Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Anti-Bullying Speaker - No! Peace Education Speaker

https://www.facebook.com/mybullyproofvest/?fref=ts

Bullying Prevention Kick Off Assembly Speaker

Anti Bullying Speaker - No!  Peace Education Speaker
Bully-Proof / Victim-Proof Bullying Prevention Program has numerous positive benefits; one is the training the educators receive on how to be objective when they see bullying and what to do when students report bullying.

Finding a bully proof bullying prevention speaker who can engage students as well as educate them can be challenging.  Rather than lecturing them, John Nottingham involves them in an interactive experience that inspires, offers hope and gives children and teachers tools to make a difference.

Motivational school speaker John Nottingham has been educating students in bullying prevention assemblies for decades and has been engaged by many educational institutions and corporations that want practical tools for peace and character education.
His assemblies covers all the principles and concepts for BullyProofing kids and classrooms.
John's methods of entertainment, education and training keep kids hanging on his every word.  John's presentations emphasize proven methods to respond to bullying behavior (micro-aggression) and offer practical tools for handing situations peacefully.  We also offer ongoing training and consultation.
Training students how to report bullying behavior, rather than tattle, preserves the culture of the classroom, the dignity of the individuals and helps resolve the situation in a peaceful manner.  They become teachable moments that equip children with new skills and move everyone forward in constructive ways.  This bullying prevention peace training builds character and make it win-win for parents, teacher and students alike.
 Find out why so many parents and teachers recommend John Nottingham's BullyProof Vest and BullyProof-VictimProof program.
John Nottingham 4731 E. Greenway Rd Suite 9, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Tel. 602-896-8721

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Grandma's Advice on How To Handle Life's Painful Times

She Tells Her Grandma That She’s Just Been Cheated On So Grandma Tells Her To Do This


I read this story long ago and have used it in my lessons to inspire and encourage.  While I didn't write it, I hope that sharing it here will nourish your soul and encourage your heart.  - John Nottingham

This is a good lesson for all of us, no matter what stage of life you’re in. You’ll see what I mean.

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her – her husband had cheated on her and she was devastated. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’
‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

Her grandmother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The grandmother then asked the granddaughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the grandmother asked the granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked, ‘What does it mean, grandmother?’

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her granddaughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity? Do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain.. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.


May we all be like the COFFEE.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Cyberbullying Tips For Protecting Kids

Cyberbullying Defense and Protection Tips - 

Online Bully?  Here's Some Help

Online Bullying


"Cyberbullying" is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.

Not all bullying happens in person.  Increasingly it takes place online, emails, by texting and other means.  Cyberbullying, social media bullying, or online bullying, can be dealt with using some simple tips.   Here are some things you can do to protect yourself or your kids while online.  
  • Discuss the repercussions, consequences (even unintended) and safety issues about media, computer, phone texting and other app use prior to ever being allowed to use it. Parents, keep in mind that although you may not allow your children a phone or monitor online activity, they will have access to it through friends and other sources. Better trained and prepared for what can happen rather than operate under the assumption that they do not have access. 
  • Think twice before you post. If it cannot be forwarded, then it should not be posted. Just think of everything online or by phone as public and shared. Consider also how embarrassing it might be used or manipulated to hurt others.
  • Keep passwords secret from other kids and change them often.  Parents should always have children's passwords as a matter of practical safety for themselves and others.
  • Consider whom might see your online posts or messages.  Strangers? Friends of friends? Understand and maximize privacy settings to add an additional layer of security.
  • Parents must be kept in the loop.  Media and online time are privileges that come with serious safety considerations.  Kids, remember that your parents care about you and want to keep you safe.  Parents, remember to nurture your child's trust by having open communication about tough issues.
  • When in doubt - don't.  
  • Talk to an adult about any messages that make you feel upset or you might be concerned about.  If it is abuse, harassment, rude or cyber bullying, report it immediately.
Three Steps To Prevent Online Bullying
1. Stop responding no matter how provoking.  Don't take the bait.
2. Block, unfriend, disconnect from the person so that you no longer engage them.
3. Document and report the abuse if you need to pursue it.

