Tags: Editorial. Blog. Newspaper. Local News. South East Queensland Local news
Dear Editor, Just thought you would like to know that black ants love the plastic sleeve the Bribeislander is delivered in. When I went out to get the Islander off the driveway this morning it was black with small ants. They had eaten away the plastic on all edges so that booklet just fell out. The ants must love the new biodegradable plastics that are made of starch. The mags a good read better than most
Alan and Robyn
Dear Editor, I strongly agree with journalist Neil Wilson that bullying is deplorable conduct which needs to be eradicated from our schools. I would go a little further and change that to ‘society in general’ , as bullying is certainly not restricted to our schools and the effects of bullying amongst adults can be just as devastating. I would regard the current ‘one punch’ scourge as an extreme form of bullying.
Cyberbullying has added a whole new dimension to the problem. Many bullies, be they children or adults, are cowards at heart who pick their targets and opportunities well and usually have support on hand if required and often an audience of bystanders who can encourage or simply just watch what is happening or today photograph it on their mobiles or iPhones and post it on the net. In the mid to late fifties I too was the victim of continual bullying both physical and verbal at both Primary and Secondary School levels.
Fate then stepped in and took me firstly to Teachers ‘ College then through a lengthy career in Primary education as a teacher, deputy principal and finally 22 years as a principal culminating in 12 years as Principal at a large Primary School in Logan City. I would like to say we had no instances of bullying behaviour in my schools but would not be true. I can however say without any doubt whatsoever that in my schools and the many others that I had dealings with over my career, any reported instances of bullying or any other undesirable behaviour for that matter, were thoroughly investigated and dealt with, within the limitations and range of strategies and consequences available to teachers and administrators at that time.
I was therefore pleased to hear that Neil intends working with others to develop new strategies for dealing with bullying. I wish him well and would be most interested in hearing what he comes up with. I will also watch with great interest whether the national anti-bullying platform to which Susan Lamb MP refers becomes a successful reality. The problem unfortunately, as I alluded to above while a major issue in our schools is much more widespread and reflects declining standards, self control, and acceptance of responsibility within society generally.
Towards the end of my career, I was called a very experienced and extremely competent infant teacher to her year one classroom just on 3pm one afternoon. On my arrival, I found that a quite small but highly aggressive year one pupil had gone on a rampage knocking over furniture, throwing belongings everywhere and threatening both pupils and teacher. Upon my arrival he in fact, threatened to “kick me in the teeth” I should have added ‘highly optimistic’ to my brief description of him as at the time, I stood 186cm tall and weighed 125kg.
As I was attempting to deal with the situation , his extremely irate father, a rather short and thin but highly aggressive man, charged into the classroom complaining that we had kept him waiting (this was about five past three). Without staying to hear why we had detained his son and perhaps discuss appropriate consequences and how we could prevent any re-occurrence of this behaviour, he grabbed his son and amidst a stream of expletives left the room. A six-year-old child does not learn that type of aggressive antisocial behaviour at school in six months.
I have no doubt that without adequate, suitable intervention that child would have become an increasingly dangerous bully as he grew. Bullying is just one critical issue facing society today where the easy way out for most appears to be blaming our schools and laying complete responsibility for fixing the problem on their already heavily laden shoulders.
Jack Files
Dear Editor, Many people have often asked me from time to time in the past, do possibly all government in the past and or who are at this present time still in Government, concern and or upset me with their in some instances, constantly changing attitude and or constantly changing decisions that are sometimes in total reverse to and or total contradiction to previous possible future, at the time, government policy commitments even possible that are, in some instances, even falsely made at election time and or in election campaigns to help get them elected into government and power.
I would just like to confirm in my opinion, without a moment hesitation my instant reply is always definitely “no” because (tongue in cheek) the reason being that I have been married and have children. (I’m used to it.) N. E Street Dear Editor I would respectfully like to take this opportunity to write this letter on what has previously been brought to my attention and have personally perceived in the past.
If any individual and or individuals because of a situation and or situations, what ever they may be in the past and are consciously (as the old saying goes) from a past that you have absolutely no control of, and or are possibly blaming somebody else for as everybody knows the past is the past and some individual and or individuals are possibly allowing possible self pity, angry, possibly anxious and or spiteful outlook attitude to your own future and or to other people that you are or possibly may come in contact with in my opinion, you must bring yourself to realize that lots and lots of different people with possibly many various different backgrounds have been in possibly the same and or similar, or even completely different past problem situations and have written in newspaper articles as well as on media – Internet ext outlets about their lives and how they came to discover possible coping mechanisms and or ideas that they found helped them and have taken the kind and unselfish effort to past their findings on in the hope that it may help others.
In my humble opinion, if any individual and or individuals continue to proceed with this possibly damaging attitude and in my opinion failure to act on actions because of/once again not wanting to sound unsympathetic or harsh) continuing to let their past problems, no matter what they may be, to interfere with and or influence their possible discussions for their future endeavours, before you possibly may come to realize it, your own personally possibly created future for yourself and or even for your own possible spouse and or family could possibly become a self caused victim similar and or the same as the one you previously possibly hated or possibly have come over possible many past years to despise and or complain about.
N.E.STREET
A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR AND VOICE YOUR LOCAL OPINION!
PO BOX 116 Bribie Island 4507
DISCLAIMER & INDEMNITY: The opinions expressed by contributors to this page are not necessarily those of the Editor and staff of The Bribie Islander and no responsibility is taken for any information contained in this correspondence or any errors or omissions that may occur during publication. The Contributor agrees to indemnify The Bribie Islander and it’s associates against any claims that may arise from the content of their contribution.
Other Articles
https://thebribieislander.com.au/technology-and-how-it-affects-our-life/