The suicide of 11-yea-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover made mainstream news, as well as many blogs. Since the tragedy, his mom has been speaking out about her son being bullied at school as the reason he chose to take his life.
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integration not segregation
When I was in junior high (grades 7-9) and my first year of traditional high school, I had gone to a multi-integrated school in Pontiac, MI. Every nationality was represented and accpeted. Sure there were problems, but mainly form outside of the campus. Or maybe I had blinders on until I was 14 and we moved to a nearby town called Auburn Heights, MI (now known as Auburn Hills, MI).
When I first started attending 9th grade at Avondale Jr. High School, there were only whites attending the school system, I do not remember any Hispanics, Asians, and not one Black student to be found.
I went to alot of schools, and never heard the word "niggar" or "niggar lover"
in my life, until I attended Avondale. I was hated just because I went to a school system that was highly integrated.
Even in 1967 when the Detroit riots happened, I had never heard those words, they most certainly were never used in my home. My father was from the south and he never used language like that.
Over the years long after I left Avondale, I kept tabs on the school, and if they were still all white.
A few years ago I started working there, all the while leary that things had not changed. Yet, to my surprise, the school had changed and today is a highly multi-cultural school much like Pontiac Schools were back in the day.
While Pontiac probably didn't have the population density of what attends Avondale today, I can say I am very impressed by the positive changes at Avondale School System.
I also have noticed there is no racial troubles there. At one point at Pontiac, there was a 3 day shut down of the Pontiac Central High due to violence that happened one day. Across the country it was said that we had "race riots" when that is not what really happened. There had been a drug related shooting and since the school had an open campus policy all the students left the building. whites and blacks together stood on both sides of State St. and the police came and stood in the road and tear gassed us all.
It was all peaceful until the police came, and the students both black and white threw stones at the police, a bad thing sure, but there was no race riot.
Those days are long gone thankfully, and hopefully for good.
Yet my point is about Avondale and the changes the school has made over the years. It is a wonderful school and could be an example of success for our country to see.
I talked to the vice principal one day and he told me their biggest problem (and I am sure this may be an issue in all schools with computers) is porn and other smutty things.
Avondale is an example of the positive solution to the question "can't we all get along" and the answer is yes we can.
Education: A child left behind----NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED
It is time for me to speak out. It is not so much as the students bullying their peers but the education system is bullying the children and their parents. What I'm about to share with you is unbelieveable. We talk about asperger, autism,add/adhd,pervasive developmental delays but let's turn our attention to NLD. My son, young black african american,who is diagnosed with this disability,for many years has been documented as a dangerous student that will cause intent to injury. Now I want you to go to Nldonline or NLD.com and learn about this disability. The school district never intended on letting my son be included in the mainstream. They used his disability against him. They manipulated his program to trigger his behavior. Their purpose was to alleviate his return to school as a result of stay-put provision. They used the Due Process Panel to seal my son fate. They took out temporary restraining orders which had to be renewed every 15 days. Now the due process hearing could run 45 days or more. So they go for injunctive relief. The only way that the temporary restraining orders (TRO) could be effective was to go to the Due Process Panel who's jurisdiction was much broader than the judge who had limited jurisdiction and never been asked to address a FAPE nor had it been asked to be address. The School District went to the judge for a temporary solution. So what was put in place for my son under IDEA was violated. The United States Supreme Court Decision 484U.S.305 (HonigVDoe)was violated and disrespected. That solution in front of the judge was that my son was documented by the School District as a dangerous student with intent to cause injury. The Due Process Panel had never been asked to to remove a child from his placement. The Panel was confused because this hearing was being held under chapter 536 which puts it in the court sytem They ask the question,wouldn't this take it out of the adminstative due process. Sure it would. If the due process panel side with the School District then we can alleviate his placement and put him back in to a separated self-contained school or better yet into the court system so when he acts out we can alleviate him out of life. School District brief:LightVParkway Remember under this brief, it states that a School District bends over backwards to include a child and no good deed goes un punished. How far did they really go? Who are the true Bullies? From a parent who's child was left behind. This is my part for being held accountable. I wanted you to know the purpose of them documenting our students----so they can be housed or jailed later in life. Take it to the White House from LBG
Education: A child left behind----NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED
The last comment I made was pertaining to the NLD in all of us. Sue Thompson wrote and exceptional book on Nonverbal Learning Disabilty.
