I am so very pleased to announce that we are selling ( cough…getting rid of) our ipad.

GASP

Are you crazy? Everyone wants one?

( and I hear a few people going duh, I never wanted one)

I am a very big fan of the internet and gadgets to the point of being cyber punk ( minus the hacking skills, sadly). I am a gamer, a writer, blogger, blah blah etc etc. In other words I like the virtual world quite a bit.

What I don’t like however is seeing people basically walking while texting or using technology over dinner. And I am getting absolutely freaked out by seeing kids and adults walking while using their ipad…almost in a trance.

We got one and I admit I was excited…then I thought what is the point of this?? Do I really need to be on social media 24/7, or watching movie while grabbing a coffee? Plus I can’t really download anything onto it, it just doesn’t have the memory for what I do to computers. And it’s too bright to read ebooks with.

So the only point of it really was to go online, and to watch movies. Or better yet, become an app addict like every iphone user!!

I never bothered with it very much, but Billy started to get addicted to it, taking it everywhere ( yes, even in the bathroom) and I noticed he stopped reading as much or doing other things he would usually do. I talked with him about it and we both agreed, it had to go. I don’t feel good about having my daughter use it either, because although some apps are cute, and we all like them, I don’t know the health consequences of touch screens. I personally have physical and emotional reactions to too much computer use, and need to limit it. I struggle with that because there are so many blogs and sites I would like to read.

And I know people who are fine using the ipad and not addicted or whatnot, but at the same time my neighbor just got one and she barely looks up when customers come into her store. I have to basically wave the money around for her to see me there, and then get treated as a nuisance because she was busy playing Angry Birds.

I am trying to limit my time in the cyber world, and getting rid of the ipad is what works for us. let me say that again, for us. We want to be offline much, much more than online. So it will be gone soon.

I’d like to know your thoughts about ipads and apps and such and how people use them. DO you think it’s too much?

Some articles I have been reading:

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/a-parents-struggle-with-a-childs-ipad-addiction/

Ipod, Iphone contain high levels of toxic chemicals

Side effects of too much Ipad usage

Workers Poisoned by Chemical at Apple

Apple’s mistreatment of workers

Apple rated worst multinational polluter in China

Activists protest Apple’s conflict mineral usage

The Norwegian Dawn was leaving Miami today and heading to St. Thomas. After that, there were stops in Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Maarten. I was sitting in Gatsby’s Champagne Bar, trying to calculate how many kilometres of open water we would be sailing, and what the odds were that I would meet a girl on this cruise before we turned around and headed back to Miami. A couple of friends of mine just returned from a cruise to Mexico. They claimed the ship was the best place in the world to meet women. They went on to say how bars, seizure-inducing nightclubs and fitness centres were overrated. Those were the types of places you met people in the 1990s. The cruise ship, in their opinion, was the new millennium dating service. This was the age of the solo cruise.

The Power of The Great Gatsby

The dating theory could not be applied to every cruise line, but only the Norwegian fleet. The freestyle ambiance that these ships are known for lends itself perfectly to heightened social interaction and casual romance. I wonder how many people have met their future spouses on-board? If Gatsby’s Champagne Bar was any indication, this ship had class. Any reference to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby and a roaring 1920s romance certainly sets a mood. I watched the sun dapple the water in bands of gold as the ship slowly pulled away. The possibilities were endless.

A Mermaid Drinks Merlot

I met Shelby when were docked at St. Lucia. I had just returned from an excursion to the Pitons. I showered, checked my emails in the ship’s Internet Café and headed into the wine tasting cellar. This was the beauty of the Norwegian Dawn. If you wanted French food, Italian, sushi or tapas, it was there. If you wanted a high-end merlot at the Star Bar or a pint of Guinness at Pearly Kings Pub, it was all at your fingertips. I was in the mood for pairing cheese and wine, so I took advantage of the nightly wine tasting event.

The dress code is relaxed on the Norwegian Dawn. It is all part of how the Norwegian line reinvented the cruising experience. Tailored suits and ball gowns were perfect for transatlantic ocean liners, but they are not the best attire for cruise travel in 2012. Needless to say, I always put on something nice. Shelby’s long red hair made her look like a mermaid. We talked about cheese for an hour. She asked me if I wanted to have a drink at Gatsby’s Champagne Bar. She told me that was her favourite F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.

