Hyperlinks-Privilege, Power, and Difference

"For all our potential, you'd think we could manage to get along with one another."

          Reading Chapter 2, We're in Trouble, caught my eye. It is unbelievable to me that we are so capable of so many accomplishments that we just can't get along with each other. We can't get along with others in our own race, religion, class, gender, etc. The author was saying how people can be so creative, generous, and loving. Also, that people can take in the strange and unfamiliar and learn to understand and embrace it, but we just can't "get along."  That is something that Rodney King also stated after he was beaten from police officers in Los Angeles. The author said it is as easy as treating each other with respect.  I often look at the whole picture of the world and everyone around me. “If it could only be that simple”, is what I say! It is heart breaking to see the crime in the US, the hatred people have against each other, and the bullying right next door to your classroom. This matter isn’t getting any better, so the only thing I can do is to just teach this to my own students.   
       As an Early Childhood teacher, I try to teach these types of lessons to my student’s everyday, whether it’s through play, songs, story books, or actual disputes between students. I believe the smallest lesson counts. Bullying is a big factor in Rhode Island and if we can start with young children, then maybe we can teach them that its okay to "get along". As a teacher, I always have books on hand that teach about bullying or learning to get along with each other even though they are different from you. (Which I'm sure most of you do!) It's important that students understand each other. A great way to do this is by having a Celebration through Cultural Diversity in your classroom by encouraging families to volunteer their time to speak to the class, prepare certain types of foods, learn a language, and understand what traditions they follow. In doing this you would hope that the children in your class can just simply "get along".

 I attached a link below showing some great books to use to discuss bullying matters with young children.

Bullying-Children's Books:
http://www.best-childrens-books.com/childrens-books-about-bullying.html
Multicultural Children's Literature:
http://www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com/

Australian-Teen Hero

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/offbeat/Australian-Teen-Reacts-to-Being-Bullied-20110317-am-sd
*This was a big topic not to long ago. So I wanted to link this site just so we can remember how bullying affects everyone in the world.