Sandra McLeod Humphrey's Blog, page 2

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: More Thoughts about Bullying

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we’ll be devoting our October Posts to the problem of bullying!

 Here are a few statements about bullying to give you something to think about.

 

True or False*

 1. Bullying is about power and control.

2. Relational bullying can be just as painful and destructive as physical bullying.

3. Physically aggressive bullying among girls has shown a 40% increase since the early 1990s.

4. Bullies are often the most popular students and those who experience social success, but they are not necessarily liked by the majority of their peers.

5. It is possible to be both a bully and a victim.

6. Girls are no less aggressive than boys.  They are just more subtle or covert in their use of aggression.

7. Relational aggression tends to me most intense and evident among girls in fifth through eighth grades.

8. Most bullies not only possess average to high self-esteem, but many do not view themselves as bullies.

9. Many girls would rather be harassed and hurt than kicked out of their social group because the idea of being ostracized from their group of friends is much more devastating.

10. One study found that the peer group is present during 85% of female victimization, although peers may not be directly involved in the bullying.

11. Both bullies and their victims are more likely to have psychological problems than students not involved in bullying.

12. Students who bullied other students were found to be four times more likely to be  convicted of a crime by the age of 24.

*All the answers are true.

Trailer for the film Bully

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUy2ZWoStr0

 Something to Think about: Do you agree that one person can indeed make a difference?

 

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I thank you for dropping by and hope you’ll be back next week for some more thoughts about bullying as we continue to encourage you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 

 Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

 

THIS WEEK’S WINNER IS ROSEMARY ADKINS.

CONGRATULATIONS, ROSEMARY!

 

 

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: Some Thoughts about Bullying

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we’ll be devoting our October Posts to the problem of bullying!

Since the publication of my book Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs, I’ve been receiving e-mails and snail mails from all over our country, Canada, Australia, Japan, and even the Ukraine.

Unfortunately, bullying is still alive and well in contemporary societies all over the world, and some of these letters are heart-rending. Some students tell me how they have been bullied to the point that they no longer want to live.

The good news is that some of my readers have found comfort in books and have discovered that they’re not alone–that there are others out there who are facing the same problems.

This is the miracle of books and literacy! Books can provide comfort and solace, books can help heal wounded souls, and books can give help to the helpless and hope to the hopeless.

One young woman wrote, “When brokenness is real, a single light can make all the difference in the world.”

 May each of us in our own way bring a light into the darkness!

 Some Recommended Books:

 Blubber by Judy Blume

Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood

Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig

Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories by Dawn Metcalf, Megan Kelly Hall, and Carrie Jones

Hot Issues, Cool Choices: Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity, and Put-Downs by Sandra McLeod Humphrey

Odd Girl Speaks Out by Rachel Simmons

The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake

 

Recommended Websites:

International Bullying Prevention Association: http://www.stopbullyingworld.org/

i-SAFE: http://www.isafe.org/

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: http://www.olweus.org

Rachel’s Challenge: http://www.rachelschallenge.org/

Stop Bullying Now: http://www.stopbullyingnow.com/

 

Message from Ellen about Bullying:

 Something to Think about: Why do you think some kids bully other kids?

 

 “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I thank you for dropping by and hope you’ll be back next week for some more thoughts about bullying as we continue to encourage you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 

Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

 

 

 

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: From Bullies’ Target to National Heroine

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we’ll be devoting our October Posts to the problem of bullying!

 

Imagine This: You’re a high school sophomore and some of your classmates nominate you for the high school homecoming court as a cruel joke. So what do you do? Do you stay home and avoid the whole homecoming scene?

 Who: You’re Whitney Kropp, a 16-year-old sophomore at Ogemaw Heights High School.

What: The Homecoming Court and the Homecoming Game at Ogemaw Heights High School

Where: West Branch, Michigan

When: September 28, 2012.

This is the inspiring story of a 16-year-old girl who was cruelly bullied by some of her classmates.

You’re elected to the homecoming court at your Michigan high school as a cruel prank by some of your classmates. But what could have been a potential disaster turns into one of the most wonderful moments of your life!

When you learn your nomination was a prank, you feel “like trash” and you’re tempted to stay home and try to forget what has happened. But then you change your mind and decide to not let the bullies win. You decide to take a stand not just for yourself but for all kids who are dealing with bullies!

Your hometown rallies behind you and a Facebook campaign is launched to support you. Several local businesses donate your homecoming gown and shoes and hairstylist Shannon Champagne donates her services.

