The Kardashians/Jenners. Love them or hate them they are major influencers of teenagers today. In fact, both Kendal and Kylie Jenner were both included in Times list of 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015. You might not like Kylie Jenner but she is using her social media platform to highlight anti-bullying. As a celebrity, Kylie faces bullying everyday as people comment about her life or her looks or her relationship. Kylie is keen to use her very public persona in an effort to shed light in a topic that is very important for her and plenty of other young people around the world.
In June of this year the Kylie admitted in a Snapchat video that she has experienced bullying of her own. She told her fans, ‘I thought of the idea because, almost my whole life, since I was 9, since I have been in the spotlight, that comes with so much bullying and attacking,” she reflected. ‘Everything I do, there’s a huge light on it. I’m okay with that because it is what it is, it comes with the lifestyle. But it has still affected me a lot. But I wanted to take a different approach and pretty much let other people that I found who have been through bullying and overcome it, to use my platform and just kind of bring awareness to it’.
‘A few months ago, I decided that bullying is my thing, and I am passionate about it, and I want to help other young boys and girls going through the same thing. I felt I could be a leader. I am a teenager going through the same things as they are, so we can go through it together. ‘
The legacy Jenner wants to leave behind is simple. ‘That I have helped people and that it was not just about me,’ she replied of her hopes of having a lasting impact. ‘That I was an inspiration for young girls. And it was not just getting your lips done and having good hair, but being a good person and inspiring other people to not bully other people and do good things and be nice to everybody.’
On September 1st 2015 she set up an anti-bullying campaign called ‘I am More Than’ on her instagram and Twitter.
Kylie has 41 million followers on Instagram. Nearly all of these followers are young girls/teenagers.
She also recently wore blue lipstick in support of Anti-Bullying Day. She posted a photo on her instagram and urged her followers to ‘spread love’.
The ‘I Am More’ campaign portrays all varieties of people who have been a victim of bullying. In her ‘#IAmMoreThan’ Kylie announced she plans to share six stories over six days of ‘people who have become heroes in their own way by taking #bullying and turning it into something positive. She is actually still sharing stories and it is now the end of October as the campaign was a massive success. She now shares a story every Tuesday! With thousands of posts on Instagram using the hashtag already, it looks like the #IAmMoreThan movement isn’t going away for a while and I am really happy about that. I think it is an excellent campaign! Kylie meets up with and interviews each person and then she shares it on her instagram as part of her campaign. She is sharing stories of selected victims of bullying who are now able to speak out and help others n their situation. As she wrote in a caption of a photo introducing the campaign, ‘I’ve gotten to talk and bond with all of these people whose stories you will see on my page. I think you will all fall in love with them just like I did. I want to encourage you, my fans, to share something positive about yourselves. I’ll be reading as much as I can so that some of you can be apart of this as well! Let’s do this.’
It would be really worthwhile to show your students’ this campaign either as part of non-exam Religious Education, SPHE, or as part of Anti-bullying/Friendship week or Health week.
It is a really positive campaign that portrays how lucky everyone is to have something unique about them. By telling the stories of women who have been bullied and fought back, Kylie is inspiring others who have been bullied to refuse to let it ruin their lives.Sadly, bullies are everywhere and bullying on social media is even easier and more cowardly to do than in person. Cyber-bullying is a massive problem in schools all over the world.That’s why it’s wonderful that Kylie is using social media to give support each week to an individual who refuses to bow down to bullying.
One of the stories she shared with everyone was about plus size model Erica Schenk. Erica responded via Instagram and re-shared the photo, taken by photographer Enrique Vega. She thanked Kylie in the caption. ‘Thanks Kylie for the shout out and for supporting so many women that struggle with body image.’ Erica recently featured on the front of Woman’s Running. In a ground breaking attempt to break fitness stereotypes, the magazine chose plus-size model Erica Schenk to be on the cover in the upcoming August issue. Diverging away the commonly used skinny and muscular models, Editor-In-Chief Jessica Sebor wants to stress ‘runners come in all shapes and sizes.’ Erica is really inspiring for teenagers today. Tell your pupils to be proud of their body!
Kylie shared the story of a college student called Renee DuShane who was born with a genetic disorder which affects how the bones in her face fuse together. She is a twenty one year old college student who was born with Pfieffer syndrome. Renee recently got a tattoo of her life motto which is ‘stay strong, always love’.
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Kylie also introduced her followers to Em Ford who runs My Pale Skin Blog on instagram. Em Ford is English and she is a former model who suffers with acne. I am a big fan of Em as she is inspirational for teenagers and also adults today. Her posts of her make-up fre selfies resulted in over 100,000 crazy negative comments on her pictures. She made an incredibly powerful video highlighting the negative comments she received on her social media after her make-up free selfies. The comments were horrendous! The video racked up 8 million views in the first week and it has now been viewed nearly 17 million times. She is just trying to be brave and honest and convey to other acne sufferers ‘that it’s okay not to be perfect’. Acne is the pain of so many young people’s life. Em fought her bullies back by making and posting a dramatic and moving video showing her naked face, then covering it with make-up and finally removing it again while bullies ridiculed her with harsh comments on-screen. Em’s very inspiring message is that ‘beauty is all about how you feel INSIDE. The moment you let other people’s poison enter your mind is the moment you start to fall. Calling us ugly because of a skin condition does not make you any more beautiful. I could fix my skin and you’ll find something else to hate me for and that says more about you than I care to think about.’
Another excellent case study to use with students is the life story of Lizzie Velasquez.
Lizzie Velasquez discusses appearing on Kylie Jenner’s instagram as part of the #IAmMore campaign. It starts at 3:10 minutes in the video clip.
