Comments for The Learning Curve

Comment on Sex sells… even to little girls by Miss Fox

Miss Fox — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:39:24 +0000

I already mentioned that parents need to step up and take responsibility for this. There are a lot of things wrong with the Cheetah Girls - not the least of which is that the members are interchangeable and lipsync their concerts. We are teaching our girls that dressing sexy and wearing lots of makeup is okay, and that you don’t need to have talent to be famous. What about all the girls who are naturally talented musicians? If Disney can’t package it up in pretty, flashy ribbons and bows, it’s not worth the company’s time (or money).

You know who else promotes friendship, loyalty, and believing in your dreams? Parents, sisters, brothers, friends, and people kids actually know and interact with on a daily basis. If all the role models for children are celebrities, we are missing the whole point as a society.

Maybe that’s the problem.

Comment on Sex sells… even to little girls by TCG FAN

TCG FAN — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:28:09 +0000

While i agree with what has been said about the clothing industry targeting kids, you have to realize that it is the parents responsibility to make sure their kids are dressed appropriately. Being a parent does npt madate giving into you kid’s every wish. There is nothing wrong with the Cheetah Girls. Yes, they are good looking but if all you see is eye-candy then you have missed the whole point. They are around to promote friendship, loyalty, and believing that you can accomplish your dreams.

Comment on Classroom management by Ben

Ben — Sat, 24 May 2008 03:47:53 +0000

Ah, classroom management…my favorite. Right. I’ve actually found several ebooks at http://www.dedicatedteacher.com on classroom management and behavior that have been a big help to me. The site has thousands of teacher resources on other topics, too, that I’ve found very useful. Good luck in the future!

Comment on Sex sells… even to little girls by Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:41:13 +0000

WOW! Fantastic work and I am totally in agreement. I live in South Africa and have a 10 yr old daughter who is a Miley fan, but sadly I am now having to explain to her why a 15 year-old dresses like a 21 year-old and is made up to look even older!!
With South Africa having the highest rape rate in the world, I think we have created a terrible anti-child cutlure in which we use children to make money, even if it means selling adult underwear in kiddies sizes. Young girls are not mature enough to handle the attention they will receiv e from wearing sexually provocative clothing. Little ones struggle to wipe themselves properly after being to the loo because their arms are too short. Think of the health problems when the g-string rubs to and fro and the resulting infections. Dont we teach our girls: Wipe from front to back? I have seen g-strings at a retailer for 4-5 yr olds and when I had a hissy fit, they removed it from their shelves. Lets work together to look after the innocence of our children, irrespective of how early they mature sexually because nature made them that way!!

Comment on What a year! by EDin08

EDin08 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:56:39 +0000

Hi Miss Fox,

I just wanted to make sure that you were invited to our education “Blogger Summit”. We hope you can make it and feel free to share this invitation with any other bloggers in the area that might be interested. The invitation is attached below.

Alex
ED In ‘08 Blogger Summit

——————————–

Strong American Schools is excited to announce the ED in ‘08 Blogger Summit. Conference details are as follows:

May 14th - 15th
Palomar Hotel, Washington DC
Registration is Free!

An opening reception is scheduled on the evening of Wednesday, May 14th. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served before the screening of a new documentary film on education, Two Million Minutes. A Q&A session with the filmmakers is set to follow.

Then join us for an all-day conference on May 15th. Nowhere else will you have an opportunity to meet and network with fellow education bloggers, participate in panels, attend workshops, and help tackle some tough questions on the state of education in America.

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP today!

Comment on Classroom management by rita

rita — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:22:34 +0000

hey love the blog on first graders coughing. they do use the sanitizer stuff in our first grades and parents even send it to us (requested). also clorox wipes and spray from the cusotdian.
anyway, i too am teaching first grade, taking a web based tech course online with another colleague. we are way over our heads, having no real source of technology beyond email at our level. haha
so look forward to seeing more from you. hope you got the dr to give you something to hlep you feel better.

Comment on Classroom management by PDonaghy

PDonaghy — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:39:29 +0000

Very interesting post and blog!
You might be interested in adding your blog details to the International Edubloggers Directory at http://edubloggerdir.blogspot.com
Patricia

Comment on Classroom management by Miss Fox

Miss Fox — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:00:02 +0000

Thanks for the encouragement and the ideas. While I disagree with much of what you say on your website, I can certainly appreciate another point of view.

Comment on Classroom management by karim

karim — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:43:52 +0000

You’re on the right track when you say that the punishment must fit the crime. Using your examples, if your students cannot walk down the hallway quietly, have them practice over and over again during recess. You’ll see that it won’t take long for students to walk quietly. You see, discipline issues are really motivational issues at heart. What motivations do your students have to walk quietly in the hallways or use their inside voices in the bathrooms? Once they understand that EVERY time they break the rules they will have a negative consequence, then and only then will your students be discipline. Having said that, although I said that discipline issues are motivational issues, motivation comes from values. When you choose to motivate students to follow one or another rule of discipline you are implicitly sharing your values with them. If they do not share the same values as you, you’ve got a motivational issue again (i.e. a discipline issue!). Therefore, it all comes down to motivating your students to share your values. Once they share your values, they will be motivated to follow the rules associated with them. All this begs the question, are your values reasonable and are they valuable to your students? When you ask your students to be quiet in the hallway, what are you really asking of them? Why do you want them to be quiet? What value lies behind that request? Once you can answer that, you will truly understand what it discipline means. To read more, go to http://www.thelearningbox.info.

