Why didn’t anybody do anything???”
This is the comment I keep hearing people say of the bystanders who watched, took pictures and videotaped football players gang rape a teenage girl. I will tell you why…nobody taught those teens what to do!
If you want to be good at something, you need to practice it
If you want your kids to be good at something, first you have to teach them, and then provide a time and a place to practice. Doesn’t that hold true for most everything? What about sports? How about basketball?
Let’s look at “how” to teach a child to play basketball. First you need a coach to teach your children the fundamentals of the game. A coach is someone who has a lot of expertise and experience with the sport. They know the rules of the game. Once the coach has taught the children the skills, they practice at home in their driveway or at the park. Typically, a parent or mentor will work one on one with a child to learn and perfect the fundamentals. Once they have a handle on the skills, children attend basketball practice. This allows each player to practice (or role play) the fundamentals of the game with an “expert”, someone who has a lot of experience with various basketball scenarios. Basketball practice allows the players to interact with other players. The coach has them work on strategies of how and when to use the skills they have learned. In my community, I see adults who are constantly working with and supporting these children in their quest to be good at basketball. Finally, we test these players in the form of a game against another team. A game is essentially the platform the coach uses to measure how each players has understood the skills of the game, what to do in various possible scenarios, as well as their ability to work with others. The game gives the coach the opportunity to understand what each player, as well as the team as a whole needs to work on.
How often have the students in the Steubenville, Ohio school district been taught or practiced what to do when the see bullying or cyber bullying?
Why would good character or knowing what to do in a scary situation be any different? Adults can’t always predict what will happen and situations kids will encounter. But, we can teach kids the specifics of what it takes to have good character or what to do when someone is in trouble. What was the commitment of the school and the community to teach their kids about bullying, cyber bullying and character?
Who is experienced enough to teach about cyber bullying and good character in the 21st century?
In the 21st Century, almost every high schooler and middle schooler has a cell phone. Cell phones have picture taking capabilities, as well as built in videotaping technology. Generation Text Online teaches kids how this can be extremely dangerous and the consequences of posting these pictures and videos on a web site such as YouTube or Facebook.
Generation Text Online guides your students in role play, using real life examples. Our programs are based on solutions-ways to stop cyber bullying. Our focus is not just the single bystander… but a group of bystanders. We empower kids to do the right thing by teaching them the fundamentals of right and wrong in the 21st century, we allow them to interact with us and provide ongoing Core Curriculum lesson plans so they can practice. We challenge them to take back their school and be proud of whom they are.
Are you a school administrator in Ohio?
You have the opportunity to protect your school from a tragedy like this. You have the power to bring in a program that works with your student body to help them know what to do in a situation where they know there is something wrong. You have the power to role play with your kids what to do when they are scared. You have to power to teach Core Curriculum lesson plans that use real life examples and situations. For more information regarding 21st Century Student lessons plans, email Jill.Brown@GenerationTextOnline.com or call 781-820-6629.–
Jill Brown
Generation Text Online
jill.brown@GenerationTextOnline.com
A place for kids to connect in a safe place…www.ItsMyLocker.com
Alcohol impairs people's judgement. But it doesn't excuse them for bad behavior. Look at Kent. We keep adding bars to downtown like we don't have enough. And then we say don't drink and drive or get too drunk that you get a disorderly conduct. Drink responsibly..... what does that mean? It impairs you. How is that responsible? Sorry for the rant. :)
Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny."
Pure and simple. Small town peer pressure. If someone from the outside had witnessed this, it wouldn't have been kept secret.
you see murphy what do you think prevents these same 16 year olds from putting their hands on the stove ,jumping off a bridge, running onto a busy highway
10:01 pm on Saturday, July 7, 2012 And if that's the case, they deserve to lose access to the internet (and get charged a ridiculously exorbitant fee for repair to boot).
[or maybe you're James: "James Murphy also commented on “Why Didn’t Anybody Do Anything???” in the Steubenville, Ohio, Town Where High School Students Allegedly Gang-Raped an Unconscious 16-Year-Old. "Debbie S. 10:01 pm on Saturday, July 7, 2012 And if that's the case, they deserve to lose access to the internet (and get charged a ridiculously exorbitant fee for repair to boot)." But it seems THAT comment was deleted!] Now add the rest of the context and you'll be in business. (And thanks for the laughs tonight, JeanJames!)