Lizzie who is 26 was born with an extremely rare congenital condition in which she has zero body fat and she has never weighed more than 64 lbs. She is unable to gain weight, has to eat many small meals and snacks to survive, is blind in one eye and has a weak immune system. The condition is so rare, only two other people in the world have it. She was first bullied at school for looking different and then online as a teenager. When Velasquez was 17, she came across a YouTube video labelling her “the world’s ugliest woman” that had been watched over four million times. One of the comments said: ‘Do the world a favour and put a gun to your head.’ Others called her a ‘monster’, told her parents to ‘kill it with fire’ and said they should have aborted her. But instead of causing Velasquez to hide away from public life, the video inspired her to start an anti-bullying campaign that led to the 2013 TED talk bringing her to international attention. Footage of her inspiring speech now has almost 7.2 million views on YouTube and its success inspired the creation of the documentary. ‘I know what it is to be bullied and what is to be bullied online, and I want to be the protector of those who think it won’t get better,” said Velasquez. ‘Instead of just taking shelter of my tears, I chose to be happy and realise this syndrome is not a problem but a blessing that allows me to improve myself and inspire other people.’ She set up a Kickstarter campaign entitled ‘The Lizzie Project’ to raise $180,000 towards a documentary on her life. The campaign has now raised $215,000 from 3,564 backers and ‘A Brave Heart’ is ready to hit the screen. ‘Lizzie has such an inner strength and sense of humour that anyone can relate to her,” said Sara Bordo, a first-time director working with Velasquez on the film project. “We all have difficulties in life, but nothing compared to what she has been through. Her positive attitude elevates the spirit of any person in the world.’
Velasquez has also written three self-help books and is currently lobbying for America’s first federal anti-bullying bill.
Fortunately, her condition is not terminal and despite her challenges, she attended Texas State University and she has written two books for teens including the story of her journey titled Be Beautiful, Be You. Nevertheless, she has been mocked and called ‘the world’s ugliest woman’ by nasty cyber-bullies. However, Lizzie has refused to be deterred by small-minded detractors, and has taken that negative energy and has turned it around by travelling around the world doing motivational speeches. Lizzie gave her followers this great advice: ‘I try to convey that all you need to have is a brave heart to accomplish whatever you want to achieve. Let the negative build you up instead of knocking you down.’ She released her own film this year about her struggle. The film is called ‘A Brave Heart’.
Her instagram name is LITTLELIZZIEV and her Twitter username is littlelizziev
Poetry is a type of literature, or artistic writing, that attempts to stir a reader’s imagination or emotions.
Poetry appears in many forms and styles. This makes it difficult to define exactly.
One thing that makes poems different from other types of writing is their structure. The words of a poem are arranged in lines and groups of lines, called stanzas.
When a rap artist writes a song, the sentence he writes are called ‘bars’ in the music industry.
Famous rappers are Jay Z, Kanye West, Drake, Nikki Minaj, Big Sean, Iggy Azalea, Eminem and Macklemore.
At the start of this lesson, you should brainstorm rap using a spiderweb diagram on the whiteboard or else by using a brainstorm handout.
7 TIPS FOR WRITING A RAP
What do you think of when you hear the word rap? Do you ever think of… poetry? The two really are not that different. As a poet you need to be able to incorporate rhythm and flow into your pieces to make it sound appealing. Rap does the same thing. Poets often try to give their poetry visual elements by using figurative language (for example metaphors). The challenge with rap is making the piece appeal to the ear while conveying your message quickly, and keeping rhythm. Get started writing your very own rap, and who knows — you may be the next Eminem or Drake or Nicki Minaj!
Brainstorm. Choose your topic and let your imagination run wild. To get started, many artists freestyle for a bit and write down every thought, idea, and emotion that comes to mind. Use this as your inspiration.
Create a hook. The basic layout for a rap is intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, outro. Many rappers start writing the hook (chorus) first. The hook captures the theme of the rap, and conveys its message to the audience. Rappers and lyricists in general start with this because the chorus is what people remember and take from a rap. It sets the rhythm and flow, and inspires what is said throughout the rap.
Write lyrics. Use the brainstorming you did along with your chorus as a guide for what you are writing about and to build onto your ideas. Keep in mind that you have to maintain a rhythm since rap is music as well as poetry, and both follow a beat. Some lyricists listen to a beat as they write to help keep their rhythm.
Be personal. Don’t lie in your raps about who you are, but to get your point across, you might want to use use hyperbole (exaggerating to the extreme). Typically, lines rhyme in a rap, but the words don’t have to match exactly–it all depends on how you say them . Always keep your message and audience in mind.
Organize. Once you have an idea of what you want to say, organize your ideas. Break them up into verses while you keep in mind the layout for most basic raps:
Memorize. Being able to recite your words from memory allows you to keep the flow and rhythm of it. So practice, practice, practice! Read and reread your piece until you’re sick of it. Play around with the tempo to see what sounds better with your style. Don’t be discouraged if you trip up on your words.
Rap and share. With the rhythm down and the words engraved into your memory, you’re ready to rap. Record yourself rapping in front of a crowd or even alone in your room and share it on the site along with the lyrics! Let your voice be heard, and get going on your next masterpiece.
Here are some video clips about how rap is poetry.
Jay Z- Rap is poetry.
An English teacher who rap battles with students.
Rap Poetry Class At Charter Oak Cultural Center.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar Visits Mr. Mooney’s Class.
Teacher’s Inspiring Classroom Rap Goes Viral.
A talk by Ted Talks- Hip-Hop & Shakespeare? Akala at TEDxAldeburgh.
Poems about rap. You can read the best rap poems. Browse through all rap poems.
What part will you play in standing up to bullying?
This is a video clip from Britain’s got Talent (2014). Two young boys called Bars and Melody perform a rap about bullying. One of the young boys wrote the rap using his personal experience. All the judges were every impressed and they even won Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer. Bars & Melody combine cuteness and originality, charming the judges and the audience with their skills. The pupils love this video clip as it is a topic they can relate too and also the boys are around the same age as your students.
If you are using this video clip, at the start of the lesson you should define the term bullying.
Define bullying
At the start of this lesson, you should define the term bullying to the students.
Spunout defines bullying as the on-going abuse of another person through physical or mental torture. To make matters worse this torture is often conducted in the presence of others. The humiliation felt by the victim is hard to understand if you have never been bullied. If it happens over a long period of time it can have devastating effects on a young person’s mental health.
Explain bullying to the students.
You should then explain bullying to the students. Either give the students facts about bullying using a handout or power point or else split the students into groups and get the groups to look up facts about bullying. This group work activity would improve the students digital literacy and enhance their communication skills as they have to work together to complete the task. I recently wrote a blog post about bullying.
Classroom activity- Group work- Write your own rap about bullying.
Tell the students that they are now going to write their own rap song about poetry.
Split the students into groups.
Give each group coloured paper and a pen.
Tell the students that they have 8 minutes to complete this task.
Use a countdown timer to time the students. This motivates the students and also lets them know how much time they have left. You can use this one here – http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/
Each group will then perform their group’s rap in-front of the class.
We will have a class discussion about each group’s work.
