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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

No Name-Calling Week Focuses on Anti-Bullying Awareness | NEA Today

No Name-Calling Week Focuses on Anti-Bullying Awareness | NEA Today:


No-Name Calling Week Focuses on Anti-Bullying Awareness

By Edward Graham
Every day, thousands of children in schools across America fall victim to bullying at the hands of their peers. It’s an epidemic that threatens the emotional development of students, and can lead to long-term health and mental issues if left unaddressed.
But bullying is not just a physical act, as many students experience the painful and often invisible scarring brought on by verbal abuse. That’s why educators and concerned organizations have teamed up to spotlight the powerful influence that words can have on others during the 9th annual “No-Name Calling Week,” celebrated from January 21st to January 25th in schools across the country.
No Name-Calling Week (NNCW) was first started in 2004 as a partnership between the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and has quickly grown to include over 40 national partner organizations. The week was inspired by author James Howe’s young-adult novelThe Misfits, a story of four best friends who team up to survive the rigors of 7th grade despite relentless verbal bullying because of their weight, height, intelligence, and sexual orientation/gender expression. The friends


More Teachers Refuse to Give Standardized Tests

An entire school of teachers in Seattle is refusing to give students a standardized test that’s required by the district. The teachers say the test is useless and wastes valuable instructional time. Meanwhile, individual teacher protests of standardized tests are popping up nationwide, and the Seattle case may make bigger waves. Source: KQED MindShift


Obama Puts School Safety High on Second-Term Agenda

President Barack Obama, who was officially sworn in on Monday for his second term as the nation’s 44th president, put training more math and science teachers and taking big steps to boost school safety high on his second-term wish list. Source: Education Week