Young Adult Fiction – Sommer Season all year

I am Back

I know it’s been a while since I’ve (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) blogged, but between taking time off to camp in nature, recovering from a medical procedure, and needing a break from this crazy world, I haven’t written anything for awhile. Time to change that.

A sister-in-law of mine recently got around to reading my book, A Shattered New Start, and she mentioned to one of my family members that she felt the book was really my story. I’ve been thinking a lot about that, and she is right. Yes, the book is based on many of my experiences as a school teacher, but I’ve come to realize that it is my story too. I was bullied (#bullying, #antibullying) as a child, laughed at and teased for being sensitive and different. At times, I was the bully. I especially remember a student who was bullied every day on the bus to our high school. I sometimes participated in that bullying and I always felt bad afterwards, especially for her. She did nothing to warrant it. So, my sister-in-law is right.

Bullying is awful, yet it is condoned by our culture. Everywhere you look, there is bullying, and it has always been that way. Television is full of it. As a kid I grew up watching cartoons on Saturday mornings. I remember watching Popeye the Sailor. The Bugs Bunny Show, and The Flintstones. Bullying was rampant in those cartoons, but as a kid, I didn’t see as bullying. They were just funny cartoons.

In Popeye the Sailor, there was always a villain. Typically, it was Bluto who made moves on Olive Oyl, Popeye’s girl. Bluto always bullied Popeye, usually by clobbering him, until Popeye eats a can of spinach giving him the superhuman strength to clobber his villain. In the Bugs Bunny Show, Bugs is characterized as clever and capable of outsmarting any bully. The bullies I most remember are Elmer Fudd, Tasmanian Devil, Coyote, and Daffy Duck. Bugs usually tried to avoid conflict by pacifying his bullies but when pushed too far, Bugs would use his catchphrase “This means war!” before retaliating in some manner. The Flintstones was characteristic of feuding between Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble who went back and forth bullying each other.

Bullying was prevalent in other shows as well. My siblings and I always watched Gilligan’s Island, a show about seven people stranded on an uncharted island following a torrential storm. The captain was always hitting his shipmate, Gilligan, with his hat and criticizing him for doing something stupid. One of my favourite shows as a kid was Lost in Space, a story about a space colony family who struggled to survive when the stowaway, Dr. Smith, threw their ship off course. Dr. Smith was a notorious bully, always sabotaging the Robison Family’s attempts to get back to Earth.

Today is no different, in fact, the bullying on television is worse today. On television, bullying is normalized as being acceptable and typical. I could write several blogs on this subject but my point is, bullying has always been portrayed as normal and acceptable on television.

Observing the world for the past months, I’ve witnessed inexcusable bullying by our politicians, mainstream media (MM), and health officials. It makes me wonder if these people were bullies as children, but more on that later.

In Canada, the Public Order Emergency Commission’s public hearing has completed . This was a commission looking into the federal government’s—more specifically Trudeau’s—use of the Emergencies Act to bring last winter’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests to an end. ‘There was no justification whatsoever to invoke the Emergencies Act,’ said a lawyer , and there appears to be no credible evidence to justify Trudeau’s claimed emergency. When a leader declares an emergency when there is no emergency, that person is a bully. The article, How the Bullying Tactics Politicians Use Affect Kids, says, “most of the bullying tactics that politicians use are the very same ones that middle school and high school students use,” listing: blame-shifting, name calling, reputation bashing, rumour spreading, and ushering obscure threats as methods used. Trudeau uses all these tactics as seen in this video, and then lies about it while on the stand during the commission hearings. Don’t believe me, have a watch.

Alberta’s new premier Danielle Smith calls the unvaccinated ‘most discriminated-against group’ in her lifetime. That provoked a Media Party taking aim at Danielle Smith over comments about unvaccinated residents. The Alberta premier has also apologized to unvaccinated citizens, and even considers dropping all lockdown prosecutions. When I tried to find articles about her apology in the MM, virtually nothing came up. Is MM trying to cover her apology up? Seems so. That is censorship! When MM attacks, they are bullying. She should be applauded for apologizing to a group of people who were indeed bullied via discrimination and segregation, just like the Indigenous people, Jews during Nazi times, and others were.

Mainstream Media and politicians told us the COVID shots protected against transmission, now saying they didn’t say that. This video is proof they did.

