Forbidding Open Communication is Not the Answer #ThirteenReasonsWhy
As I fight to keep my eyes open at almost two in the morning, I wanted to share my social media post on here as well, because this is such an important topic.
This June, I will be one of the guest speakers at the ASK Conference, where I will be speaking about bullying. As I work on my talking points, I'd love to hear opinions on this article:
My thoughts:
As many of you know, one of my books, Sudden Hope, deals with bullying. It shows the realities that high school students go through, but it also shows that there are people there available to help, and ultimately, the book has a message of hope. I read and watched "Thirteen Reasons Why" some time after Sudden Hope was even published and I love that it is so different than Sudden Hope because people are different, situations are different, and people (students AND STAFF) will deal with bullying in different ways. Forbidding children from talking about the show or book while in school, to me, is a form of DENIAL.
Schools should be using this opportunity to talk about bullying, suicide, and getting help.
Do I think the show glamorizes suicide? Absolutely not. I saw a character who was lost... who had so much happen to her that she didn't know who to turn to, and when she did try to get help, it only made things worse. And the suicide scene was tough to watch for a reason. It was shocking and it was painful.
Use this show as an opportunity to open the doors to communication instead of shutting that door close and throwing away the key...
This June, I will be one of the guest speakers at the ASK Conference, where I will be speaking about bullying. As I work on my talking points, I'd love to hear opinions on this article:
Schools Are Warning Parents About "13 Reasons Why"
Schools should be using this opportunity to talk about bullying, suicide, and getting help.
Do I think the show glamorizes suicide? Absolutely not. I saw a character who was lost... who had so much happen to her that she didn't know who to turn to, and when she did try to get help, it only made things worse. And the suicide scene was tough to watch for a reason. It was shocking and it was painful.
Use this show as an opportunity to open the doors to communication instead of shutting that door close and throwing away the key...
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