During National Anti-Bullying Week 2014 the Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Ambassadors programme brought together over 800 young people and staff from across the north and south of England to celebrate National Anti-Bullying Week with Bars and Melody. The events were held at the Blackpool Winter Gardens & the Emirates Stadium. Bars and Melody lead a music workshop for their Anti-Bullying Ambassadors by teaching them how express themselves through music.
Bullying is a huge problem in schools all over the world. It is something that happens everyday. It is not just not an issue that should be dealt with on Anti-bullying week but all year through. As teachers we must be educated about bullying. How else can we help if we don’t understand? You can use the content in this blog post to simply educate yourself, to use in your Religion, SPHE class or for anti-bullying/friendship/health week in your school.
What is Bullying?
First of all, we need to define bullying.
Spunout defines bullying as the on-going abuse of another person through physical or mental torture. To make matters worse this torture is often conducted in the presence of others. The humiliation felt by the victim is hard to understand if you have never been bullied. If it happens over a long period of time it can have devastating effects on a young person’s mental health. In Ireland 1 in 4 people suffer from mental health issues.
“Bullying is defined as unwanted negative behaviour, verbal, psychological or physical conducted by an individual or group against another person (or persons) and which is repeated over time.” Department of Education & Skills ‘Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools’ (Dublin: 2013)
“Bullying is a behavioural problem which affects the lives of thousands of school children and their families. The humiliation, fear, frustration and social isolation and loss of self esteem which children experience when bullied results in absenteeism from school, poor or deteriorating schoolwork, personality change, illness, depression and unfortunately sometimes suicide. Bullying knows no boundaries of age, sex or socio-economic background. It can take many forms; it can be short term or continue over long periods, even years.”
Anti-Bullying Centre, ‘Bullying at School; Key Facts”(Dublin: 2001)
“Cruel, abusive behaviour which is persistent and pervasive and causes suffering to individuals which is severe and sustained”
K. Rigby, ‘Bullying in Schools and What to do About It’(London: Kingsley, 1997)
“Isolated incidents of aggressive behaviour, while they indicate a problem that needs to be sorted out, do not constitute bullying. However, where there is an imbalance and abuse of power and the behaviour is systematic and ongoing, it is bullying”
Sticks and Stones Handbook, (Dublin: 1995)
“Bullying can cause physical, mental, psychological, emotional and mental harm to a person or group. It is premeditated, pervasive, persistent, and cruel treatment which is meant to hurt or harm, and is enjoyed by the bullying perpetrator.”
David Fitzgerald, ‘Bullying in our Schools; Understanding and Tackling the Problem’(Dublin: 1999)
The different types of bullying
Verbal Bullying:Teasing, jeering, name calling, slagging, mimicking.
This can leave students feeling angry, frightened and powerless. If students are unable to share their feelings with someone else, verbal bullying can leave them emotionally bruised and physically exhausted. Their powers of concentration can suffer, adversely affecting their capacity for learning. Verbal attacks can be of highly personal and sexual nature. They can be directed at the child’s family, culture, race or religion. For example: Malicious rumours.
Physical Bullying: Something that is physically done to an individual, or their belongings. Fighting, hitting, pinching, spitting, tripping, pushing. It’s often written off as ‘horseplay,’ ‘pretend’ or ‘just a game’ when challenged. Both boys and girls indulge in physical bullying, boys sometimes more so because it’s socially acceptable for them to be more physically aggressive, and their games and sports can allow for greater physical contact. There’s a misconception that physical bullying has to hurt, it doesn’t. It can be the “accidental” bumping into someone in the corridor, crowding them at the locker, invading their personal space. It is something that someone physically does to another.
Gesture Bullying:Threatening signs, dirty looks.
There are many different forms of non-verbal threatening gestures that can portray frightening messages, for example gesturing a gun to a head or gesturing slitting a throat, or giving someone a dirty look. It’s very important to recognise the power of gesture bullying, sometimes adults can be dismissive of a child who reports that another child “is looking at me” but it’s a very easy way to maintain a constant level of threat against another child, and it’s so subtle it can be happening right under a teacher’s nose. Look out teachers! If a student comes to you wit this complaint, take it seriously.
Exclusion Bullying:Leaving someone out, ignoring them on purpose.
This is mean and hurtful because it isolates the student from his/her peer group and it is very hard for the student to combat as it directly attacks their self-confidence, self esteem and self-image. It is very hard to prevent this. However, one successful way is by getting the students to empathise with each other.
Extortion Bullying:Getting someone to do something they don’t want to do.Threatening, Forcing, Blackmailing.
Younger students for example first years are particularly vulnerable to extortion bullying. Demands for lunch money, possessions or equipment or food may be made alongside threats.
Cyber-Bullying:in an ever-more technologically advanced world, a new strain of bullying has emerged amongst students. Cyber-bullying utilises web pages, on-line gaming (on the PS4/XBOX),Snapchat, Facebook and text messaging to abuse, intimidate and attack others. Facebook and Snapchat are the most common ways of cyber-bullying.
Prejudiced based Bullying
Prejudice, or identity, based bullying targets young people because of who they are or who they are perceived to be. This can be on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, membership of the travelling community, religion or sexual orientation. Young people can also be bullied for being perceived to belong to one or more of these groups, or for being associated with a member of one or more of these groups. It includes Racist and Homophobic Bullying.
Signs of being bullied-TELL-TALE SIGNS OF BEING BULLIED
Unexplained bruising, cuts or damaged clothing.
Visible signs of stress/anxiety. Many students will often refuse to say what is wrong with them.
Unexplained changes in mood or behaviour e.g. becoming withdrawn; clinging; attention-seeking; aggressive behaviour toward brothers, sisters and parents.
Out-of-character behaviour in class e.g. disruptive, attention seeking due to a dare or threat.
Deterioration in educational attainments; loss of concentration, interest and enthusiasm in school.
Bad attendance due to reluctance to go to school.
Lingering behind in school alter classes are over (parents may notice a child’s requests to be accompanied to and from school)
Increased requests for pocket money, or stealing money.
Loss of or damage to personal possessions or equipment
Artwork expressing inner turmoil
Insomnia
Nightmares
Alcohol/drug abuse
Attempted suicide
There are lots of myths about bullying, such as
“It’s a fact of life…everyone is bullied at some stage.” FALSE
“It toughens you up and prepares you for real life.” FALSE
“We all have to learn to stand up for ourselves…bullying helps us to do this.” FALSE
“There’s nothing you can do about bullying.” FALSE
YOU CAN ALWAYS DO SOMETHING ABOUT BULLYING!!!