Yet, Pfizer did not know whether Covid vaccine stopped transmission before rollout, executive admits; saying that vaccines were never tested for transmission. Have a listen to the Pfizer executive in article’s video. Moderna CEO Now Admits COVID-19 is Like Seasonal Flu . That means we’ve been lied to. Lying is an element of bullying, as it enhances a bully’s power and influence. Spreading lies is used by bullies with the goal to socially alienate those being bullied. Since we were lied to, which caused social isolation of the unvaccinated, that mean the MM and politicians were bullying. This is why Canadians’ trust in the legacy media reaches a new low: report, and Americans’ Trust In Media Remains Near Record Low

Maclean’s Magazine in 1983 had an article entitled, Once a bully, always a bully. I’ve never believed that and I wrote my book, A Shattered New Start, with that premise in mind. Earlier I mentioned that I wondered if people who bully were bullies as children. Dan Pearce, who wrote the book, Single Dad Laughing, says: “People who love themselves, don’t hurt other people. The more we hate ourselves, the more we want others to suffer.” That is exactly right! In other words, “Hurting people hurt people,” or “Hurt People Hurt People, and Healed People Heal People.” I believe bullies can change. Heal the hurt, and you heal the bully. That is what happens to the bully in my book. When I started planning my story, it is was going to be a story solely focused on the victim, Jonathan, but that is not how it turned out. Donovan, a Scottish musician, once said, “Sometimes the songs just come to me. I don’t sit down to write like you’d sit down to make a pair of boots.” The same is true for writing. When I finished my story, it turned out to be a story mostly about the transformation of the bully, Ryan, surprising even me.

Bullies can be changed, and I witnessed that as a teacher. Is it too late for many? Probably. As Dan Pearce suggested, bullies don’t love themselves, so they want others to suffer along with them. The ancient Roman poet Virgil who lived long before Jesus walked the earth said, “Love conquers all things.”

Everything in this universe has its own vibrational frequency. All humans, animals, plants, and all non-living things are vibrating at their own frequency. Albert Einstein said this, saying, “Everything is energy. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” Love is said to be the highest vibration of all. If that is true, which I believe it is, then love can transform any bully. The bully in my book experienced trauma in his home life, and trauma has a low vibration. It is connected to emotions like fear, panic, anger, sadness, and so on. Those emotions vibrate at a low frequency. If you change the vibration to a higher vibration; to emotions like gratitude, joy, and love, then the bully transforms.

The highest vibration is unconditional love. The bully in my story is transformed because his school community had people who loved him unconditionally which raised his vibration. I wasn’t consciously thinking this when I wrote the book, but it is how Ryan, my bully character, changed. Author J. Andrew Herbert says, “Everything in life is choice.” Ryan’s transformation happened because Ryan chose to change. A bully has to want to change. Ryan was hurt, was open to changing, and love healed him. There is hope for the bullies of the world, but are they willing to change?

Who Are Those Characters?

Are those characters based on actual people?

Someone asked me (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) a while back if the characters in my book, A Shattered New Start, were based on real people. That is a great question, and the short answer is no. If you’re unfamiliar with the book, here is a teaser.

I’ve worked with thousands of students, and hundreds of teachers, during my 35-years of teaching, and each person is unique in their own way. Having said that, there are definitely certain types of students and teachers. To answer the question, my characters are based on categories of students and teachers. I’ll start with the teaching staff at Rabbit Hill Academy, the setting for the book.

For convenience, I’ll refer to an article, What Is Your Teaching Personality Type? which uses Myers-Briggs personality types to identify types of teachers.

In A Shattered New Start, the Science teacher is what the article refers to as “a Purist.” These teacher types are passionate about education, zealous about their subject, have a positive and optimistic outlook, and often inspire both teachers and pupils to greatness. I like to think I was one of those teachers, however, I’m sure there are former students and colleagues who disagree. The science teacher in my book was based a lot on how I approached teaching. In my experience, these teachers were dedicated professionals who loved working with young people and wanted to make a difference in their student’s lives.

The Math teacher in Rabbit Hill Academy is what the article refers to as “The Teacher.” They are imaginative and observant, authoritative and patient, loyal and hardworking. These teachers take their job seriously.

“The Renegade,” in my story is the Physical Education (PE) teacher, as she tends to take her perfectionism and planning to the extreme. In A Shattered New Start, she is the ‘rookie teacher’ who fears failing and who is out to change the world. Most teachers start off idealistic and enthusiastic. I certainly did.

The English teacher is “The Inspirer.” These teachers bounce around the classroom shouting like maniacs about a subject, and imploring pupils to get involved. They are the passionate and energetic teachers, typically getting excited about a topic that students couldn’t care less about. In my experience, these are the teachers who like to be in the spotlight, are dramatic, and like to perform for their students.