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Orlando getaways – Searching For Alligators in Orlando: A Family Chronicle

Our children had become obsessed with alligators. Snakes were big, too. My daughter had a soft spot for lizards. Both of the children had become enamoured of bejewelled and peg-legged pirates. This is what happens when you take a holiday to Florida. All the mythical swamps and mangroves begin to fuel the imagination. The next thing you know your once sensitive son wants to be an alligator wrestler, and your daughter wants to open a roadside petting zoo filled with tropical animals. We were not even in the Everglades. We were staying in the Orlando area, gorging ourselves on as many theme parks as possible. My son called it the theme park parade.

The I Drive

We are cruising down International Drive in our rental car. The locals, who are friendly and as tanned as rawhide, call this stretch of road the I Drive. It goes from Orlando to Orange Country and connects the dots from one famous amusement park to another. My son is angling his head out the car window, scanning the water on the side of the road for alligators. Seriously, he does not seem to care that we are on our way to SeaWorld, which is the home of all sorts of exotic reptiles, fish, mammals and assorted sea life. We took a road trip to Alligator Alley a couple of days ago. It is a roadway in Florida that is notorious for its alligators. We played the alligator game. The goal was to see who could spot the most gators. My wife won. We all went out for ice cream afterwards. This is what a family vacation is all about. However, since that excursion my son has permanently had his head out the car window. My daughter is oblivious to the whole thing. She is colouring in her pirate themed colouring book.

SeaWorld

My wife is telling my son about SeaWorld. There are rides, shows and exhibits. She is reading from the amusement park’s brochure. Dolphin Cove is a majestic and heart-warming experience. Shark Encounter will keep you on your toes. Rides like Wild Arctic, Sky Tower and Manta are fun for the whole family. My daughter asks if there are going to be any pirates. My son claims that he just saw an alligator. I see the sign for SeaWorld. There is a giant dolphin leaping through a hoop.

The Inspiration of a Florida Holiday

Believe it or not, my son went on to become a marine biologist. I am not sure if it was the roadside alligators or SeaWorld that inspired his illustrious career. My daughter did not become a pirate. She is a fashion designer, which is the closest thing, really. In any way, I’m glad I holidayed in Florida, I had such a memorable time.

Now that Times has basically jolted attachment parenting into the forefront of the parenting world ( while at the same time attempting to provoke mommy wars), people are talking about it, and to my delight, there has been a lot of support for what we do. I am not please with how the cover of the magazine has a 3 year old standing on a bench while nursing, as that is too staged and not natural, and I get what they were trying to do: make us look bad, make us look ‘extreme’. The reality is that in today’s world, natural parenting is extreme. Children are away from their parents more than they are with them, dads are barely in the picture and most moms are at work. I don’t find freedom in having my family torn in three directions, but apparently as a woman I am supposed to feel joy in that fact that I should have a career and that I can have ‘the best of both worlds’. Not if it means my child gets raised by other children and by virtual strangers, I don’t.

Which is why we started this blog in the first place: to show the joy and adventure of a united family.

Back to attachment parenting and the Times cover, I have seen some really good press on what we do. God bless Dr. Mayim Bialik for tirelessly going on show after show, sharing what we do and giving her expert opinion on how it helps bond mom and baby. Thank you Mayim, thank you! I am also please to have seen a few doctors and even an anthropologist step up and say ‘yes, it is natural to do extended breastfeeding, and no, it’s not extreme’,

“It’s not perverted, it’s not sex, it’s not women doing it for some perverse need,” says Katherine Dettwyler, a professor of anthropology at the University of Delaware in Newark. “It’s normal like a nine-month pregnancy is normal.”Dettwyler, who has published studies on breast-feeding, found that most children around the world are breast-fed for three to five years or longer. That’s a sharp contrast with babies in the United States. Numbers for 2011 show that about three-quarters of American babies are breast-fed at birth. By 6 months old, 44% are still being breast-fed, and by 12 months just 24% are, says Laurence Grummer-Strawn, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s nutrition branch.’

There is zero argument as to what our species used to do, we used to be closer to our children and nursed them longer. When society began to change and breastfeeding was hidden, and more and more moms entered the workforce, then it just became out of sight out of mind. Extended breastfeeding was especially demonized. The sales of synthetic formula were heavily pushed and if breastfeeding was done more frequently, they would lose millions of dollars in sales. That is a fact.