The truth about bullying
Not everyone is bullied but it’s estimated that around 30% of young people experience bullying at some stage.
Rather than toughening you up for life it can make you miserable and and it can kill any self-esteem you had.
Bullying can leave you feeling guilty for not standing up for yourself but it persists because it is almost impossible for the victim to stand up to the bully.
Who is likely to be involved?
“THE VICTIM”
Any pupil, through no fault of their own, may be bullied. Sometimes all it takes is for the student to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find that there are many student victimised through bullying, who are popular and socially well adjusted. However, bullies will try to justify their actions by emphasising that the victim is different in some way, i.e. in terms of accent, clothes, physical appearance, size, social class, religion or by having learning difficulties. If there is no real difference pupils who bully may invent a reason for their behaviour.
Students who Bully are encouraged by the vulnerable and distressed reactions of their would-be victims. This gives them a “sense of power” and of “being in control” and makes them feel ‘cool’. Shy students are more likely to be targeted.
It is now recognised that many of the negative and unsympathetic characteristics that are often ascribed to victims may be the result of long-term bullying rather than a cause of Bullying. There are, of course, some students who unwittingly invite attacks by behaving in ways that cause tension and irritation in their immediate vicinity. Such students, often referred to as “provocative victims”, may have inadequate social skills or learning difficulties.
Sadly however, research shows that no matter what the true origin of the bullying episode is,students who are bullied tend to see the cause of bullying in themselves and feel or imagine that there is something “wrong” with them.
WHAT CHARACTERISES THE STUDENT WHO BULLIES?
As all bullying is aggression, a distinctive characteristic of students who bully is their aggressive attitude not only towards their peers but also towards adults, i.e. parents and teachers.
While constitutional factors play a part in aggressive behaviour, it is recognised that factors within the house, school and wider society influence the development of aggressive behaviour.
FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR IN THE HOME ARE:
Lack of love, care and attention.
Too much freedom.
Inconsistent discipline. They feel like their parents do not care about them.
Aggressive behaviour.
Physical abuse/punishment.
FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO AGGRESSION IN SCHOOL ARE:
Inconsistent discipline/rules
Poor staff morale.
Inadequate supervision.
Curriculum that affords too few feelings of success and achievement. The school needs to have a positive and happy environment.
What to do if you’re being bullied
When you’re dealing with bullying it can feel like there’s nothing you can do about it. You can convince yourself that trying to stop it might make things worse.
If it’s happening in school, telling a teacher maybe the last thing you want to do. Will your parents freak out and make a big fuss about it?
Everyone has the right to live, work, study and play in an environment free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence.
No one deserves or asks to be bullied and you certainly shouldn’t go through it on your own. Don’t forget that. There are things you can do about it.
Asking someone for advice
Telling someone else is really important. If you feel threatened or you think you might be in danger. Don’t keep it to yourself.
You’re not giving in and there’s nothing weak about reporting it or asking for advice. Anyone would need help with bullying.
If you’re dealing with bullying – be it verbal, physical, online or on your phone – it can really help by telling someone and asking for advice.
This can take a bit of courage, but you’ll be amazed by how much better you feel just by getting it off your chest.
Asking for support is actually a pretty brave move. Not sure what to say or how it could help?
Who to ask
There are loads of people who might be able to help. Talk to your friends, or to older brothers or sisters if you have them. They might’ve been through this stuff and will understand.
If it’s happening in school, think of a teacher you trust. Teachers and counsellors are specially trained in these situations. It’s their job to help.
Also, it’s good for the school to know it’s happening. There might be other people going through it and they need to figure out how to prevent it.
So think about it as helping other people.
Talking to family
It’s understandable you might be worried your parent or guardian will completely explode if you say anything and run down to the school screaming their head off.
We can’t say it won’t happen, but remember they want to help, and they actually might.
They’re also probably more clued in than you imagine, so explain to them if you don’t want them to do that and they might well get it.
They could have suggestions you had never even thought of. Even if you don’t want them to do anything, it lightens the load, and that in itself is pretty good.
If it’s getting you down
If dealing with bullying is getting you down and affecting your day-to-day life, there are loads of people who can help, listen and support you.
Tips for getting help
If you’re worried about speaking to someone, take a friend with you. If you don’t feel like you can talk about it out-loud or face-to-face, write it down or put it in an email.
Talk to whoever you tell about what they’re planning to do. They might have a responsibility to act if they’re a teacher or counsellor and they’re worried about your safety, so make sure you check with them. They should run all of this by you first. Be clear about what you want and don’t want to happen.
If you don’t feel as if you’re being taken seriously, or if no action is taken, it doesn’t mean what’s happening is OK. You were right to bring it up. Tell someone else and keep at it until something changes.
Dealing with bullying can be really tough. It affects your self esteem and your confidence, and it can end up affecting your work and your relationships too.
It’s really important to do something about it. If you feel you need a hand dealing with the impact of it, speak to someone like a therapist/counsellor to help you work on these feelings.
Working it out yourself
Always ask for help when you are being bullied but you can also decide to help yourself also.
Here’s some ideas that might help with this:
Be confident and assertive
People who hassle other people usually set their sights on someone who seems nervous or unsure of themselves because they think they won’t stand up to them.
The old “turn the other cheek” doesn’t really work. Walking away and trying to ignore can still be the reaction that the person bullying wants to happen.
Being confident about who you are can actually be your best defence. Stand firm and look them in the eye.
Let it be known that you don’t think is OK. Even if you don’t feel it, as the not-so-old saying goes, “fake it ’til you make it”.
Suggestions for using your confidence to deal with bullying:
Tell them to give it a rest/leave you alone. Don’t be aggressive, just be calm and sure of yourself.
Be assertive and confident. Look them in the eye and keep your body language firm.
Be nice – killing them with kindness can throw them right off track.
Selena Gomez recently released a new single called ‘Kill em with kindness’. She wrote this song as a response to her bullies. She was badly bullied during the summer for her weight.
Use humour – it can throw them off.
Use positive self talk tell yourself you’re a better person than all that. Don stoop to their level. You are a better person than they are.
Have a mantra – a saying or a statement that you repeat to them, like “whatever” or “well, if that’s what you think”. This can make you feel confident enough to just block them out (could be a line from a song or a film, whatever works).
Remember it does not matter what they think about you, it what you think about yourself, that matters!
