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Pontiacs Rebellion School Massacre
This was the first school massacre. Ten school children and their headmaster were murdered (Cump, 1992). I feel like this is important to point out because many people see school violence as a current issue, but it has been a problem for hundreds of years.
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Margaret Mead was born.
Margaret Mead has been greatly influential in my life and has shaped my viewpoint as a teacher. She famously stated, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has," (Francis, 2009). -
National School Lunch Act
Signed into law by President Truman, the National School Lunch Act provides free or reduced priced lunches to eligible children (National School Lunch Program). For many, this may be the only time that they eat during the day because their parents do not have enough food for home. This program became dear to my heart when I first met a child that didn't eat unless he was at school.
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My grandmother began teaching first grade
My grandmother taught first grade for 36 years. She is one my my main inspirations in life especially when it comes to me being a teacher. I never heard her raise her voice. When her students would show up to school without shoes, she would have them trace their feet as an art project. She would take their drawings to the store and buy them shoes. Her former students would greet her in the grocery store 40 years after they were in her class. She was such a great teacher. -
Brown vs. Board of Education decision
The Supreme Court's decision regarding this case desegregated public schools (Moore, 2008). I grew up in the south surrounded by family members that were in schools that were desegregated and have basically been surrounded by stories of the Civil Rights Era from birth. This is the court ruling that changed public schools forever. -
Georga Wallace stood in school house door of the University of Alabama
George Wallace is one of the most famous Governors of the state of Alabama, but for all of the wrong reasons. He was extremely racist and met often with the KKK. In 1963, a federal judge ordered the University of Alabama to allow 2 black students to attend classes. Wallace blocked the doors to the school for 4 hours until he was removed from the building (Batten, 2010). How were these students supposed to have a safe place to study if their governor even attempted to keep them away. -
The Stonewall Riots
Known as the birth of the LGBT liberation movement, The Stonewall Riots occurred at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The bar was raided very frequently since it was known as being a gay bar. The riots were in response to a police raid and the treatment of the patrons of the bar. This was not the beginning of the fight for gay rights, but it is possibly one of the most popular events in the fight and is still remembered today (Thistlethwaite, 2007).
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The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was founded
SPLC is a non-profit organization that works through the legal system to fight hate and bigortry. One of their programs, Teaching Tolerance, works with classroom teachers to create a unified and community oriented classroom. This is the model that I want to use for my class. By understanding and accepting diversity, hopefully bullying will decrease and schools can become more safe.
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My father graduated from the police academy.
My father has been a police officer for 36 years. I feel like growing up for me was a bit different from other kids my age. He never sheltered me and explained to me the dangers of the world. So many parents don't explain dangers to their children because they want to protect them and keep them innocent. It isn't my job as a teacher to parent my students, but I do want to keep them safe. -
GLSEN was founded.
The Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network or GLSEN (pronounced glisten) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to make schools safer by teaching students and teachers to appreciate the diversity of their schools. Specifically, they attempt to prevent bullying and harassment in schools (GLSEN). GLSEN's mission is my main focus. I want schools to be free of bullying and harassment. I want schools to be safe. -
The single for "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam was released
I remember hearing this song for the first time and thinking that the storyline was so scary. Then, I saw the video later on in life. The video at the time seemed like a horror movie. I didn't think anything like that would or could happen in real life. Many felt that the video was too violent. However, the song was ahead of its time. School violence was not seen as a true issue until several years later with the Columbine High School shooting.
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Matthew Shepard was murdered.
Matthew Shepard was a gay man who was murdered at the age of 22. Two men who found out that he was gay, picked him up and beat him. Next, they tied him to a fence post and left him to die. He was found 18 hours later by a teenager riding his bike nearby (Malti-Douglas, 2007). His murder sparked nationwide attention to hate crimes and violence against LGBTs. My voice still cracks when I talk about his murder. No one should have to die the way that he did. -
The Columbine High School shooting.
On April 13, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Kleibold murdered 12 of their classmates and a teacher in the school's cafeteria and library before turning the guns on themselves (Spellman, 2009). This day changed the way we think of school safety. I remember being in school one week after the event when a fellow student pulled the fire alarm and being absolutely terrified. This was the first time that I remember the need to be afraid at school.
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Unfortunately, I was a bully in eighth grade,
A group of friends and I bullied a girl during homeroom in 8th grade. The girl that we bullied was a bit eccentric and referred to herself as a tree. We would tease her and make fun of her for doing so. Our teacher never stopped us or intervened. These events still haunt me today. I still feel guilty over what I did. My actions have led me to believe that that bullying will not and cannot be tolerated in my classroom.
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I was sent to alternative school.
This is something that I don't speak of very often because I am so embarrassed that it even happened. When I was in 9th grade, I was tpo focused on being cool and I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. Several of the people that I was "friends" with got into trouble at a football game and I was guilty by association. I was sent to alternative school with kids who stayed in trouble with drugs, violence, etc. when I had never even been in detention before. It changed high school for me. -
I was bullied in 10th grade.