At the homecoming game, you’re escorted to the field by your father and grandfather where you take your place in the homecoming court amidst erupting cheers and flashing cameras. Even students on the opposing team cheer you with banners and, during halftime, the marching band plays and a pickup carries you around the track surrounding the field. You will remember this special moment for the rest of your life!

Today Whitney’s advice to other kids dealing with bullies: “Don’t let the bullies bring you down. Stand up for what you believe in and go with your heart and go with your gut. That’s what I did and look at me now.”

Thank you, Whitney for caring enough to make a difference!

Postscript: A Facebook page titled “Support Whitney Kropp” currently has 137,593 likes and 146,535 people are talking about it.

For More about Whitney:

 Something to Think about: What would you have done if you were Whitney?

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I hope you enjoyed this week’s true story and will be back next week for another story to inspire you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

 

 

 

AMAZON BESTSELLER LAUNCH RESULTS FOR THEY STOOD ALONE!

Thanks to all of you, our launch was very successful and these were the best stats for the day:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,688 in Books

#1 in Books > Children’s Books > Biographies > Social Activists
#1 in Books > Teens > Biographies

Our downloadable bonus gifts were very popular and I want to thank everyone again who donated a downloadable bonus gift for the launch!

These are the winners for the nondownloadable bonus gifts:

 Susan Fleet: Winner of Deborah Malone’s paperback book Death in Dahlonega a cozy mystery set in the North Georgia Mountains!

Jo Ann Kairys: Winner of Jeanette Levellie’s book Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top!

Carol Spiegel: Winner of Marlayne Giron’s book Make a Wish, a compilation of short, “wish fulfillment” stories that were written for real people!

Diane Sweeney: Winner of Kimberly Rae’s paperback copy of Stolen Woman, her Christian suspense/romance novel on international human trafficking!

Joyce Swenson: Winner of my “Book Bundle” which includes an autographed copy of each of my eight books!

 

THANKS AGAIN!

Book Launch (9/25/12)

Get 20 bonus gifts by purchasing your copy of “They Stood Alone: 25 Men and Women Who Made a Difference” on Tuesday, September 25th:

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: From Child Surfer to National Hero

Imagine This: When you’re thirteen years old, you’re attacked by a 214-foot tiger shark while surfing off Kauai’s North Shore. After losing more than 60% of your blood, you’re left with a severed left arm. You live to surf, but does this mean the end of your surfing?

 Who: You’re Bethany Hamilton, a 13-year-old surfer

What: A shark attack

Where: Kauai, Hawaii

When: October 31 2003

This is the inspiring story of faith, determination, and hope.

You’re born into a family of surfers in 1990 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, and you begin surfing before you can walk. You win your first surfing competition at age four, and at age seven, you place first in the 7-9 age division in both the short and long board events at the Quicksilver surfing contest.

You continue to win surfing competitions and your dream is to become a professional surfer. You’re the daughter of surfing parents, you live in a surfers’ paradise, and it looks like you’re well on your way to attaining your dream!

On Halloween morning of 2003, you’re surfing the waves of Makua Beach near your home with your best friend, Alana, and her dad and brother. Suddenly a tiger shark rises out of the water and tears into your board. About three seconds later, the shark is gone, and you’re left with a severed left arm.

You’re rushed to the hospital where doctors tell your family that without your athletic conditioning, you probably would have died. You lose your left arm just below the shoulder, but a month later you’re back on your board

You place fifth in the National Surfing Championships, you win an ESPN award for Best Comeback Athlete, and you secure a spot on the U.S. Surfing Team!

In 2007 you realize your dream and turn pro and in 2011 your book Soul Surfer is made into a major picture with the same name.

Today Bethany continues to inspire people with her message and has launched her own foundation Friends of Bethany which supports shark attack survivors and traumatic amputees.

Thank you, Bethany, for being an inspiration for all of us!

Postscript: To follow Bethany, visit her website http://bethanyhamilton.com/

For More about Bethany:

 Something to Think about: Why do you think Bethany returned to surfing after the trauma of the shark attack and in spite of her physical limitations?

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I hope you enjoyed this week’s true story and will be back next week for another story to inspire you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

THIS WEEK’S WINNER IS SHARLA SHULTS.

CONGRATULATIONS, SHARLA!

 

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: From Child Laborer to World-Renowned Child Rights Activist

Imagine This: You’re four years  old when your family sells you into slavery to the carpet industry for the equivalent of $12.00. You escape at age ten and want to help all the other child laborers by telling the world about child slavery. So what do you do?