I’m not for rigid parenting of any kind, and I understand that not every mom wants to be a stay at home mom all the time. As I have said in previous posts on attachment parenting, I don’t copy how other people parent I just do what is organic to us. I have also struggled with being both a work from home mom and just a mom in general. And just for the record, I am not still nursing my daughter for my sake. I am doing it for her. It doesn’t bother me and I know how much it means to her, and she is slowly weaning. So it works for all of us, but no, I am not doing it for my own ‘enjoyment’, as some people with perverted minds think. It is a lot of work, in my opinion. Just like parenting is in general.

I also want to give a shout out to the beautiful Dionna Ford ( from Code Name Mama), who was also featured in the article. Thank you for your sites and inspiration!

In the future, I think breastfeeding will be seen as an obviously more natural, healthier, and more affordable choice to formula. It may take some time for countries like the US to get there, but I believe it will.

Resources:

Anthropologist says breastfeeding a 3 year old is normal

http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_news/local-mom-breast-feeds-4-year-old-to-be-featured-in-time

http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/11/how-brainy-women-think-about-attachment-parenting/

]]> http://www.sattvicfamily.net/2012/05/15/attachment-parenting-viewed-future/feed/ 4 http://www.sattvicfamily.net/2012/05/11/boarding-school-unschool-unschooling-jouney/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=boarding-school-unschool-unschooling-jouney http://www.sattvicfamily.net/2012/05/11/boarding-school-unschool-unschooling-jouney/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 13:17:25 +0000 SattvicFamily http://www.sattvicfamily.net/?p=1761  

I had purchased for Kaya a preschool ‘workbook’ before we left Los Angeles, and now that she is preschool age, we pulled it out. At first I was excited, because I felt that pang of ‘hey we’re doing something academic!’ which was short lived. After about 5 minutes, both kaya and I found the book to be pretty pathetic and not conducive to how she learns. What irritated me and bored her was just the structure, colour the cards purple, colour the C green. It just was rote and lacked any creativity. Plus, it bored her to tears. She could just colour the C whatever colour she wanted!!! She knows her colours, she can count in French and English, and darn it, she doesn’t need to be told what to colour something.

Anyway, the incident brought up some emotion in me: the memory of my own indoctrination…oops, I mean education. I have always been an autodidact and bibliophile, and yes, I am proud of it. However, the structure of school absolutely drove me insane. It caused me to turn to drugs, become depressed, over eat, and drink alot, until finally, I said enough.

The testing and how much I had to memorize was the thing that really, really got me. Talking with my professors was a joy, hearing them passionate about a topic really did it for me. I shared that passion with them, in that moment. They would lend me books from their personal collection, and I would read them and we’d talk about the writing and plot. But come test time, when I had 100 pages or more to memorize per subject, my joy was gone. I had no time to read or debate with my teachers. Now, I had to be a good little robot and ingest what I was being told was beneficial to my mind.

It wasn’t.

It wasn’t for the reason that it caused me much more pain to have to cram so much data into my brain, take tons of caffeine and uppers to try and stay awake studying that my heart and body, as well as soul and mind, were drained. Plus, who the heck remembers what they memorized after the test? Ha.

Learning is so much fun when it is organic.

I am not saying in any way that I don’t think some kids do well with structure, as some do. And I am not saying that just because a child has a challenge with say reading doesn’t mean they should give up because it doesn’t interest them. There are necessities in life, reading and writing being two of them. But how we approach learning matters. That is where my emphasis stands.

have you ever excelled in a subject one year, only to fail in it the next, due to a change in teacher and/or textbook?

My grades were all over the place. I literally went ( no joke) from an F in math one year to an A, due to a change in teacher. He spent time seeing what I was not understanding and showed me. The next year I had a different teacher, and my grades sank to a C.

In my best subject, English, I had similar circumstances. I always excelled at it, as it’s my passion, but come a bad teacher, my As sank as did my enthusiasm. And it was heartbreaking. I tried so hard, put in extra effort. And for what?

