they would not understand, or you don’t feel comfortable talking to them, there are many anonymous and free services where people are ready to help you at any time of the day. Kids Help Phone is a great example. Even though it may seem futile, talking with someone and having a human connection with someone who wants to listen to you and help you is extremely beneficial to your mental health. Someone who is “outside” of your situation can give you advice that you may not hear from someone that is close to you. The anonymity of a service like Kids Help Phone allows you to be completely honest about your thoughts and feelings without the fear of being judged.

    You can also volunteer to help with programs that raise awareness about the effects of bullying, or create your own campaign in your school. Awareness of the issue will give others the confidence to speak up when they see someone being bullied.

    If you need help, please do not hesitate to reach out to someone. There is strength in numbers, and you will get through this.

  • Are You Supposed to Pick Just One Career When You Grow Up?

    Are You Supposed to Pick Just One Career When You Grow Up?

    This is a common question that students may ask. Are you supposed to pick just one career when you grow up? The answer is no. As you go through elementary school and high school, you will find that you will change your interests all the time. Maybe in school right now, you’re interested in animals and you want to become a Veterinarian. When you start high school, you may find out that you’re really good at writing so maybe you want to become a writer. There’s nothing wrong with that. You will find through experience that you are more interested in other subjects than others and the natural thing to do is to choose a career based on what you’re most interested in doing and what you do the best in, and you only find that out through time and the different courses that you will take.

    Elementary school is great to figure out what you like as you are introduced to a lot of different subjects in school like Art, Math, Science and Gym. In high school, you get to choose some of your courses based on what you like which will help you to figure out what you like and what you don’t like, taking you a step closer to what career path you want to follow. Of course this can change a few times in high school. Even after high school you can change your mind in university or college. You will see that maybe you’re more interested in another program so you can switch to that or maybe specialize in one program as your major and take another course at the same time as your minor. There are a lot of options available to you.

    Even after college or university when you’re starting to work at a job, you will find you will switch careers often. Maybe there are not many jobs available in your chosen field after graduating and you decide to work in another industry. Maybe you started working in your chosen line of work after graduation and you find out that it’s not really what you want to do after all and you decide to pursue another line of work, maybe going back to school in that industry or maybe you happen to get a job in that field. You never know what will happen.

    The most important thing to remember is to keep your options open as anything can change, including your interests and available jobs in that market so you must be able to adapt to these different situations. The best part is, you can gain skills in many different industries that you can you can use in any job. So enjoy and take advantage of all these experiences.

  • The Importance of Being True to Yourself

    The Importance of Being True to Yourself

    Each and every single one of us has a unique set of values, beliefs, and even inspirations that make us who we are as individuals. Naturally, as we progress through life, these very important elements that lie at the very core of our existence will slightly alter and adjust in a manner to allow for the new experiences and situations that we have endured. Life is much like a sea… at one time; we may drift peacefully and quietly atop the glistening waters. Then, there will be situations in which we must work to keep ourselves afloat waters that are ferocious and ominous in nature.

    Yes, it is true, there will be treacherous waters and frightening and intimidating clouds that linger among us throughout life, but it is essential that we each realize the importance of being true to ourselves. Is it not true that in the roughest of seas men learn to survive? Is it not among the violent waves that men learn to welcome and appreciate the calm surfaces of the water? Is it not true that when men face the evil of the storm that they relish in the calm that occurs after the thunders and treacherous waves have passed? If you are searching for the importance of being true to yourself, consider the man that was consumed by something much larger than he.

    In order to be true to yourself in the midst of peace and calmness, you must stand firm in your beliefs when staring opposition in the face. This is what assists in developing who you are, this is what defines you… your ability to overcome and learn.

    Many times in life, we will be faced with temptations that may defy who we are as individuals. It is so much easier to go with the natural flow of the tide than to push against it. It is human nature to want to experience as little complications as possible. What you must consider is if you are denying yourself of some important lesson, of something much bigger than you or you ever imagined. If floating with the direction of the tide defies you as an individual, and you feel as if you will not gain any type of insight as to who you are, or it does not allow you to stand alongside of your personal beliefs and convictions, turn that boat around and push with all of your might against the tide.

    It is better for a man to be true to who he is, rather than deny himself of all the rewards he will experience as standing alone in his personal convictions and beliefs.

    Being true to yourself is a very rewarding experience. Many experiences and situations will come your way and threaten the very existence of your unique stand in life. We pass over many different waves in life, many ships come in, and many ships pass us by. In many cases, animals of the wild such as sharks will want to engulf us in order to define their existence. Stormy skies will sometimes linger over us, and violent wars sometimes rest on the banks of life. In all of these things, you must stand strong in who you are. Allowing these situations to overcome you, violate you, and even control you in any way, just may be the point in which you lose sight of the horizon, sight of who you truly are.