 Who: You’re Iqbal Masih, a 10-year-old Pakistani boy

What: The Campaign for Children’s Rights

Where: Pakistan

When: You begin your campaign in 1992 at age 10.

This is the inspiring story of a 10-year-old Pakistani boy who speaks out against child slavery at the risk of his own life.

You’re born in Pakistan in 1982 and sold into slavery to a carpet factory by your family at age four because your family needs the money to pay for their eldest son’s wedding. You squat on the floor, often chained, before a carpet loom for twelve hours a day six days a week.

Your growth is stunted from lack of good nutrition, your back is curved from lack of exercise, your hands are gnarled from the repetitive work of tying thousands of knots every day, and your breathing is labored from the carpet dust you inhale all day long.

A Human Rights Organization, Bonded Labour Liberation Front, (BLLF) helps you “escape” at age 10 and you complete 6 years of school in 2 years. You also join the BLLF and begin speaking out against the carpet mills. You gain international attention, and eventually you begin making speeches around the world–talking about child labor and your life experiences.

One of the schools you visit in the United States in 1994 is the Broadmeadow Middle School in Quincy, Massachusetts. The students there promise to help spread the word about child labor and child slavery and they keep their promise by establishing A School for Iqbac fund to fulfill your dream of building a school in Pakistan.

You win many awards and honors, including Reebok’s 1994 Human Rights Youth Action Award. While in the United States accepting the award, you’re nominated for ABC’s Person of the Week.”

Soon after receiving the award, you return to Pakistan where you’re murdered on Easter Sunday 1995 while riding a bicycle in your home village. No one knows who killed you, but there are assumptions that the “Carpet Mafia” was responsible because many carpet industries were losing a lot of business due to your speeches.

Today the students at the Broad Meadows Middle School continue to raise money for their School for Iqbal program and have raised enough money to build 8 schools around the world.

Thank you, Iqbal, for caring enough to make a difference!

Postscript: To find out more about the School for Iqbal Fund, visit http://mirrorimage.com/iqbal/

For More about Iqbal Masih:

 Something to Think about: Why do you think Igbal returned to Pakistan, knowing his life was in danger?

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I hope you enjoyed this week’s true story and will be back next week for another story to inspire you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

 

THIS WEEK’S WINNER IS DIERDRE TOLHURST.

CONGRATULATIONS, DIERDRE!

 

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: Changing the World “One Heart at a Time!”

Imagine This: You’re eleven years old when you visit Peru, your birth county. You are stunned by the poverty you find there. You especially want to help the kids in the orphanage where you were born. So what do you do?

 Who: You’re Ana Dodson, an 11-year-old student from Colorado.

What: The Peruvian Hearts Program

Where: Cusco, Peru

When: 2003 and still going strong!

This is the inspiring story of an 11-year-old girl who starts her own community service project called the Peruvian Hearts to help the orphans of Peru.

You’re born in Peru, but after your mother dies when you’re three years old, you’re adopted by American parents who live in Colorado. You’re very happy in Colorado, but you’ve always wanted to visit your homeland and, at eleven years of age, you return with your family to Peru for a visit. You’re shocked by the extreme poverty you find there, and you’re especially touched by the orphanages you visit.

You long to help the orphans who have had none of the advantages that you’ve had. You begin by collecting school supplies to send to the children in the orphanage where you were born and you also establish a pen pals correspondence between your Spanish class and the girls at the orphanage.

You also establish Peruvian Hearts, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping orphans in Peru, especially the orphan girls at the Hogar Orphanage in Cusco where you were born. Your goal is to provide them with education, clothing, and food, and most of all, hope for their futures. Your organization’s motto and goal is to change the world “one heart at a time.”

Today, the Peruvian Hearts program does all that and more. They have a scholarship program that pays for uniforms, school fees, and supplies for the girls as well as a collegiate scholarship fund named after Ana’s birth mother, Maria, who herself could not read or write.

There is also a library project which sends children’s books in Spanish to Peru and a tutor that comes to the orphanage to help the girls. They also have a lunch program to feed the children who walk several miles to school as well as a vitamin project that provides daily multivitamins to children who were previously malnourished.

Peruvian Hearts is also working to establish partnerships with medical missions to help provide health screenings and treatment. In four years, Peruvian Hearts, which began as a family-run charity, has given more than $100,000 worth of assistance.