The teacher did not like me. Why? Who knows. They just didn’t care I tried hard and probably were irritated I disagreed with them on what the ‘American dream’ is ( as that was the topic being covered, ad nauseum)

Unschooling to me can go wrong ( like any form of education) but what I adore about it is the flexibility. It gives options. Personalized ones. For me the choice was easy, even though home education of every kind is certainly a lot of work.

But parenthood in general is, right?

Simple living is something my neighbors have down to a T, and I envy them.

Frank is retired and has been living in Thailand for nearly 20 years. His wife and stepkids are Thai. Their nieces live with them permanently and help them with their shop, which is located on the bottom floor of their townhouse ( which is also called a storefront here). Their rent is about 8000 baht a month and they have some of the luxuries Westerners and Thais alike enjoy ( aka a nice TV and wifi) but everything about their daily life is simple and not centered around consumerism. He has his pension and gets a typical Thai income off of their small shop, which caters mainly to the Thais, as well as a few foreigners.

Apart from their TV and car, they don’t own too many items, and what they do own ( a DVD collection) they rent out to the housing community down the road, so it’s sort of a communal movie collection. Their nieces don’t own many toys and when they aren’t at school they are mainly hanging out in the store, helping their aunt.

For dinner ( this is the best part) the man who we call ‘cockle man’ pulls up outside, on his little restaurant on wheels, which looks like it could fall apart at any moment. All of the Thais on the street come over when he arrives, and get their fresh shelf fish fix; he boils fresh cockles in front of them and shucks oysters,which he serves Thai style with fresh garlic, lime, and fried onions. The meal is incredible, insanely cheap and yes… fast food.

Across the street is our friend from Trang who moved here with his wife. They have a one bedroom storefront, meaning in the back is the bedroom and living quarters and in the front is the shop or restaurant. They sell traditionally made flower bouquets and wreaths for temples as well as cars. He also works for a hotel, since he speaks English very well. Next to them in the same storefront/house complex is a woman who owns her own restaurant. Thais cook outside and not inside, and her patrons sit inside as well as at a table next to where she cooks. She serves incredible food.

everything is ornate here, especially gardens

Our neighbor Jess is from Sweden, but has chosen to live here in Phuket. She’s rented her house here for about 10 years and speaks Thai. She goes to Sweden to work for about three months a year and then comes back here. She has a tight budget she sticks to, and freelances here a bit, but she prefers it this way. ‘ Every year I ask myself if I want to stay’ she says. But she does. The simple living is what draws her to the island and has kept her here. She shops where the Thais shop, eats where the Thais eat. Her house lacks the ‘stuff’ so many Western places are crammed with.

Of course not everyone here chooses to live simply. Many are in poverty, such as the Burmese who are refuges here and work on virtually no pay, despite working all day in the heat, building the endless amount of condos ( most of which go unrented) that fill every nook and cranny of the island. But some Thais have come to Phuket from the rice paddies in order to have an easier life. One woman left them and now sells papaya salad here, and despite her meager budget she is happy. Most Thais are, despite their circumstances.

Our friend Davide ( who is from Italy) says the number one thing that he loves about Thailand is that the Thais strive to be happy, content with what they have. That is changing a bit now ( I have no idea how my neighbors are able to buy iphone and ipads) with consumerism growing, and with the amount of foreigners here that flaunt what they have.

Simple living here, whether by choice or by circumstance, is something to be studied. How the Thais cherish great food and have it even on a strict budget, and decorate their homes and gardens in ornate way using organic materials is stunning and worth taking a very close look at.

What? Why? When? Where? How?

Well let’s take up the why first, which I can’t fully go into detail about just yet. I have been hired to write for an exciting new travel site that focuses on Scotland. I’ll let you know more about that very soon! Apart from that, other reasons include:

I’m British and miss the UK and Europe

My husband is a classically trained actor, and Scotland has the incredible Royal Conservatoire, which offers an MA program he is interested in

There are some fantastic homeschooling groups there, whom we have connected with online

Billy can easily get a work permit and in three years the two will have UK citizenship

It’s close to France, where I spent a good portion ( 18 years) of my youth

We are plotting our next child, and giving birth in the UK is free ( in general)

It’s closer to the US so we can visit Billy’s fam more often

My mom wants to move closer to us, and she is from ( and loves) the UK

My cousin is in Oxford and I would like to spend some more time with her

A good portion of my close friends are in the UK or Europe

And come on, it’s Scotland.

