Misc.

courtesy of sharingcentre.net

Movie Review: Antwone Fisher

           I have heard good things about the movie Antwone Fisher, but I hadn't seen it myself. Last night I got the chance to watch it and I had a mixed reaction. The movie tells the story of a young man in the Navy who is constantly finding himself in trouble and with the help of the ship psychologist (Denzel Washington) he is able to deal with his troubled childhood and mature as a man. I liked the aspect that it promotes another issue within the movie: bullying. The main character Antwone is the subject of physical and verbal abuse throughout the movie from his foster mother, the other people living in his home as well as his shipmates. Also, the overall development of Antwone was well done as he goes from a troubled, lost young man into someone who has grown up and is content with his life moving forward. However, I feel there was a lack of a true storyline and though Denzel Washington's character said he saw a change in himself during the movie, I didn't see enough character development from him. Overall, I would say the movie was good, not great. I would recommend it to others.

Taking a Stand: Florida Enacts New Anti-Bullying Laws

            June 29, 2005. Debbie Johnston found her 15-year-old son Jeffrey’s lifeless body as it hung from his closet, she then found a note from her son telling the world he was committing suicide because his life had become too hard. Over the previous few years Jeffrey was victim to vicious bullying from his classmates that caused him to become extremely depressed.

A tragedy such as this prompted Debbie Johnston and others to lobby Florida lawmakers to pass new legislation to protect Florida students from bullying and to prevent other suicides from happening. After an emotional three-year battle, the Florida Legislature passed the “Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act” in May 2008. The act requires all school districts in Florida to adopt their own policies and procedures in dealing with acts of bullying within the schools.

courtesy of stopcyberbullying.org

Currently Florida has anti-bullying laws that protect all students from bullying as well as cyberbullying regardless of gender, race, or religion according to stopbullying.gov. While 49 states have anti-bullying laws Florida is one of the few that penalizes schools that do not comply with anti-bullying legislation according to abcnews.com. The Florida Board of Education now has a page on it's website (www.fldoe.org) that provides resources to parents, students, and educators on the prevention of bullying. With text messaging, social media, and instant messaging on the rise bullying is becoming a bigger issue for kids nationwide and Florida appears ready to take on those challenges head on. 

courtesy of abcfamily.go.com

          Movie Review: Cyberbully
                          
Cyberbully is a compelling movie about how a newer form of bullying called "cyberbullying" can happen so easily to kids and the effects of cyberbullying on a person. The main character, Taylor, falls victim to cyberbullying by her classmates, this leads her to the point of attempting suicide. I believe all kids, parents, and educators should watch the movie to gain further understanding and to raise awareness of the issue. The movie also provides resources for victims, parents, educators etc. to help solve the issue of bullying. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the movie and I recommend it for all kids and adults.