Thank you, Ana, for caring enough to make a difference!

Postscript: CNN recently documented Ana’s work as a young hero and she has received a number of commendations for her part in making a difference in the world.

For More about Ana Dodson:

Something to Think about: Why do you think Ana was so affected by the plight of the Peruvian orphans?

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I hope you enjoyed this week’s true story and will be back next week for another story to inspire you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 

 Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

 

THIS WEEK’S WINNER IS Lori Foroozandeh.

CONGRATULATIONS, Lori!

 

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: Young Philanthropist and Community Hero

Imagine This: You’re  10 years old when your grandmother is diagnosed with breast cancer and you want to do something to help her. So what do you do?

 Who: You’re Anthony Leanna, a 10-year-old student from Suamico, Wisconsin.

What: The “Heavenly Hats” Program

Where: Suamico, Wisconsin

When: 2008 and still going strong!

This is the inspiring story of a 10-year-old boy who starts his own community service project called the “Heavenly Hats Foundation.”

You’re ten yeas old when your grandmother is diagnosed with breast cancer, and you end up spending a lot of time in hospitals. You see so many patients that don’t have any hair, and you want to do something to help these people who are going through such a tough time in their lives.

You form the “Heavenly Hats” program which donates brand new hats to cancer patients and other patients who lose their hair due to any other medical conditions. You request donations of hats from individuals and businesses and organize hat drives around the country. You even receive hats from as far away as Australia.

You inspect the hats carefully because each hat has to be brand new due to the already lowered immune systems of the recipients. You then box the hats and ship them out to hospitals and clinics around the world.

For more information regarding the “Heavenly Hats Foundation,” visit Anthony’s website at http://www.heavenlyhats.com.

Thank you, Anthony, for caring enough to make a difference!

Postscript: So far Anthony and his “Heavenly Hats” program have donated over 50,000 brand new hats (almost $1,000,000 worth of headwear) to more than 160 hospitals and clinics around the world.

For More about Anthony Leanna:

 Something to Think about: Why do you think Anthony is still so actively involved with his “Heavenly Hats” program four years later?

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I hope you enjoyed this week’s true story and will be back next week for another story to inspire you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 

 Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

THIS WEEK’S WINNER IS CHERRYE VASQUEZ.

CONGRATULATIONS, CHERRYE!

 

DARE TO DREAM BIG!: Middle School Student’s Campaign to Protest the Sexualization of Girls in the Media!

Imagine This: You’re 14 years old and you and your friends resent the way photos of young female models in the magazines you read are airbrushed and photoshopped to look perfectly “perfect.” So what do you do?

 Who: You’re Julia Bluhm, a 14-year-old middle school student.

What: Your change.org petition “Seventeen Magazine: Give Girls Images of Real Girls”

Where: Offices of Seventeen Magazine in New York City

When: May through July 2012

This is the inspiring story of a young Maine girl who initiates her own campaign to protest the sexualization and stereotyping of girls and women in the media.

You’re an 8th grader who’s been involved with the Civil Rights Team for many years. You not only want to put a stop to sexualization and stereotypes of girls in the media but, as a serious ballet student yourself, you also want to protest the negative stereotypes of ballet dancers.

As part of your protest, you start a change.org petition asking Seventeen Magazine to include some photos of girls each issue which aren’t photoshopped. You want its readers to see real girls as they really are, not as unbelievably “perfect” models impossible to emulate.

Your petition receives more than 85,000 signatures and, facing pressure from teen girls demanding truthful images of young women, Seventeen Magazine vows to “celebrate every kind of beauty” and to “never change girls’ body or face shapes” when retouching images.

Thank you, Julia, for caring enough to make a difference!

Postscript: Julia is also a blogger for the girl-fueled SPARK Movement which fights sexualized images of women and girls in the media You can see her blogs at www.sparksummit.com.

For More about Julia Bluhm:

 Something to Think about: Why do you think Julia feels so strongly about this issue?

“The time is always right to do what is right.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Willoughby and I hope you enjoyed this week’s true story and will be back next week for another story to inspire you to DARE TO DREAM BIG!

 

 Reminder: To be eligible for the weekly drawing for an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice of book), please leave a comment.

(Two Restrictions)

1) There must be a minimum of 10 visitor comments

2) Only U.S. residents please to save on mailing costs.

 

THIS WEEK’S WINNER IS DICY McCULLOUGH.

CONGRATULATIONS, DICY!