A lesson about bullying

Yes, this week I started my first "internship" as a high school teacher, For five weeks I am going to make lessons and hopefully teach the students something. So today I was going to work on one of my assignments for next week but unfortunately I got stuck on Youtube instead. Maybe because I realized that there are so many good videos out there that you can use in the classroom as a way to make the subjects a little bit more interesting.

Anyhow, I was watching "Teens React" and one episode is about Bullying and the video made by Amanda Todd. Maybe you don't know her? Amanda Todd is a girl that made a mistake in 7th grade that hunted her for years, she was bullied and got sick and depressed. She made a video that she and told here story through notes for the whole world to see. she wrote about being followed by the bullying, trying to commit suicide and hurting herself. About a month after posting the video online she did committed suicide and the video got a lot of views.

This got me thinking. I would really liked to talk about this in class someday. Bullying is important to talk about as a way to defeat it and I would want my students to get active to prevent it. So instead of making the lesson I had to work on I made one about bullying instead. I am going to share these with all of you and I would get really happy if you used the idea!

Bullying

Video: Amanda Todd - My Story 

Intro: Start with asking the kids if they know about Amanda Todd and her video on Youtube, just as a way to start up. If no one knows her just let it be with saying that you are going to show them the video. If someone do knows just say good and show them the  video as a way to refresh there memory. 

After the video is done you hopefully can get some different reactions from the students. Maybe someone feels sad and maybe a couple of them don’t really know why this is something you show them. Now is a good time to ask them “what did you think?”. After some short answers you can inform them that one of the reasons this video has so many views on Youtube is because the girl really did committed suicide about a month after the video was posted online. This will hopefully get there attention and they are ready to discuss.

Questions to ask:

•  Why do you think she posted this video?
•   What do you think about the “friends” that followed her with their bullying? Were they really hoping for her to end her life?
• Could anyone have prevented this?
•  Why didn’t anyone do something?
•  Why do you thing that a lot of people online post comments to the video saying: “she deserved it” and “she was the one that made mistakes and killed herself”?
• Why did the video get so much attention?
• Can you see tendencies to this kind of bullying in your life? 
• what would you do if it happened to you? how would you feel?
•  What can you do about bullying?

After this you can make a follow up assignment for this class. Maybe you ask them to make something to show that they care about people, like writing a text themselves or together, they can make their own video and post online, find out information about who you can contact if someone is getting bullied or anything other just to spread the word. That way they get the inspiration to do something creative and at the same time learn something about bullying.Of course you can get a spin on the lesson just to make it fit the subject that you are teaching, a video or a text can be a language-assignment and not just about bullying.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 2

As I wrote in the post about this past weekend I went to the movies with J-chan and we finally got to see the last twilight-movie. Even if I somewhat doesn't really like the movies, it is to many fan-girls screaming in the audience for a halfhearted performance of a story from a good book, I couldn't really miss it. I also think I made my fiancé a bit happier when he didn't have to see it with me, he hate it a lot more than I do.

I didn't have a lot of expectations but got happily surprised. i think it is the best of the five movies mostly because they got the feeling almost right. Sure they missed a bit about the stress and the darkness that Bella is carrying the last weeks before the final battle but they make it up with the battle twist itself. I am not going to spoil anything for you but the final battle is a bit different in the film than in the book and got a bit of a twist that made me feel a couple of different things at the same time.

The music and the light in the movie made a lot of the feeling to get right and I again got surpriced when I heard Green Day in it.But it allready got me in the intro with the snow/blood theme. Nice! One other thing I like is the little girl. She is so cute with wonderful eyes. I want one of those too >__< not eyes! A  cute little girl. Not right away but in the future.  

Anyhow, over all, a fine movie and I can really understand why so many likes it. But it is also nice that it is over now, we can finally move one.