From that book she listed common characteristic of NLD Disorders.
performance IQ significantly lower than verbal IQ(they can talk the talk but not walk the walk)
early speech and vocabulary development(big time vocabuary makes you as an adult feel like an idiot holding a conversation with a child that is so articulate).
remarkable rote memory skills(they will call you out because they don't forget and they won't let you forget,they attend to so much detail and statistics)
early reading skills development,excellent spelling skills(this spelling would be mark wrong by a teacher because it is the precise spelling of pronunciation of the word)
expresses himself eloquently
lack of coordination(appears to be clumsy,difficulty in tying their shoes,difficulty riding a bike ,bumping into doors,running into people)etc. Can you imagine what driving would be like for them?
severe balance problems(forward and straight ahead never watching what is in their way,falling and tripping over everything,they fall out of chairs,and feel quite safe sitting or lying on the floor)
difficulties with fine motors skills (manipulation of small objects,handling tasks such as writing,typing,buttoning)
lack of image,poor visual recall(please don't say "Can you Imagine",oh,oh you lost them)can't form visual images,lay it out concretely.
faulty spatial perception(can't judge distance,doesn't know where his body space,better known as the space invader,understanding bounderies,and how far to go with adults,and those that are in authority position)this would include spatial relations.
lack of ability to comprehend nonverbal communication(65% is body laguage and 35% is actually spoken) that is a lot of communication missed.(reading between the lines,getting the big pictures,facial expression,abstraction with words(metaphors,homophones)think in black and white). It is very hard for them to adapt to change. This would include transition and new situations. Their is a signicant deficit in social judgment and interaction.
From a concern parent that want you to be well informed and stop assuming they know. Only if you teach,teach and more teaching. Never blame anyone for things that they can't do or even assume that they even know how to do unless you are responsible enough to teach them. Tomorrow I will be,as Tom Joyner would say, "Right Back At You",with the three areas that encompass Nonverbal Learning Disabilty.
LBG
Education: A child left behind----NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED
I wanted you to turn your attention to NLD,which I feel is the least talked about disability. I don't know if you went online to NLD.com,NLDonline,but there are some very informative sights. Nonverbal learning Disability(NLD),is a developmental disability in which the individual demonstrates a mature vocabulary,rote memory skills,and excellent reading ability. However, these children can have difficulty interacting with other children,transitioning to new settings and working with new teachers,and trouble with writing/fine motor coordination. Thier difficulties include,(1)motor impairments causing difficulty in tasks that require dexterity, manipulation of small objects,and coordinated handling tasks such as writing,typing and buttoning buttons;(2)attentional deficits causing difficulty in coping with over-stimulating or distracting environments and requiring them to have limited distractions and assistance in focusing himself;(3) difficulties in performing multiple tasks simultaneously cause them to need to do one thing at a time and limit the amount of information they can take in at a time(they cannot follow multiple commands given at once);(4)difficulties organizing material on his own requiring them to receive assistance in writing outlines,determining how to sequence and prioritize,and planning and transitioning from one idea or aspect of a project to another;(5)visual-perceptual/visual-spatial deficits causing them to difficulties reading maps,differentiating left and right ,drawing complex figures,and understanding higher level arithmetic(such as geometry);(7)social miscueing causing them to have difficulty interpreting body language and facial expression,knowing when he is too close or too far away from someone with whom he is conversing,and understanding pramatics;and(7)difficulty thinking creatively or abstractly causing them to think in "black and white" instead of considering gray areas and to have difficulties being flexible instead of rigid ideas. They are hardworking,persitant,and goal-oriented. With these characteristic traits together with the support of family,friends,and community will allow them to succeed and exceed the expectations of those who do not understand or not knowledgeable.
From a concern parent who wants to educate
and help people understand that there is NLD
in all of us.
LBG
Education: A child left behind----NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED
I apologize for submitting this without verification. This is the first time I have ever used your site. Someone was at my door and when I stood up I grab the mouse and click a button. I saw a yellow flash but I did not get a chance to read it. Once again I'm truly sorry. This is a very passionate subject for me and I want this message to get out. I want to advocate for this particular disability to be incorporated into the DSM-V. I would also like to see SPD(sensory processing disorders)incorporated. I want parents to understand that it is their responsibility to see that their child get an appropiate education. That our children are masterful educators. Whenever they have something that is unique it should not be viewed as a disability but the ability to have a diverse learning style. Our children with their special kind of brain ,which gives parents/educators an opportunity to look at a non-traditional method of teaching,will bridge the gap for the success of that child. That new way of teaching and inclusion into the mainstream will help our children become more social-appropiate. I do understand that every child can't be mainstream. I definitely understand that education should not be one size fits all. Once again,being held accountable to inform you,parents,and the school districts that an A can leave a child absolutely along. I can't imagine a child going to school for 12yrs. of his life and not making one friend. Let's get with a new program and deal with the social/emotional issues for our children. You can have all the knowledge in the world but if you lack the abilty to communicate and develop relationships this is true isolation. This would be the kiss of death for children.
