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Warning for Parents:
Jelly Bracelets
The meaning behind the popularity of the colorful Jelly bracelets among middle schoolers revealed.
Check
your son or daughter's wrist...or the wrists of the students sitting in
your classrooms. Have you noticed a harmless, colorful rubber bracelet?
Well, according to an article entitled, "Parents: Brace Yourselves" that
could be a calling card for sexual favors.
They use
the Jelly bracelets in a game called "Snap" where someone yanks a certain
colored bracelet from the wrist of a classmate indicating the type of sexual
favor they would like to have. Urban dictionary.com is an online resource
that reveals the truths behind slang used by today's teenagers. (Caution
- the language used at this site is extremely explicit). It reports the
Jelly bracelet as "Bracelets worn on the wrists, usually by middle school
students that are related to sex. " According to Urban dictionary -
the sexual acts also include "gangbanging" or group intercourse.
The acts
range from hugging to full intercourse based on the following color code:
Yellow: hugging
Purple: kissing
Red: lap dance
Blue: oral sex
Black: the full monty
At
Malabar Middle School in Mansfield, OH, these bracelets have been banned
by Principal Joann Hipsher. Of course,
the students say the bracelets are worn in just good fun, but, as Urban Dictionary
warns, the students will not admit to the true meaning behind the bracelets.
The members of the teenage community that wear them protect their meaning.
Hipsher defended her actions by stating that her ban is meant to promote
good charcter. School districts in Florida have also banned the rubber jewlery.
As
I searched the web for more information on this story, however, I found
fewer writings of the bracelets and their meanings than of dissenting opinions
and complaints concerning the ban of the bracelets in schools. It always
amazes me. Here it is - in the face of so many - revealed by one of the
most trustworthy sources in journalism - Time Magazine - and some parents
believe the schools are trying to step on their children's right to self
expression. Well, Mom and Dad, I'm with Time and the courageous principals
on this one. And if you don't get on board, believe me - your daughter may
really be taking her right to express herself in ways you never considered.
And I'm sure no one wants to step on that Constitutional right, now do we?
If
you are familiar with any other codes, games, or secret fads, please let
the Coffeehouse know
so we can inform parents through our newest page...Staying Ahead of the Game
Urbandictionary.com
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You Better Watch Out...
Are you prepared for the annual dilemma...how to handle the idea of Christmas
in the classroom?
It's
okay to display Jewish symbols, pictures of Ramadan activities, or, in the
spirit of the Jehovah's Witness denomination, not mention the holiday at
all. Instead of focusing on the utter ridiculous ramifications behind the
idea that only Christian educators are skulking around the hallways of public
schools in pursuit of brow beating their students into conversion, let's
take a break from even focusing on the "why" Christmas symbols can't be
displayed in the classroom.
About 6 years
ago, I developed a tradition. I began inviting my students to my home for
a good old soul food Christmas dinner with turkey, dressing and all the fixings
including many African American favorites like Sweet Potato Pie and Collard
Greens! It has truly become an occasion my students look forward to and
continue to talk about well after it's over. The students must receive permission
from their parents to attend, and they all clearly understand that this
dinner is my "Christmas" gift to them in a way I best know how - through
the giving of my time in preparing a meal I hope they will enjoy. Before
we eat, we gather hands and I offer a prayer of thanks for the blessing
of my wonderful students...in the name of Jesus Christ. We then play video
games - this is one of the best parts of the holiday season for my own 2
boys who love to test their video game talents on the older kids. Everyone
goes home full of stockings filled with candy and/or a door prize - won simply
on the eligibility of the virtue of their attendance.
Over the course
of the years, I have found that this particular event has made quite a lasting
impression on many of my students for reasons many readers wouldn't expect.
You see, I teach in a small town in northern Indiana in a school that serves
29 districts - most of which are rural farming communities. Many of the students
from these areas have come to my classroom and confessed that I am one of
the few, many times, the only, African American teacher (or person) they
have ever had a chance to know. In inviting them over to my home and sharing
my family with them, I found a way to defy the church vs. state mandates
by celebrating the true meaning of Christmas - the idea that love has no
boundaries. I don't mean to blow my own horn as far as what I am trying
to do. Quite the contrary. But I do believe that Christians can share the
meaning of Christmas with their students - if they simply refuse to give
the energy and time to complaining about the restrictions and just do what
Jesus most wants for his children to do - live a life that embodies love
for all people. There's no church vs. state rule that can even begin to
place restrictions on that Christian principle.
I'd like to hear
from you on how you share the true meaning of Christmas with your students
- unconditional love and giving. Just forward a note to me here at the Coffeehouse. I'll display
the ideas for others to see.
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