A Weekend in Stockholm

I spend this past weekend with J-chan in Stockholm and had a great ti me! I arrived at Friday around 6PM and started with spending a lot of money to buy the access-card for the metro and buses and then we went to J-chans apartment. Or room really, she is living in a kind of dorm, where she shares the kitchen with other people. We left my bag at her place and went back. We got some taco to eat and then it was time for movie night. We saw Breaking Dawn 2, I will write about the movie in a separate post. After the movie we took the train back and spend a lot of time just talking in her room before we finally fell asleep.

The Saturday was spend shopping. Found myself some clothes and also got a hold of some Christmas gifts for my fiancé. Wanted a lot of things in SF bookstore but only bought a manga there, I was happy to be able to say no to myself. But unfortunately it was the only time this weekend, I spend a lot of money >__< but all the things I bought I can use so nothing unnecessary... I tries to tell myself at least. We finish the day with some thaifood befor going back to watch some tv and then sleep.

The sunday we got back downtown a bit to early so we walked aroud for almost two hours. Happily they had a fleemarket on hötorget and we spend some time to look at all the things. we also bought some hot chokolate. When everything was open we went to panduro and I wanted to buy everything! Spent my last money there. afterwards we went to SF once again befor goning back home to fetch my bag and got ready for going back home to Katrineholm.

It was nice when I finally got home to be welcomed by Quinn and my fiancé and hot food <3 It was a really nice weekend!

About SD and Almqvist - as if we didn't know...

I was going to post something happy today, it is a happy day for me personally, but these couple of days there have been something else going on in media that I want to write about.
Maybe you know that last time we in Sweden held or election a party with xenophobic thoughts (sverigedemokraterna, SD) got elected to our riksdag (parliament), something I then wasn't so happy about and still isn't. A couple of years ago there was some online debating between on of the higher members of SD, Erik Almqvist, and a swedish comedian called Soran Ismail about a event that occurred one late night/early morning in Stockholm. Soran told his follower on Youtube that Almqvist and two friends he was with that morning (also from SD), came with racist attacks towards him. The same morning Almqvist and company cot in contact with a couple of other people and started to fight with them as well. Almqvist made his own video as an answer to Soran and told that he hadn't said anything racist at all.

This week the media got a hold on some video from that morning and off course Almqvist and his friends did say really nasty stuff, first to Soran about his origin (he is Kurd). They then got in a fight with a drunken man and also said racist things to him. A girl started to question them about it and then they called her a whore.  Almqvist did try to get out of this yesterday by telling a story about a how he at that time was depressed and drunk. He also mentioned that the unknown man they "was attacked" by said that he was part of a criminal gang and that they had to defend themselves.

Almqvist did quit all his work in SD yesterday after all of these reports, but he can still take part in the parliamentary discussion because you can't get fired from your seat there. He have to step down himself and right now it is unknown how he will do.




After these events I thought it was over but no, even newer videos was posted and now you can first see how Almqvist and CO finds some iron pipes and tries to go after the drunk man, they also talk about how they know that he isn't part of the criminal organization that he said he was. Not so good for Almqvist?

Not good for Sverigedemokraterna at all. There support is shrinking and a movement online is going on. In the video of Soran and Almqvist they both uses the words "det här är mitt land" (this is my country) and the tag #dethärärmittland has on twitter grown and people of all nationality and backgrounds is writing about who they are and how long they have been in Sweden, as a way to show that they accept the multiculturalism as something good.

So hopefully now you know what is going on? And I got to write it all out as a way to start to let go. And maybe this will get the people to change there thinking because I personal doesn't think that SD have anything to do in our riksdag.

Chibird made my day!

Thanks to Teri i found chibird.tumblr.com and I think that made my day yesterday. The page is full of optimistic and nice messages, pictures and animation and there style is so nice. Of course I am now following the page!

B1A4 - Tried to Walk

 I haven't been that interested in B1A4 earlier, just listened to a couple of songs. But when I saw this video earlier today I fell in love.