Yes it is a permanent move, yes I can’t wait. And yes, we will still be traveling…but at the same time we will be growing our family and homesteading ( or in our case I call it ‘roadsteading’ haha).

Our plan is to rent out a large farmhouse or something similar in the Highlands. We’re already in touch with letting agents and everything. We’ve found one we are in love with!

I will miss Asia deeply, I can”t even begin to fathom it. But we all feel this is the best thing for us…all of us.It will honestly be very hard as Phuket has become home for us.

I can’t say anything more but will keep you posted! We are so happy!

With flights from the UK plentiful during summer, combining your visit to the airport with parking gives you freedom and peace of mind. Stansted airport parking
is cost-effective and a shuttle bus ferries you direct to the terminal, which is just ideal if you’re traveling with children and need to keep things as straightforward as possible.

Most UK airports offer this useful service, cutting out the need for expensive airport taxis and giving you control. Edinburgh airport parking
can be added to your flight from Scotland, kick-starting your holiday in a less stressful way.

Hugely popular in the summer months, temperatures rarely dip below 30 degrees, May and June are also a good time to visit, with mid-20s temperatures and a chilled out vibe. Ideal if your kids are happy to tear around outdoors, while you can find a cool spot to keep an eye on them from.

Ibiza Town is the capital, with the nearest beach 15 minutes away at Talamanca. There are many resorts on Ibiza, the most famous being San Antonio and San Antonio Bay. Two very different resorts, San Antonio is clubbers’ paradise with little life before midday, due to the previous night’s excesses. Becoming increasingly popular with stag and hens, and famous for sunsets at Cafe Del Mar, San Antonio is all about nightlife. In comparison, San Antonio Bay is much more of a family-friendly affair, with a relaxed atmosphere.

Playa D’en Bossa is a popular resort, at only 10 minutes drive from the airport, boasting the longest beach on the island, family friendly with supervised bathing and water sports. Super-clubs Space and Bora Bora are also in this part of the island, so expect to see clubbers in their droves.

For a quieter, family holiday, head to Santa Eulalia with its large, palm-lined beach. Es Cana is home to the famous weekly hippy market, with a wide range of items for sale, perfect if you’re looking for something a little different to take home.

If you fancy a bit of exploration, hire a car and drive around the island, visiting some sight off the beaten track, such as traditional villages, and quiet beaches with fantastic sunsets.

Getting around the island is simple, with buses linking all major resorts, and taxis readily available. Resort buses run until 10pm, and the clubbers’ bus runs until 6am.

Of course, you can argue all you like that Ibiza isn’t just about clubbing, and sure, that’s not the only draw to this beautiful island, but for many, the world class clubs are the main pull. Famous names such as Pacha, Space, Bora Bora, Amnesia, Eden, Es Paradis and Privilege give Ibiza the title of the World’s Party Capital. World famous DJs frequent the island throughout the summer, with celebrity-spotting a frequent pastime, usually found floating on a boat off the coast and hitting VIP later in the evening.

Ibiza can be as expensive or cheap as you make it, with plenty of places to eat for varying budgets and lots to do that won’t break the bank. Cutting the cost of airport taxis, airport parking
parking is the best way to start your holiday. It’s also less embarrassing to have ‘Pepper Pig’, or ‘The Tweenies’ blaring from your own in-car stereo, than having to politely ask the cab driver to put it in his! A friend of ours travelled from the west of England and got some great rates with Birmingham airport parking.

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I am absolutely obsessed with roadtripping in Thailand. I mean, look at the above photo. Jesus!! Is that not insanely gorgeous? And it’s always that beautiful!! And on top of that the road stops are so ornate it’s mind boggling. I have actually become a compulsive roadstop cafe photographer, freaking people out by taking pictures of their lattes. Talk about embarrassing myself.

view from the gas station in Krabi

Amazon coffee is a generic coffee shop chain in Thailand, and it is incredibly popular with Thais. It’s the cheapest cafe, and has free wifi, on top of always having terrific design ( typical with Thais; they ROCK the design world).

                                                 This was another quaint roadstop cafe in Krabi.

TRUST ME when driving in hot weather, you will need to make a few stops.

Thailand is beautiful, exotic, and the best place to do roadtrips, period. The countryside will blow your mind and the roads have come a long way since the 80s. You can find maps in most gas station stores, in English and Thai.