A truly concern parent
LBG
what or who do you consider a sex offender
It all started 12 years ago, it's the oldest story in the book, not a story a reality, a nightmare that won't seem to go away. An afro American man 27 at the time meets a Caucasian girl 14 at the time; Caucasian girl lies about her age and her mother fines out about the relationship and press charges. I am the 59 year old mother of frank Singleton #79726 who is now 39 and currently resides @ concord State prison, Concord, New Hampshire I beg u, my sons life is in danger, not from the inmates but from the officers who threaten his life, beats him up and humiliates him daily, I fear that they might kill him. My heart is breaking; it hurts so much to know that there is nothing that I can do. We don't have any money, and have run out of resources. Every attorney who accepts his case drops his case without reason. My son calls and questions his own life, I put him on three (3) way with one (1) or two (2) of his Ten (10) children to give him reason to live. Please hear my/our story, help me fine some justice. During the trial the girl confessed but the fact was she was still (14), for 12 years when he is out of prison he must sign up as a sex offender and living in New Hampshire if he even crosses the street wrong they provoke him and arrest him.
What or who do you consider a sex offender?
Why don't we take race out of the equation and address the basic issue of a 27 year old man having sex with a 14 year old girl? Where did they meet? How was she able to convince him that she was at least 18? Did he card her? She lied about her age, but she was well below the age of majority.
Believe me, I've seen girls who were 14 going on 21 based upon their looks, but it takes all of about 5 or 10 minutes of conversation to discern the truth. Clearly, this "father" of TEN CHILDREN (how many mothers?) can't control himself in general and is, at best, irresponsible. Had this occurred in Louisiana, though, he wouldn't be in trouble. The age of consent there is 14. That being said, he was in New Hampshire and was bound to follow the laws of that state. I can't feel a lot of pain for him.
I have a daughter who will be 14 in three short years. If a 27 year old makes a move on her, he'll be lucky to make it to prison. I can excuse a couple of years difference, like a kids in high school or a 19 year old with a 16 or 17 year old, but a 27 year old man gets no sympathy for going the distance with a 14 year old. Maybe his mother should have done a better job of raising him instead of making excuses for a man who fathers 10 children and "can't recognize a 14 year old."
I'm sad to hear about a child
I'm sad to hear about a child so young committing suicide because of some bullying in school. Yes, parents need to teach there children not to bully other kids- but please let's be real here, I feel that it was a much deeper issue going on with this child.
It is a kid’s nature to pick on other kids in school. It happens in my days and it continues to happen. It's not right, but this is what kids do. Now to hold parents accountable sounds like a fair exchange, but look a little deeper than the surface and ask this question. If we hold every parent accountable for every action their kids do, the whole world would be on lockdown and the world would stop.
Do you realize how many kids are bullied/talk about on a daily basis? Bullying happens outside the school doors, so what do we do in this case? I grew up with kids bullying me calling me names, making fun of my clothes etc. The teacher would step in but still, this continued after school was out. I felt bad, but I was taught by my parents to fight back. It sounds harsh, but hey it worked for me. My parents taught me to defend myself against harsh words that people might say to you.
Reality is this; we must teach our children how to defend themselves. Prosecuting them for bullying is not the answer. These are kids that we are talking about, not criminals. This world is not a perfect world and kids need to be taught the good and the bad... We shelter our children into believing that this is a Walt Disney planet and when these kids are hit with reality, some of them are not able to defend themselves against it. I suggest that Parents talk with their kids about bullying. Tell them reality and how to deal with it. Stop painting a picture of a friendly world to your child. I know we all want to shelter our kids, so we tell them all the good stuff so they can feel safe. But reality is this, balance is better than unbalance. Tell the truth about the good and the bad of this world to your children. This will at least prepare them for the unseen.
And while I’m tittering around the subject, parents stop telling these kids about Santa Claus, who no doubt can’t be real. What fat man do you know can have toys and a sleigh with eight reindeers lifting him up in the sky to climb down a chimney he can’t even get through? Don’t you think that with all that weight on those poor reindeers, ALL OF THEM WOULD HAVE CHOKED TO DEATH FROM LIFTING SANTA AND THE TOYS! Not even in a perfect world I could paint this picture…lol
schools and bullies.
schools are now nothing more then a place to go to get high,or have bathroom sex.when we allowed the ACLU to take the moral values teaching out of schools then you started getting colinbines and puduka kentucky's. We have teachers selling drugs to students and female teachers having sex with their students and 75% of all students can't read or write or add and subtract math something is very wrong.Its called the ACLU and their ideals of what the teachers need to be teaching,which i just mentioned.Get the sodomites and god haters out of our schools then you will see our kids start to turn their lives around.
To say the least, I believe
To say the least, I believe that parents need to be held accountable for their children's actions. They aren't born in a vacuum. And, too, schools need to have stricter disciplinary actions against such behavior, even if it means getting the law involved.