Baro and the girl

The interest woke from the beginning of the MV. I love the bird cage, and all the flowers and the sun shining through the window and.. Everything. It is like a fairytale (and I love fairytales!). And out steps cute Baro and finds a girl in all that beauty. But he cant reach her really and then the song starts. Jinyong is really hot! I haven't really been interesting in B1A4 earlier, mostly because they always has this cute side to show, but in this video they are all kind of manly!

The first few lines in the beginning of the song is making my heart ache And then the girl is giving Baro his ring back and leaves and everything gets even worse. The song and the lyrics is sad but wonderful. It is about a break up and loneliness but also have this slowly growing positivity that the guy is also a bit relieved.

"I guess love is leaving,
it rides the wind and flies far away.
I guess everything is changing,
I guess you’re changing just like me."

These two different feelings is also represented in the video. they have cut together two different takes of Baro's single shots. one where he is dressed in shimmering light colors and the light is flowing on the set and the next take is dark and dead and the treas and flowers doesn't bloom. Personality I think i prefer the dark ones (maybe I am a Sadist?). I think they have more depth and feels more beautiful. If you watch the end these two personas get different endings but exactly what I am not going to tell you. 

So as you understand I really like the style and the symbols in the video, and the song is really sad and beautiful and hopeful at the same time. And the boys looks awesome! Maybe they could have put the other boys more in the story as well but at the same time I really like the way they tell the love story between Baro and the girl. This video isn't one of those all-members-on-the-same-girl kind of thing and that makes me really happy! This is going to go on repeat at home for a while I think.

Music for you

I haven't had so much time over for music this past week or so and not at all for making something good about it here on the blog. Every ounce of my energy is put into school work right now. But I want to share some new good kpop songs with you anyway and can hopefully make something nice for the end of the week. 

First up is B1A4's new video Tried to Walk. I saw this earlier today and then it had like 300 views. 
I really love the video and the royal romantic theme and the song is good to so hopefully I will be able to review it later on ^__^

I also wanted to post FIESTAR's new song We don't stop:

The last tip is also a prince-video. Boyfriend's new MV Janus. Check it out:

ohh, so nice with music. I really do want to take some of them apart and talk about it... Maybe I have to make some time for it! In the mean time  you can still watch all the MV's I add to my playlist on youtube.

Johan Glans

Yesterday was finally the day we was going to see Johan Glans, on of the best stand up comedian in Sweden. We arrived at the train station just to realize we forgot or tickets to the show at home. Had to walk fast back home again to fetch them. Back again in the train station we realize that we didn't have to walk really so fast, the train was late by 15 minutes. So we bought our train tickets and started to wait. The train should arrive at 13.00 but in the end it cam 13.40... It felt really to cold and stupid to be waiting for the train in over 40 minutes when the train-ride takes about 25 minutes from here to Norrköping... 

But we kept the good mood and arrived at Norrköping. We still had some time so first we found or way to the concert hall and then walked a little around town. We found a café and grabbed some things to eat and went back to the hall again. Paid 40kr for the wardrobe when they don't allow jackets in the concert hall, a bit overpriced if you ask me. But finally we was in place. And the two hours that followed was great! Laughed so my face hurt. The only negative thing for the whole performance was something my fiancé mentioned; There was to few Star Wars-jokes. But there can't really be to much of those any way and somewhere they have to draw the line. 

We afterwards went back to the train station and didn't have to wait long for the ride home. So even if the problem with the train earlier on the experience was great and finally I got to watch stand up together with M! 

7th of November

Good morning!

Right now I am sitting and watching the news and playing around with the computer. Even if I am not from America or really and fully informed about the election I was still hoping that Obama would be the winner, he felt like the one of the candidates that would do most good. It was a nice thing to wake up to.

Now I have to start the studying again, I have a seminar today and we got a lot of assignments to finish before. I think I am done with most of it but I am not happy with any of it... The instructions was so wage that I really didnt know how to do it. Just to keep going right now.

I have to go to the library today as well but we have a lecture after lunch so I have to go tonight. Don't want to >__< I want to get a day of, it is to much to ask? Maybe I can do it tomorrow instead? I don't have any scheduled things then, just have to read and do the next assignment... 