Also remember there are people who accept you for you who are. They are the ones that matter.
Use visualisation
This might sound daft and it won’t work for everyone, but it can keep you from getting overwhelmed. Picture yourself as being miles taller than whoever’s bullying you, or imagine them in some ridiculous costume. This can help you realise they’re only human, and probably not as tough as they make out.
Stay positive
It can be hard to remember your good points when someone is doing their best to put you down. However, try to think of all the things you’re good at and proud of and stuff that makes you laugh.
You are amazing, never forget that!
Some of the world’s brightest, funniest and most talented people get a hard time when they’re young. Remember this will pass, and loads of people get through it and go on to do amazing stuff with their lives.
Safety in numbers
You’re safer in a group, so hang out with other people when you can. If you’re by yourself and worried about being hassled or feel threatened, be aware of places nearby where there’ll be other people.
Moving on
Sometimes no matter how you or other people try to resolve a bullying situation, there might be no real solution other than to move school or change your job. This can seems like a massive deal, but sometimes making a fresh start is actually the simplest way forward.
This isn’t always a possibility and it’s not the first option. When it’s the right thing to do it can actually be the best decision you ever make. You’re not giving up up, just moving on.
Parents can sometimes be resistant to the idea of moving school, but talk to them about it and explain how you feel. That way you can figure out what your options are.
Some great organisations that deal with bullying are:
Sticks and Stones Anti-bullying Programme™ is Ireland’s leading award winning anti-bullying programme for schools, primary and post-primary. They believe that every child should be able to fulfil his or her potential free from the damage that bullying causes. They offer a Whole School Approach to addressing bullying in Irish schools, primary and secondary.
ISPCC-Always here for children- The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) is Ireland’s oldest and most well-known children’s charity. The ISPCC has a long, proud history of service delivery and advocacy on behalf of children.
Stop the BullyIreland is an anti-bullying service which empowers people at all ages with the tools to effectively deal with bullying. Bullying in Ireland has become a serious concern . If you are a parent in turmoil about a bullying situation, a teenager who is having difficulty with others or a school who wants a program to educate, empower and really help their students then we can help you. Stop the Bully is the brainchild of one of Ireland’s leading anti-bullying figures Pat Forde. Pat has worked with bullying targets, families and schools all over Ireland empowering them with the skills and knowledge to effectively deal with bullying situations and also improve confidence, assertiveness and self-esteem.Pat Forde is a leading figure in the on-going anti-bullying debate in Ireland and has featured on RTE’s award winning television series Bullyproof and is a regular contributor to media debates on the subject. http://stopthebully.ie/
On Tuesday 27th April 2015 AntiBullyingPro invited young people from across Ireland to Facebook’s European Headquarters to celebrate Anti-Bullying work in their schools and communities. This is their stories.
Anti-Bullying Ambassador Marcus Butler visits Newbridge College, Newbridge, County Kildare (April 27th 2015)
Do the people of Dublin think Bullying is a problem?
Dance group Diversity & Anti-Bullying Ambassadors stand up to bullying!
#ListenUpYouBullies Listen Up You Bullies, we’re the Anti-Bullying Team!
Anti-bullying dance
Anti-Bullying Ambassador and Pop Artist Tich’s tune provides the backdrop for this amazing anti-bullying performance by student Anti-Bullying Ambassadors at Springwell Community College.
Here is a song by One Direction. This song portrays how when you have some people that love you, no-one else can DRAG YOU DOWN!
Here is a song by Katy Perry called ‘Firework’. Fireworks is a very beautiful song that has a very powerful meaning. This song talks about revealing your true self to the world instead of keeping it a secret. It tells us not to be afraid of what we have and who we really are but to be proud of it. SHOW IT OFF! You are worth more than you think. You are an original. You cannot be replaced! Be proud of who you are and ‘own the night like the 4th of July’. You are your own person and every person is amazing in their own individual way.
Selena Gomez – ‘Who says’. Be proud of who you are. Do not listen to anyone that says anything negative about you. As Selena sings, ‘I would’nt want to be anyone else. I am no beauty queen, I am just beautiful me’.
Here is a positive song about loving yourself by Hailee Steinfield. Be proud of who you are and never let anyone change that.
Another song by Katy Perry called ‘Roar’.
‘ROAR’ celebrates the idea of being against the ropes in life until you make contact and come out the victor! Lyrically, the singer extends a boxing metaphor throughout and borrows from an ’80s rock song.
“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire / ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR / Louder, louder than a lion / ‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR.”
‘Eye of the Tiger’ is a song by Survivor, which was huge in the ’80s and used in ‘Rocky III.’ It focuses on triumphing over anything and anyone in life that hurts you. The lion is the king/queen of the jungle, and Perry is using that metaphor to the fullest. But it’s so easy to relate to, and that’s why fans have responded so passionately.
Taylor Swift – ‘Shake it off’. This song does not need an introduction. One of the most famous songs of this year. SHAKE OFF any criticism and move on. Do not let it affect you!
I am not a History teacher but I think it is important that we as English teachers understand Irish history. Cultural context is really important. It helps to deepen our understanding of the contexts of Irish plays and novels that are set in different eras. Learning about he 1916 Rising particularly helps with William Butler Yeats poetry. A theme in his poetry is political issues. Yeats comes up most years on the English Leaving Certificate syllabus. Learning about this topic especially helps with his poem ‘Easter 1916’. This poem portrays his torn emotions at the political situation of Ireland at the time. It is one of themost poweful poems of the 20th century. In ‘Easter, 1916,’ Yeats focused so closely on an unsuccessful struggle in Ireland’s fight for independence, Yeats had timeless and universal things to say about it. Understanding the context of 1916 has helped me greatly to understand the drama ‘The Plough and the Stars’ by Sean O’ Casey. I am currently reading it with my Leaving Cert students. I am looking forward to seeing the play in March in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
I saw this video clip on the internet and it reminded me of some websites that I have used to educate myself about the Easter Rising. This video clip is by Students in Scoil Mhuire secondary school in Trim in Meath and they show off the work they have done on 1916 art and song.
Today I want to post a lesson that I have used a number of times in schools. It is called Character boxes. I have used this lesson a number of times over the years. Each time it worked brilliantly. All of the student’s loved it. This lesson is great for developing the students’ essay writing skills and also developing their creativity/imagination. The characters need to think creatively to develop a character using the five images on their handout. The students’ find this lesson fun too! I first tested this out on my 12 year old cousin, and her first response when I told her what the task was ‘cool’!. My best advice when using this lesson is know your class well etc.. what they like and then you can pick you can the most suitable images for your class. However, if you do not know your class well, five random images work just as well.