Comment on Sex sells… even to little girls by Miss Fox

Miss Fox — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:44:43 +0000

I have no problem with you being bisexual - I am, as well. I think it’s great that you are open and willing to admit that to yourself and others.

I could ask the obvious questions, here: how old is your boyfriend, how long have you been together, etc? However, none of that really matters, except to indicate his intentions, which I can’t really know unless I know him.

The questions you should really ask yourself are: are you comfortable with the situation? Are you comfortable knowing that you will have to discuss birth control with him? Are you ready to deal with the possibility that you might get pregnant? Are you willing to tell him to stop if it gets painful or you change your mind? Do you trust him?

You need to trust your intuition on this one. I know that the responsible adult in me is supposed to tell you to wait until you’re older, but that is stupid, vague advice. Of course you should wait until you are comfortable, and with somebody you trust fully, but I don’t think age has very much to do with it. The hard part for you is separating what you want from what you know. For instance, you want to have sex. You want to please yourself and your boyfriend, and sex is a new, exciting way to do that. However, this is your first time - for a lot of girls, the first time takes patience. It should not be more painful than it is pleasurable, but a lot of guys don’t realize that it can be painful, or they get too wrapped up how good it feels for them. Your experience is just as important as his, and he should know this. If, for any reason, you decide to stop - either you change your mind, or it’s painful, or whatever - you need to trust that he will stop, too. You should talk to him about this. If you can’t discuss sex with your boyfriend, you really shouldn’t have sex with him.

I lost my virginity at 16, with my 15 year old boyfriend. Before I was willing to have sex with him, we talked about what birth control we would use (condoms), what we would do if either of us changed our minds, what we would do if I got pregnant, and that we would start off slow. This was not a five minute conversation right before sex, either - we talked about these things for weeks beforehand, to make sure that we understood each other. It was a great experience for both of us, and a very pleasant memory, even though I’m no longer dating him.

That is how sex should be - it should be pleasurable for BOTH of you. If it isn’t, you should be able to tell him, “that hurts, slow down a bit” or “I need to stop.” If he isn’t willing to use protection, or uses the excuse that “I don’t think I’ll be able to stop once I’ve started” - don’t have sex with him. If you are at all concerned that he will not listen to you or stop, you should not have sex with him. If he does refuse to stop, that is rape, and that will leave a permanent scar on your ability to be intimate with people in the future.

I know a girl who is currently 26, and bisexual. She cannot have sex with men, and is worried that she will have trouble having sex with women, because she was raped by her boyfriend many years ago. She blames herself, even though it isn’t her fault, and has been in bad relationships ever since. Even when she is in a good relationship, she can’t bring herself to be intimate with her partner, because her past experiences were so negative.

I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just trying to make sure you understand that there is a reason your parents want you to say no. A lifetime of regret, pain, and trauma is not worth one pleasurable experience. That being said, if you trust him, discuss this with him, and are careful and patient, this could be a positive experience for both of you.

If you find yourself constantly doubting this, then please don’t do it. Trust yourself. If he persists, and doesn’t listen to you, then I think you should tell him to fuck off. You don’t need to be pressured into this, even if it seems easier to say yes than to say no and deal with him on a daily basis. Think of it this way, if you have sex with him and it’s a miserable experience, then it will be much worse to have to see him every day than if you say no. You have friends and adults who care about you and will back you up if you decide not to sleep with him. Remember that you are doing this for you, not just for him, and you get as much say in what happens as he does.

And, even though you know what they will say, you should talk to your parents about it. They care about you, and want the best for you. They are also ultimately responsible for your well-being. They should know what you want, and you should be able to explain it to them. It’ll be harder to tell them you are pregnant or that you were raped than it will be to tell them you are considering having sex because you want to, won’t it? Just be sure you are talking about what you want, not what your boyfriend wants. They will automatically assume that you are being talked into this, and it’s important that they understand that it is YOU who wants to have sex, and you should be able to explain why. Frankly, if your only reason is because your boyfriend wants you to, that’s really not a good reason.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask - before or after the fact. I’m not sure how much help I can be, but I’d rather you had somebody to talk to than you have to deal with this alone. Planned Parenthood is a great resource, as well: http://www.plannedparenthood.org Find the one nearest you and call or go in - or just browse the website. You’ll find a lot of information about preventing and dealing with pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (something else you should consider), and the health of your body. These pages deal specifically with teens: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/sexual-health/teens-4315.htm and http://www.teenwire.com/

There is no reason for you to go through this alone, and I hope you’re able to come to a decision that makes you happy. Again, don’t hesitate to leave me a message here, or email me at owner [at] starwidget [dot] net.