Don't write it, participate in in, and do not forward it.  Be the hero.

For more information on online bullying (cyberbullying) or bullying prevention help.

Online Bully?  Here's Some Help

Sources


Accredited 

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

What To Do When Bullying Finds You - Bullying Defense Tips For Parents and Teachers

Feeling Bullied?
An opposite approach the the institutionally administered so called anti-bully movement.
Inside Out Instead of Top Down - Methods That ACTUALLY WORK!

What Do You Do When Bullying Finds You or Your Child?
Great question.  Among the myriad of self proclaimed experts and well intentioned amateurs offering advice it may be difficult to wade through the sea of responses and find what works for you or your child.

Parents and Teachers...

BULLYING FACTS:
  • Bullying is the most common form of violence in American society according to the National Association of School Psychologists.
  • Bullying affects 15 to 30 percent of students as either bullying child or the targets of bullying
  • Studies have shown that adults who were bullied as children have a much higher level of depression and lower self-esteem than those who were not.

1. Investigate.

Prescription without diagnosis can lead to increasing problems and complexity, exacerbating the problems rather than solving them.
Is the child teachable and capable of self help?  Perhaps guiding them through the process with options is the best course of action.  What are the roles of the teacher, administration, parents, friends and social climate?  What are the emotional and social skill levels of the individuals involved?
How can we work to improve resiliency factors, dignity and peace of mind of the child?
Above all, reassure the child that you believe them, will listen and help them make the situation better.

2. Separate facts from fiction and judgmental opinion.

Jumping to conclusions, labeling "bully" or demonizing are proven to be failed approaches.  Rather than label, seek first to understand the dynamics, history, individual dynamics and keep an open mind to the totality of reality and the contributing factors.
Use wisdom, compassion, empathy and reassurance without the blame game.  Responding with wisdom is more powerful and helpful than reacting with simple emotion.

3. Encourage empathy and dignity for all parties at every step.  

Avoid demonizing, labeling and other escalating behaviors.  Reassure the individuals that you understand the pain and acknowledge it.  However, try to help them understand that they are empowered with expanded points of view and that forgiveness has more power than revenge.   Anger is OK as long as it moves us in a more positive and helpful position.  Anger just needs to be directed in a productive direction.  It does not help to dwell on it for too long.
Focus on solutions and the desired outcome, rather than the past hurts and actions.  Revenge focuses on the past.  Peace is focuses on the future.  This doesn't mean to diminish the pain or injury, nor ignore it.  It simply means to address it appropriately and not let it hold you back.

4. Collaborate with teachers, counselors, and parents for a win-win solution.

Begin to look at the resources available and see everyone as on the same team of desiring a positive outcome.  Look for ways to make it a teachable moment and seek the best available long-term outcome.  An empowered child who feels happy and secure is much better than a child empowered with pseudo-celebrity from attention grabbing victim-hood.  Being a perpetual victim is not a wise life-choice.  We may not always be able to control what happens to us, however, wise and powerful individuals choose how they react to those circumstances.  Share true stories which exemplify overcoming odds and difficult situations while retaining dignity.

5. Educate, train and prepare the individual for the future.

When we see these conflicts as opportunities for teachable moments, we change the dynamics significantly.  Sometimes, children who demonstrate aggressive behaviors are at risk at home, abused or simply neglected.
Children who are passive, often believing they are being nice, have no idea that they are making themselves soft targets and positioned for repeated abuse, and not just with bullying.  Instead teach them how to choose the behaviors, body language, boundaries and actions of an assertive individual.  Offer peaceful solutions so they can make better choices.
If you must intervene, do so with the knowledge of the short and long term consequences.

http://www.amazon.com/Bullyproof-Unleash-Hero-Inside-Your/dp/0692522719/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444160023&sr=1-1&keywords=bullyproof

Other Free Resources:
https://bullyingpreventionworld.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mybullyproofvest?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/Bullying-Prevention-Initiative-International-240455266014141/timeline/
https://www.facebook.com/Arizona-Bullying-Prevention-Project-195880673766509/timeline/