I am not posting my full lesson plan here as I write really long lesson plans (3-5) pages long each but I will post a general gist of my lesson plan.
What do you need for this task? Coloured paper and handout with five random images each.
Lesson objectives
The pupils will be able to define the term character.
The students will be able to portray their ability to develop a character.
The students will be able to develop their creativity skills.
Assessment of Learning outcomes
The pupils will be able to define the term character as they will think pair share the definition of character
The students will portray their ability to develop a character by working in groups and developing a character.
The students will develop their creativity skills by using their imagination and creating a character.
Phase 1.
Greet the pupils.
Take a roll call.
Review what was learnt in the last lesson.
Phase 2. Think-Pair-Share
I will put the students into pairs.
I will ask the students ‘What is a character?’.
I will ask a number of pairs for their answers.
I will discuss the students’ answers with the class.
Phase 3:Group work: Five random images to develop a character
I will ask the students to develop a character by using five random images.
I will then put the students into groups.
I will give each group a handout with five random images.
I will ask the students to work together in their groups and use their group’s five random images to develop a character.
Phase 4: Coloured card: Draw and write about your group’s made up character
I will give each group a coloured card.
I will ask the groups to work together and use their group’s five random images on their handout.
I will tell the students to draw their character and write about their character on their group’s coloured card.
I will tell the groups they have eight minutes for this task.
I will use a countdown timer to motivate the students and let the students know how much time they have left.
After the time is up, each group will present their work to the class.
We will have a class discussion about each group’s work.
Phase 5: Wrap things up. Give homework and end the class well.
Twitter is a social networking site. Twitter uses hashtags #. Hashtags track trends/what is popular at any given time. For example One Direction are regularly trending on Twitter. Hashtags are a way in which people use social media to communicate ideas. This article explains hashtags really well. http://mashable.com/2009/05/17/twitter-hashtags/#QBwdgltHwgqZ By using Twitter, you are keeping ‘the conversation alive beyond just the 45 minutes a day we have in class.’
Also here is a 60 second video explaining Twitter. But for any Twitter newbies, read this https://support.twitter.com/#
Twitter.
I joined Twitter years ago but I only used it as a personal account. I barely used it. I merely set up for the sake of having an account. I stopped using Twitter two years ago as I thought Twitter had died because all of my friends stopped using it. I was a bit skeptical (Sorry Enda) when my lecturer kept telling us how amazing Twitter is for teachers! He then told my classmates and I to set up Twitter accounts for our Web 2.0 module. After setting up my account, I was shocked! I am only joined Twitter as a teacher a few days ago and already I can see the major educational benefits for me.I am shocked that ‘few teachers are incorporating it into classes despite many recommendations for such use.’I wish I joined years ago! Advice to all student teachers, join Twitter now! Teachers are seriously missing out by not incorporating Twitter, it is a fantastic classroom and CPD tool. It shocks me that over 90 percent of higher education faculty in a recent survey reported awareness of Twitter, but only 12 percent indicated using it for professional purposes (Moran, Seaman, & Tinti-Kane, 2011). Only 1 per cent have used it for classes or assignments, I think teachers are unsure of how to implement Twitter in their teaching. Near the bottom of this blog post, I have wrote a lot of ideas about how to utiise Twitter in the classroom.
The benefits are tremendous! Richard Bryne points out ‘how If you’ve ever had a class in which every student wanted to talk at the same time, Twitter allow students to express themselves without having to wait to be called upon. If you have kids who are reluctant to share out loud, Twitter is a place where their ideas can be heard. How did I survive teaching practice without it? I had never thought of using Twitter for teaching resources before. Little did I know that Twitter is an excellent and important educational tool for teachers! Chris Evans states in his article Twitter for Teaching: Can social media be used to enhance the process of learning? that students are more engaged when we use social media platforms in our classes. He proved this statement by using results from a survey carried out by the University of London.
Twitter is a FUN way to improve literacy rates in the classroom! You can learn so much by using it as an educational tool. ‘When used correctly, these tools encourage students to collaborate and provide opportunities for you to respond to their questions.’ Twitter allows deeper learning to take place. It allows students to improve their communication skills and to develop their critical thinking skills. However, ‘collaboration did not occur when the usage was left to the students.’ This is not surprising! What young person motivates themselves? It is our job to teach them and to motivate the students. Twitter is not supposed to do our job for us, it is merely a tool to deepen learning! Thankfully or teachers would be out of our jobs!!
There are so many brilliant accounts with tons of resources for NQTs and experienced teachers worldwide! It is a brilliant platform for teachers to share tips and resources. I can simply send a Tweet asking for advice or help with resources and someone will write back.
After joining Twitter last week, I participated in my first #edchatie. #Edchatie is an online talk via Twitter between teachers. During it topics are discussed and resources are shared. It was a very positive experience. I never realised how much support there was for teachers. Teachers want to help each other. An an NQT, it is very inspiring to see experienced teachers helping each other and helping NQTs and also how NQTs can help and share resources with fellow NQTs and experienced teachers. Twitter for education is like a virtual family!
‘By working together everyone achieves more’.
Now who do I think is good to follow on Twitter? Bear in mind, I am only on Twitter a few days but these are 10 people that I really recommend. I think all teachers should follow these 10 people!
Dr Sandra Cullen
Sandra is a lecturer in Mater Dei Institute of Education. She is one of the favourite lecturers in our college. Why? Because she cares about all of her students and she is relevant. Her Twitter is exceptional as she tweets and retweets about very important stuff daily. She is good for RE and Education resources and also general global news. Her username is @DrSandraCullen
Voice for Teachers
This page is the Holy Grail of teaching pages. Every teacher needs to follow this page. You can send in a question and other teachers will comment with their advice or else you can just read through the newsfeed which is full of questions and you will learn loads! The admins of this page post around 5-10 questions daily. They are very efficient. You can mail them anytime with a question and they will email back straightaway and they are very kind. Their username is @VoiceforTeacher
Enda Donlon
Enda is the Messi of ICT. He knows everything! He is a cool whizz kid! He has done so much in Mater Dei. For example, he helped developed Metis and he played a key role in developing Logos. He also lectures in Mater Dei and in DCU. He tweets daily about Education and everything ICT related. Follow Enda and he will open your eyes up to how you can make ICT cool in the classroom. It has only been a month and he has taught me so much already! His username is @donenda
He is another cool whizz kid! David tweets good tips about ICT and also resources for the classroom. Watch out for his retweets, they are excellent! He also participates in the #edchatie discussions.