We will se how much fun things I am going to have time to post this week... I have at least booked tickets to Stockholm for next weekend, something to look forward to! 

 

I have rather recently completed the manga High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara. It feels nice to have one more completed manga in my bookshelf I usually tend to by the ones that looks interesting and I want to read right now so I usually have a lot of different series started but not that many completed. I buy new series in between. High School Debut is one that I have been reading for two-three years now at least. Finally it is done! 

The manga itself is an ok story, the main character is Nagashima Haruna, a girl that just begun her first year of high school. She is a bit of a tomboy and have been a lot int softball in middle school. With her new high school debut she wants to start over, find a boyfriend and fall in love. But it is kind of hard for a girl who doesn't know anything about boys, fashion or love to transform herself but as it happens she meet a guy named Yoh one day, a boy that is really popular, and Haruna decides that if he is willing to coach her she may have a change to make the debut that she wants... 

As you can understand the main genre is shojo romance, exactly what I like to read, and the story is intriguing and fun and makes it stand out in the marsh that shojo manga sometimes is. The drawing style is also something that i like (even if I sometimes doesn't like the things beneth Yoh's eyes) and that makes the reading much better.  Overall it is really a manga that I can recommend.

My trip to Falun

Yes, these past few days I have been busy with traveling to Falun. I started out this Wednesday at about 07.00 by train. Met up with some of my classmates and ate some lunch before the seriousness began. We started up with the dreadful (don't know the correct word in English) oppositions (opponeringar), a way for us to give our classmates feedback on there reports and take feedback from the others. The whole thing is also graded by the teacher. It went better than I thought but it took a lot of energy (we sat there from almost 4,5 hours and didn't have so much time for breaks).

After that I met up with the girls I was going to share a cottage with and we went shopping for some food. Made an easy dinner and just went straight to bed afterward. So tired >___< I also slept really bad because the cottage was so cold and it didn't matter how much we tried to turn up the heat.

Day two started up with an introduction for the next part of the examination. Here it became worse! we have had time to work with a group assignment about the school system in another contry, our group choose Finland, but in the introduction one of the teacher wanted us to make the presentation an figuration beyond the usual presentation. She explained this with a dramatization. I think a lot of us became unsure how we could deliver both the information we gathered and the figuration at the same time. Luckily we got two hours to come up with something.

Our group did a little bit of change in the Power Point that we prepared and made a little play around it, a way to present the facts to each other in a dialog with each other rather than just reading it from the screen. After lunch it was finally time to make the presentations. Some of the groups was really really good and made a lot of different things. Some did almost like our idea, an little play, some other just used some props to symbolize what they were talking about. One group had also made a song that presented who was going to speak and what they were going to say and played it for us (one of them had a guitar) in between the sections of information.

Somehow we all succeeded really well, I myself wasn't even nervous, and the feeling in the room was really great even when it was an important part of our examination. I think it from here on became a much happier experience because we all started to feel a different connection to each other and really started to talk without much problems at all.

after the presentations finish around 16.00, we had to move to another location where we would watch a movie. We watched Les Choristes (the Chorus) and it was also a new experience for me. The film was lovely and I could relate to it and maybe the best part of the whole trip.

Afterwards we went back to our cottage. Some of our classmates really wanted us to go out and party because this was officially the end of the course, but we all was so tired that it was enough to sit in the cottage, eat the leftovers from the day before and just talk with each other. And this is the second best part of the trip (or maybe the first) because I really think we got closer living together these few days and it something i treasure.

unfortunately I could not go to sleep this night so i probably only slept for five hours before it was time to wake up and start cleaning the cottage. In school it was time for an evaluation of the course and the beginning of the new one. I was so tired and nothing felt really relevant to me at the moment. I just waited for the time it would end and I could take the train home again.

I am finally home and the cat is also in place and now I thing it is time for bed. Nighty night!