I did field events in track and field in 10th grade. I wasn't very good at it, but I really loved being a part of a team. I was also chubbier than most of my teammates. I was picked on and made fun of frequently during this season. This year changed my life. It put me on the other side from when I was the bully. It really changed my perspective and humbled me. -
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law by George W. Bush
NCLB, while mostly focused on reading, writing, and arithmetic, also contained a provision stating that all sex education in school must be abstinence based (Spring, 2011). Even though teens are gaining STDs and having children, abstinence only education is the only approved method. How can schools be safe if kids are getting pregnant and dropping out of school? This bill is infuriating.
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I learned that it wasn't safe to come out as a teen.
When I was 16, my stepfather and I were riding down the road when he explained that he had overheard me talking to a friend on the phone about liking a girl. He explained that he and my mother would not approve of the behavior. As a 16 year old in the south, I had no where to turn. I want to create a safe place for students so that no one goes through that. -
Stabbing at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama.
When I was a junior in high school, one of my classmates was stabbed by a fellow classmate that the victim had been bullying. I went to the typical All American suburban high school. Something like this was not supposed to happen here or so people said. However, it did happen, and it changed my views on school and school safety forever.
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Cave9 Music and Arts Project Opened
Cave9 (aka C9) was a DIY music and art space in Birmingham, AL that I volunteered at actively from 2007 until it closed its doors in 2009. C9 was the only all ages venue in the city and gave kids a place to go when had no where else to go. C9 was located across from the Southtown Housing Community, a public housing community. C9 introduced me to kids who had no one in their corner advocating for them. It introduced me to kids whose lives were so different from mine. It changed my life forever. -
"Mean Girls" was released in theaters.
The film "Mean Girls" is about a new girl in school and her interactions with "the Plastics" or the mean girls. The film is a comedic take on bullying in schools, but it really does send home the message of just how bad bullying can affect a person. Not only is it funny and it has a great message, but it is also one of my favorite movies.
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I came out as a lesbian to my family.
This is probably the most personal item on my timeline. I wanted to include it on my timeline because I did not feel as though high school was a safe time to come out. That is what took me so long. I don't want that to be the case for teens today. I want schools to be a safe place for them. -
HB 56 signed into law.
HB 56 is Alabama's version of the Arizona Immigration Bill, but it is far more harsh and awful. Originally written, HB 56 required teachers to collect immigration data from their students (Ellington, 2011). Teachers were required to report students' and their parents' immigration status. This part of the bill has been blocked by one of the Federal Courts, but parents are still afraid to send their children to school. Immigrant children are still being bullied at school because of their race. -
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed
This bill expanded the previous hate crime law and stated that crimes committed against someone because of their perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability were hate crimes. This was the first big piece of legislation protecting LGBT people. This was a huge win for the LGBT community's and their sense of safety. -
The It Gets Better Project was founded.
Popular relationship advice columnist, Dan Savage, and his husband Terry founded the It Gets Better Project in response to the many teens that were taking their own lives because of bullying. It Gets Better is a video project that adults record and place on their website or Youtube explaining that being a teen sucks, but it does get better. Even President Obama made a video! I think this is a great way to show teens that there is hope and that they are not alone. -
Tyler Clementi from Rutgers University commited suicide.
Tyler Clementi was an 18 year old student at Rutgers University who jumped off of the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River after his roommate posted his romantic encounters with another male on the internet via a hidden webcam (Foderaro, 2010). Clementi's tragic death was one of many during this time period. His death brought attention to those who were committing suicide because of being bullied. -
The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a law suit against the Birmingham City Schools.
In the complaint against the Birmingham Police Department and the Birmingham Board of Education, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) states that students were pepper sprayed as punishment during school. The students were both male, female, and even one student was pregnant (J.W., 2010). I understand that to have safer schools, children must be punished, but pepper spray is taking punishment too far. -
Chardon High School shooting.
The Chardon High School shooting occurred just this year (Guarino, 2012). It is still very fresh on the minds of many Cleveland residents. This shooting hit so close to home. We will be teaching in the suburbs of Cleveland this school year. This is just a reminder that bad things can happen anywhere. No child should lose their life at school.
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The documentary titled Bully is released nationwide in the USA.
Bully is a controversial documentary that explores bullying in school. Thirteen million students are bullied in our country and 160,000 students stay home from school because they are afraid of being bullied. This documentary helped bring this issue to national awareness. It also proves that we as a country have so far to come. I know that my job as a teacher is going to be really difficult especially since I want to make schools safer. -
I started John Carroll's School Based Program
I cannot begin my mission of being a good teacher and trying to make schools safe without this program. It is the stepping stone to my future.
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The Congressional Anti Bullying Caucus met for the first time,
This was a Congressional bi-partisan meeting of congressmen and woman as well as organizations that work to stop bullying. The focus is not only on bullying offline but online as well (Honda, 2012). Hopefully, Congress can continue to draw attention to the issue of bullying. More attention needs to be brought to the issue of bullying.
