Pink Shirt Day

Today is Pink Shirt Day. I mentioned in an earlier post that I've been reading up of the topic of bullying, and I wanted to share a few things I've learned.

First, there is a difference between conflict and bullying. And, like most things, its all to do with intentions. Conflicts are a natural and needed part of our lives, teaches us social skills, has the ability to strengthen relationships. It is a disagreement, a clash. With bullying there is contempt, malice and always an imbalance; there is no mutual respect, one individual is made to feel lesser than another.

There are four ways of bullying- one time, continual and repeated, hazing and cyber. There are three means of these four ways- verbal, physical and social. These four ways can also be horizontal (peers) or vertical (in your care or above you).

Taunting is a type of bullying- harm is intended. Teasing is not bullying- the intention is lighthearted, and stops if things become hurtful.

I've also learned there are a lot of terms, all of which are important when trying to distinguish when a child is being bullied. Knowing the terms helps me to understand the signs and differences, helps me to identify when that line is being crossed.

It happens at all ages and can happen anywhere. In the classroom or play yard, the work place or in families. It's about power and control and it has to stop.

There's a whole book full of things I have learned I can list here but the point is that education, as always, is the key.

So, I must say I'm a bit down that no one got the reference in the title of my last entry. Alas. C'est la vie.

Anyways, happy valentines day everyone! I just spent my afternoon baking cookies for Nick. I have no worries that this post will spoil the surprise because I doubt that guy has ever seen a post of mine. He uses the Google machine for fixing his truck and looking up smoked chicken recipes. I also made him a couple corny cards using Batman and blue heeler memes. Aren't I a wonderful wife? Don't answer that.

I'm finding that I'm in the same routine as every other year. Every year I start out well, getting my numbers and reps and the like, writing them down, reflecting at the end of the day. However, I have pages and pages of the same evidence from every year, numbers written and logged and the like, and the entries all start around the January/February mark (makes sense) and slowly die off around the March/April mark. Then they spurt back to life off and on throughout the year. I don't what that to happen this year, so here is my cry for help- keep on me! I'm not dying out yet but I need to learn from the past. Wait, I've heard that somewhere before...

What is your Quest?

I love questions. I love getting asked something that I myself have never thought of, or asked about details that I rarely see people noticing. I love when a student can identify their own holes in their knowledge. It's very rewarding as an instructor when I hear these questions- it tells me that I've managed to instil some amount of motivation or enjoyment into someone else when I hear that they are thinking about the lessons they've received outside of class time.

I cannot stress enough the value of asking questions. There will be times when I as an instructor will purposely give a vague answer in hopes that the student will take the spirit of the answer to heart. Sometimes it is not about the calculations but more about the feeling. There is so much detail embedded into what we do that we can never possibly address it all, but if you understand the system and learn to listen to your body it begins to make sense and the answer will be yours without having to vocalize the question. Thats one of the cool parts about what we do.

Don't ever hesitate to as a question. Don't be shy, don't worry about whether it's a good question or not, don't worry about what your classmates will think if you ask. Chances are they are wondering the same thing. I especially love the questions that stump me- goes to show that I had a hole that I wasn't aware of and give me an opportunity to find out. For kids and adults alike, asking questions gives you a chance to boost your confidence and your knowledge. Thats a pretty powerful combination, if you ask me.

No Charge for Awesomeness

So. The banquet is over. The rush is over, the push is over and the adrenaline is clearing from the system. What a great day it was.

Biggest thing that I came away with is the immense pride in all my kids. You guys rocked the night. All you kids worked so hard and Saturday really showed how awesome you all are. I've gotten so much feedback about how amazing the kids demo was, and I have to agree. You all grew in some way, you all buckled down and grew in leaps and bounds. Some of you found your outside voices, some of you nailed your forms down after struggling in the past. Well done.

My biggest struggle? Keeping the momentum going now that there is no looming deadline on the horizon. It goes to show what you can accomplish when you're focused and motivated. Keeping that focus and motivation is the hard part, no matter your age. But, after witnessing all the successes and promotions and awesomeness on Saturday, I do believe we can ride this train for a while longer. And then? We set a new goal and continue the forward progression.

Hurrah guys. We'll see you all on the mats.