Tolerance

I thought I would take to my blog to discuss today's Spirit Day. This probably doesn't fit in as a "teacher blog", but I feel that it is a teachable moment, and you can use it or ignore it, as you see fit! And although it is a subject that can get very political, I choose not to politicize it. Instead I think of it is as a time, to review what acceptable behavior looks like. Whether you are a parent, teacher, sibling, or friend, acceptable behavior should look the same to all of us. Bullying is NOT acceptable behavior. No excuses, it's not acceptable. I don't care if the person isn't up to your "standard", doesn't like "cool" things, wears glasses, likes Japanese cartoon characters, has a birth mark, eats vegetables, has purple hair, or likes rainbows...Nothing gives you the right to criticize or condemn another person. It is hurtful, hateful, and will not end well for anyone...Think of it this way. Where would we be without those people who you deem "uncool"? Would we be blogging, using technology, curing diseases, learning about other cultures, having a discussion about tolerance? Everyone makes their way on this planet in their own individual way. What is right for you, might not work for me. What is right for me, you may find outrageous. That is ok. We are not meant to be carbon copies of one another. Rather than make life more difficult than it already is, why don't we practice love rather than hate? Embrace differences and learn from them.