A few minutes later, Billy came out alone and I asked what was going on, as I knew Kaya didn’t like being left alone with that chick ( and I certainly didn’t). Basically he had gotten ushered out, when Kaya had started to paint. I really didn’t feel good about this because although I knew and liked the owner, and loved the facilities, this employee she had was just rude and possibly a druggie. Seriously.

I went over there right away and was asked what I was doing there, in tandem with my daughter saying ‘Mom don’t leave me’. Wasn’t it obvious, my kid didn’t want to be left there, she just wanted to play and paint and whatnot and one of us would be with her, while the food was being made. The owner already told me she had mums who stayed with their kids, and we were obviously paying customers. The chick basically started to insult me, in her weird tone ‘Your husband was just here. He already left.’ Yeah, I was well aware of that. Had she not heard my daughter ask me to stay? My temper was heating up with this woman, who was giving me a ‘please leave and let me play with her’ look. I said Kaya did not want to be left alone and this was clear. She had just vocalized it. So, no, I wasn’t going anywhere. She wouldn’t take her eyes off me and tried to get Kaya’s attention, in some odd attempt to show me that Kaya was fine. No, she didn’t want to be alone, she did however want to play so sure she would like to look at the game you are showing her.

She kept saying some insulting phrases and Billy walked in. I made it clear to him we needed to go. I went over to the cafe and got the food as takeaway, he came and paid and we paid the arts school place. Billy tried to let the other sketchy chick know we were leaving because of how incredibly rude they were, and they didn’t care. They ushered him out.

As a parent, I find it very, very disturbing that A.) these women were unwilling to listen to both my daughter and myself and B.) how they could have been hired. Sure, they could distract her with some paints and such until her attention was off of the parent, and then the parent makes a break for the door We don’t roll that way. We listen to her and her needs, and don’t feel comfortable leaving her with virtual strangers. We had tried once before at the same place to have Kaya do the arts on her own with the owner, and it didn’t work, despite how wonderful she was with Kaya. And I didn’t like it either. So it wasn’t going to happen again. I explained this to the mean staff member, who didn’t care. Honestly, I think she felt nervous having a parent there, as though maybe I would see something I didn’t like.

My husband is a teacher, and he honestly hates what he sees parents at his school doing. The kid obviously doesn’t want to be there, and has no discipline, but the parent doesn’t care; they treat it as child care. And this is a private, after school academy, so this is even after the kids have gone to school. Billy also happens to know a few teachers, some of whom are great, but others who redefine the word bad. When he taught at his old school, he only had one conversation with the other ESL teacher. Basically, this older ‘experienced’ teacher told him that the students and their parents…wanted them to have sex with them. My husband stood their with a stunned look on his face as the man elaborated. He wasn’t able to utter a word to the guy, he was shocked and disgusted. He reported this guy…yet the man wasn’t kicked out. Nope. He stayed there.

I have had some lovely teachers growing up, but I have had some scary ones, one of whom touched a student inappropriately. Others who were verbally abusive. And yet others who were just terrible at the craft of teaching.

Children are abused at school, by teachers and by their supposed peers. And it’s happening at younger and younger ages. For me school started to become a very scary world in grades school, now we have a society where who knows if your kindergardener will be handcuffed for having a tantrum. Where bad teachers aren’t fired but traded to other schools as part of a deal to get rid of unappealing staff,

“It’s actually incredibly difficult to fire an ineffective teacher. You have to basically meet a criminal standard,” Michelle says. In one case, Michelle says a teacher in her district would disappear from the classroom, skip work day after day and fall asleep in class, but when the district tried to terminate her, she only earned a 10-day suspension.

 We want to create emotionally stable, happy, healthy kids which enables our planet to have a brighter future. It is 100 percent unacceptable the amount of abuse that occurs within schools worldwide. Don’t just think these are isolated incidents. They aren’t. From clergy to experienced staff, to child care providers, it’s rampant.

Resources:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45302947/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/teachers-caught-tape-bullying-special-needs-girl/#.T5KKiI6GQ7A

Clerical abuse of children that is covered up; Full length, Academy award nominated documentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cYv9wKH7CE

Bullying begins in preschool

http://www.ivillage.com/bullying-starts-preschool-how-stop-it-early/6-a-328191