He is the co-founder of #NT2TEU (New Teachers to Twitter EU). Click into the hashtag for brilliant resources. David is a co-organiser of Start Up Weekend Education. He alongside others is going to change education. Help him at @edchatirl
RE Chatie
I love this page! It is a page that is set up for all Religious Educators in Ireland to engage in discussions, share resources and ideas, make contacts and to connect with teachers globally. Use #rechatie to get amazing tips and resources and to join in on amazing discussions. Thank you to Ailis Travers (@ailis_t) for this page!
fboss
He is an Art teacher and an Education Officer with the NCCA. He facilitates all of the #edchatie discussion nights. Follow him to keep up to date with #edchatie. Fboss is the reason I used Twitter in my classroom on Education Day. I will do a blog post on this in a few days. He is very welcoming and encouraging to all new bloggers. His username is @fboss
Siobhan works for the Professional Development Service for Teachers. She tweets and retweets about excellent educational resources. Follow her here @0812Siobhan
He tweets about RE, the writing process, wellbeing & philosophy. Great for English and Religion teachers! He shares his own personal class notes. He also tweets regularly about education and the new Junior Cycle. I have learnt so much from him already. Follow him here @MrAbe101
These are two different pages that are excellent for religion resources. They are very efficient and they share excellent resources daily. I have used many of these resources over the years on my teaching practices. The RTAI is the Religion Teachers Association of Ireland. Every religion teacher should join this association. You can join here https://www.facebook.com/RTAIreligion
The Archdiocese Dublin is the official account of the Archdiocese of Dublin. Their usernames are @RtaiReligion and @DublinDiocese
TED Talks
Ted posts fantastic videos about education. I have used many of these video clips in my classroom. They are great resources. There are video clips about how to be the best teacher you can be and also on great topics for the classroom. You need to follow Ted and build up some videos clips for your resource bank! Follow here @TEDTalks
Here are some articles about how to use Twitter in the classroom.
25 top ways teachers use Twitter in the classroom (This is well laid out hence making it very easy to read through and #edchat is mentioned in this article).
Evans, Chris, ‘Twitter for Teaching: Can Social Media be used to Enhance the Process of Learning?’, British Journal of Educational Technology, 45 (2014), p. 901.
Lin, Meng-Fen; Hoffman, Ellen; Borengasser, Claire. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning. Feb2013, Vol. 57 Issue 2, p39-45.
As religion teachers, we must beat stereotypes. Every religion has stereotypes. As one of my favourite lecturers Eoin Cassidy used to say ‘there is light and shadow in every religion’. Every religion has problems. No religion is perfect. We must teach our pupils to be tolerant and to convey respect to other religions.
One of the most important life lessons you will learn is to never judge a book by its cover.
Since 9/11 many Muslims are stereotyped. Many get called ‘terrorists’ and are told to go back to their own country.We must teach our pupils that not every Muslim is an Arab and not every Muslim is a terrorist! I am not saying only Muslims get stereotyped. Like I said every religion faces stereotypes. For example in Christianity, years ago priests in Ireland got a bad rep even though not every priest was a molester. It was only a small minority. However, in this blog post I want to focus on Islam.
Islamophobia is hatred/dislike/prejudice against Muslims. It is a term that existed before 9/11. It was first introduced as a concept in a Runnymede Trust Report in 1991.
This week I read an article in the paper about two Muslim women being abused because of ISIS. The two Muslims were accompanied by a child and one of the women was pregnant. The pregnant was threatened that she would be kicked in the stomach. “I will kick you in the stomach. I will pull that down and kick you, so you never have a kid again. I will donkey kick you. It will be the first time I’ve ever resorted to violence in public.” According to data from the Metropolitan police, who have been recording hate crime data since 2013, there has been a 70% increase in attacks on Muslims in the past year. According to Tell Mama, which monitors Islamophobic attacks, women were the primary targets.
This is an amazing video that they made about Muslim stereotypes.
These are two responses from Muslims about the Buzzfeed video clip.
This is a great video clip about 10 misconceptions against Muslims.
This is a great classroom resource as kit conveys non-Muslim women learning about and then having a positive experience wearing the hijab.
This social experiment video clip portrays a woman walking down around New York for 5 hours wearing a t-shirt and jeans and walking around for another 5 hours wearing a Hijab.
Before you show this video clip, put your students into groups and get your groups to write down two things that they will think will happen the woman when she wears jeans and a t-shirt and then two things that they think will happen the woman when she wears the Hijab. Then give the students a hand out each and ask them to write down what happens the woman in the two different situations. After watching the video clip, talk about what they wrote down for what happened the woman in the two different circumstances and then discuss whether their first answers matched what they saw happen in the video clip and then discuss the differences the woman experienced dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and dressed in a Hijab.
Here is a good video which features some tips for your students to combat racism.
Here is a video clip which conveys how the role of women in Islam has changed.
This is fantastic video clip where a young girl talks about stereotypes.
You could use this true story to demonstrate role play in the classroom. Read through the story first and then get a number of students to act out the story. Then ask the students some questions about the situation.
Questions to be asked could be:
How do you feel when the couple are abusing you?
How do you feel when the other people on the bus do not help you?
What should she have done? What would you have done?
What do you think about this situation?
A good case study to use in class is Nadiya Hussain.
She recently won The Great British Bake Off series 5. By participating and winning the contest, she has done so much for British Muslim women and also Muslim women everywhere.
Here are some links about the positive impact of her win.
Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, has announced a €210m investment in digital technology in schools. It is the largest ever investment as of yet. It lists WiFi as a priority for schools, as well as the wider use of digital devices in classrooms. The funding will drive the five year Digital Strategy for Schools (2015-2020) which the Minister launched today at the Mercy Secondary School in Inchicore, Dublin.
At the launch today Minister O’Sullivan said, “Giving our students the opportunity to develop 21st century skills is a priority. Technology is embedded in all aspects of our lives, and is bringing our society new advantages and solutions every day.This five year strategy will achieve our goal of allowing all students to develop 21st century skills…The strategy is a comprehensive and coherent roadmap to prepare schools, teachers and students to take advantage of the vital role that technology will play in the years and decades ahead.”