The article called some teacher types “The Thinker.” The Social teacher in my school story is that. These educators bring a questioning approach to their teaching. In my experience, they try to get students to think. I’ve worked with many colleagues who taught this way, and I too liked to ask students thought provoking questions.

The Principal of the school is “The Supporter,” a leader with honestly good intentions and who works hard for school improvement and execution. The principal in A Shattered New Start is also “The Conventionalist,” who is honest and dutiful, and a role model. I worked with these types of leaders and those were some of the best years of my career. After all, the school principal sets the tone of the school.

For the students in my book, I’ll use the articles, 13 Types of Students…. and Types of kids in High School for reference.

The victim in my bullying (#bullying #antibullying) school story is what the article, 13 Types of Students, calls the “Intellectual Outsider.” They are the outcasts and are used to their classmates ignoring him. These students are often odd and distrustful, and usually very smart. The victim in A Shattered New Start has an impediment that makes him a prime target for bullies. I’ve comforted many victims of bullies over the years.

Neither article describes the victim’s best friend in my story. This character is very loyal, to the point where he’s jealous of anyone else his friend pays attention to. This is the friend who would do anything for his best friend. The label I would use for my character is “Hothead.” These students become worked up easily and are seldom afraid to express themselves, often seeming aggressive to others.

The Bully of my book, both articles refer to as “The Bully.” This is the kid that has no friends and appears very threatening. This article also has a type called “EMO.” These kids look sad or pissed off at the world. They wear the same clothes over and over again. EMO kids want attention and would do anything for it. I’ve had many of these types in my classes over the years.

The new kid in my story is the “Hard Worker.” The article, 13 Types of Students, says these students are highly motivated, know what they want, and know how to achieve their goal. They are not always the smartest student, but they try hard. In my experience, these students are positive, happy, self-confident, and pleasant to be around. These students I admired.

The annoying student in A Shattered New Start is what the article, 13 Types of Students, calls “Overactive.” This student always has a question to ask and comment to make. They often become irritating for both teachers and their classmates. In my experience, these are the students who ask the very question the teacher just finished answering. These students would make their classmates groan and shake their heads, and frustrate us teachers.

Indian actress, Deepika Padukone, when she spoke about her battle with depression and anxiety said:

When you look at a person, any person, everyone has a story. Everyone has gone through something that has changed their life. Anxiety, depression and panic attacks are not signs of weakness. They are signs of trying to remain strong for way too long.

American writer, Nick Flynn says, “Perhaps everyone has a story that could break your heart.” I learned as a teacher, sometimes the hard way, that every child has a story and many of their stories regarding their home life and social life were tragic. My characters in A Shattered New Start all have a story, and many of those stories—or shall I say challenges—were issues my students faced. The article, Middle School Issues Commonly Faced By Kids, outlines many of those issues. My characters were no different.

John Holt is a teacher who became disillusioned with the school system after several years of working within it. In his book, How Children Fail, he said:

We destroy the disinterested (I do not mean uninterested) love of learning in children, which is so strong when they are small, by encouraging and compelling them to work for petty and contemptible rewards — gold stars, or papers marked 100 and tacked to the wall, or A’s on report cards… in short, for the ignoble satisfaction of feeling that they are better than someone else…. We kill, not only their curiosity, but their feeling that it is a good and admirable thing to be curious, so that by the age of ten most of them will not ask questions, and will show a good deal of scorn for the few who do…The anxiety children feel at constantly being tested, their fear of failure, punishment, and disgrace, severely reduces their ability both to perceive and to remember, and drives them away from the material being studied into strategies for fooling teachers into thinking they know what they really don’t know.

Another teacher, John Taylor Gatto, taught thirty years in the public school system and wrote the book, Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. In his book, he argues that conventional schooling is destroying the natural curiosity and problem-solving skills everyone is born with, and replacing it with rule-following, fragmented time, and disillusionment.

I have to agree with both authors. I started reflecting on the school system I was a part of for 35 years after I retired from teaching; a profession I loved. In July of 2019, I wrote a blog titled, Was I One Those Teachers Who Smothered Creativity, or Indoctrinated Children? During that time I wondered if that were true, and I now believe it to be true. We teach kids to regurgitate facts and give us what we want, then reward them with good grades. The most common question I got from students was, “What do I need to know for the test?” We squelch creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity. Many of the kids I taught were artistic and creative, but were disillusioned with school, and didn’t want to be there. Now I understand why.

My book, A Shattered New Start, gives an understanding to Factory model schools which are used today. Isaac Asimov, an American writer says, “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” Maybe he is right. At least that way people might think for themselves instead of rule-following and becoming disillusioned. The time is ripe to create an education system that promotes curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills; a system that makes students better human beings.

Why So Many Bully Leaders?

A commentary on bullying

I have talked to several people lately who are disillusioned with our government leaders and who question whether our democracy is working. I must agree, as I’ve said in other posts, I believe our democracy is broken. When corrupted leaders are elected, and governments refuse to listen to the people they govern, something is wrong with our democracy. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address in which he said, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”

What did Lincoln mean? Well, that is open to interpretation, but for me, “of the people” means voters elect fellow citizens to represent their views in office. “By the People” are those same voters having a say in what their government does or does not do. This means governments listen to the people who elected them. “For the People” is government taking care of every single citizen by way of human rights, education, disaster aid and providing adequate health care. It also means maintaining infrastructure and protecting the environment for the betterment of the entire community. This is what a democracy should be. Governments listen to their citizens and make decisions based on what is best for all citizens, and not exclusively on their political ideology.

As I observe our world, I see so many leaders who make decisions to benefit themselves and their buddies without listening to the people who elected them and often at the determent of the people they represent. Watching this behaviour takes me back to my teaching days when I had to deal with school yard bullies. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a bully as someone who treats someone in a cruel, insulting, threatening, or aggressive fashion, or as someone who forces someone to do something by coercion. So many of our government leaders are acting like school bullies. Here are a few examples, and there are many.

This month, our provincial leaders, the government of the province of Alberta used closure—a process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end—and passed Bill 22. Without consulting with the owners of the various pension funds—teachers, nurses, public employees—this new law enabled the government to take over control of the pension funds. This is no different than a school bully that takes another kid’s lunch money. Our premier (provincial leader) and his government dishonourably took control of money that was not theirs to take. Over 30 000 teacher emails were sent to government members asking them to stop, but the government ignored what the teachers wanted and forced the bill through the parliamentary process in record time. No bill has ever been passed in that short of time.

Bill 22 also enabled our Premier to fire the Elections Commissioner who is investigating his party for what is called the Kamikaze Scandal; a scandal involving fraud, bribery, and more. Once again, I see a government leader bullying. It is cruel and aggressive to fire someone unjustly. (see Global News:Bill 22)

Another premier, the premier of the province of Ontario, is accused of bullying as well. Teachers in Ontario are outraged at the unfair and unreasonable behaviour of their Premier and his government who are forcing professional educators to do something they object to. When force is used, then bullying is occurring. (see National Post)

The current leader of the free world—more accurately “bully of the free world”—uses Twitter and television to bully regularly. He has done this since becoming president. The Times headline; Trump accused of bullying witness in Ukraine impeachment hearing, reveals that the US president is “accused of witness intimidation in real time” regarding the impeachment House hearings. The Newsletter has an article titled, Donald Trump Is a Simple-Minded Bully. I could go on and on with examples of bully politicians, but I’m sure you get my point.

I hear of bullying in the workplace all the time. CBC’s has an article entitled, Canadians bullied at work, which reports that an assistant professor of management at the University of Windsor’s Odette School of Business, who has spent years researching bullies in the workplace, says 40% of Canadians have experienced one or more acts of workplace bullying at least once a week.

This all got me wondering; Why do people bully? So many of these bullies claim to be people of faith or devout Christians, yet they bully. What happened to following the Golden Rule? There is an adage, “Hurt people, hurt people.” The only explanation I can come up with is bullies are hurt people who take their hurt out on others. The article 15 Ways Hurting People Hurt People lists the various ways hurting people pain others. So, I really have to wonder, are these bully politicians hurting people. I believe they are.

Many times I’ve witnessed bullying on a school playground, in a school hallway, or in a school classroom. Most often those students who bullied were hurting. Some felt rejected; rejected by their friends, or even rejected by their parents. Some were grieving, dealing with a broken friendship or even the death of someone. Many were in a great deal of emotional pain because they were feeling lonely. Some felt like failures, perhaps told by a parent, teacher or friend that they were. Some were feeling guilty about something they did or said. There are many types of hurts.

This is one of the reasons I wrote my book, “A Shattered New Start,” a fictional book about bullying. I’ve seen so much bullying in my life, been the recipient of bullies on several occasions, and dealt with many in my career. Can bullies be reformed? For starters, healing their hurt can make a difference. It can be as simple as listening to a bully so they feel heard.