I am really happy that the Minister has realised the impact technology has on our world and the even bigger impact it is set to have in our future. It is of the utmost importance that we prepare our students for the future. Technology is everywhere. Even one and two year olds know how to use technology.
Among the key points of the Digital Strategy are:
· 1. Dedicated multi-annual funding to schools to invest in technology
· 2. Build on the successful roll-out of high-speed broadband to every second-level school by investing in high-speed wifi networks in every school
· 3. Integration of digital skills in the curriculum and in assessment
· 4.Develop opportunities for students to take an in-depth ICT course at Leaving Cert, as well as embedding digital skills within other subjects
· 5.Promotion of the use of e-portfolios at primary and post-primary level
· 6.Provide enhanced digital content to schools, including working with cultural institutions, sporting bodies and other to expand this range of resources
· 7.Embed ICT skills as part of initial teacher education and ongoing training for teachers
· 8. Work with stakeholders to promote safe and responsible use of the internet and social media, including providing new resources to schools to better prevent cyber-bullying
The Minister said “I want to encourage all teachers to use technology in the classroom to bring learning to life for students; to give learners the tools to collaborate and to examine engaging problems; to research and analyse information; and to use digital resources to communicate their ideas and to share what they create with others beyond the walls of their classroom or school.”
The Strategy is the result of extensive national and international research. The Strategy involved extensive consultation and reflects the views of education stakeholders including those of students. It really suits the New Junior Cert. It is clear to see the Statements of Learning and the Key principles. The scheme has been developed around four key themes:
1.Teaching
2.Learning and Assessment using ICT
3. Teacher Professional Learning, Leadership, Research and Policy
4. ICT Infrastructure.
The Minister stated “We are at a turning point in the use of technology in teaching and learning. The technological landscape is unrecognisable from where we were even a decade ago. Digital technologies are now part of everyday life. We must equip our learners to be able to live and work in this rapidly changing world.”
Minister White welcomed the announcement, saying “I am delighted that my own Department has been in a position to support the transition to digital technology in teaching and learning through investment in high speed broadband connectivity to every second-level schools. We have already seen the successful rollout of 100Mbps connectivity to some 780 post-primary and special schools with post-primary students, as well as 20 Education Centres. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is delivering access to high-speed broadband to every home, school and business in Ireland by 2020 and we intend to move to formal procurement by end 2015. The combination of commercial and State investment in the NBP will help to provide access to cost-effective, high-speed connectivity to rural primary schools that currently cannot access reliable broadband.”
The government are finally modernising the curriculum by embedding digital learning. This will be a very important part of the Strategy and particularly so in the Senior Cycle.
Recognising the importance of progression to further and higher education, the Strategy will support the development of opportunities for learners to undertake in-depth study of ICT in the Senior Cycle. The Strategy will also impact on the continuum of teacher education from initial education through induction and continuing professional development for teachers. CPD is a major element of teaching today. Teachers must constantly improve in order to be the best teacher that they can be.
O’Sullivan has said it (the Digital Strategy) aims to bring all schools up to a good standard. However, I would like to point out that it is not yet known which ones will get a share of the funding. Why not?
“We are going to take the time next year really to figure out what is best, I mean different schools are in different places,” Minister O’Sullivan
“Some of them do not have high speed broadband at all, others do, some have a lot of IT equipment, others do not. So we are going to work out what each school needs. We don’t have a set amount for each school at this point.” I hope they pick the schools that really need it. From going around to schools, I have seen the sheer difference with some schools having loads of technology and some schools literally having none. We need to figure out a way so that there will be an even balance.
Minister O’Sullivan said “Technology has transformed our lives, and has the potential to dramatically change the way teachers teach and how students learn. It can support a dramatic move away from teacher directed learning, to allow a greater focus on active learning, which a majority of teachers have made clear they would support. The 200 million funding we have secured will ensure we can provide the necessary support to schools to enable them to transform teaching, learning and assessment in our classrooms.’
She is right. We are transforming learning. Gone are the days of being spoon-fed. Teachers now let students form opinions of their own. Teachers do not teach just for the exam any more. They are teaching students for their future. They are showing how to think and be creative.
As Mental Health Awareness Day was yesterday (11-10-15). I want to show some well-being tips that I wrote myself for my students. I made this handout for a school that I was in for my 4th year Teaching Practice. During health week in their school my handout given out to all of the pupils. I also gave a talk to my classes about these issues. It went down really well with all of my pupils. I got great feedback and the pupils were really grateful.
Healthy eating
ACNE
A deficiency in Zinc can cause acne in some people. Some foods that provide ZINC are pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Raw fruits and vegetables contain enzymes that boost the immune system. Try not to eat foods which contain dairy.
F00DS TO HELP with acne are Carrots, Eggs, Oranges, Apples, Fish, Pasta, Rice, Mangoes and Lean Meats.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER TO FLUSH OUT TOXINS.
FOODS TO AVOID Cut down on sugar and dairy.
COLDS &FLUS
Eat foods rich in Vitamin C and zinc. Such as oranges, seeds, broccoli, carrots, lemons and garlic.
Echinacea, beetroot juice and honey are also helpful. Drink plenty of water.
MOOD
Brown Rice, Green Leafy Vegetables and Eggs are rich in B VITAMINS needed for a healthy nervous system. Omega Oils and Vitamin D are also helpful with Moods.
FOODS THAT HELP Nuts, Seeds, Eggs, Oat flakes, Whole grain Cereals, Vegetables, Fish, Walnuts and Flaxseed.
DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
FOODS TO AVOID Coffee, Tea, Cola drinks and Chocolate which all contain Caffeine. Also limit SUGARY FOODS.
CONSTIPATION
Flaxseed (Linseed) contains Mucilaginous Fibre necessary for BOWEL Movements.
FOODS THAT HELP Prunes, Figs, Cucumbers, Psyllium Husks, Green Vegetables.
FOODS TO AVOID Sugary foods and Dairy products.
SLEEP
Room should be in total Darkness, as this helps the body to release MELATONIN from the PINEAL GLAND.
FOODS THAT HELP Oats (porridge), Kiwis, Lettuce, Camomile tea, Lemon Balm tea. Pasta, Potatoes and Rice.
AVOID Caffeine found in Tea, Coffee, Cola and Chocolate. Try to get Daily Exercise (not too late at night). Listen to Music. Take a Bathe. Write down any worries that are keeping you awake.
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