Courage Connections

Lunch break had just started and instantly the playground was filled with kids. Normally at lunch I enjoyed hanging out with my friends or playing a game of tag but this recess I wondered over to the covered area where some 4th graders were pushing a 3rd grader around. I was concerned but maybe it wasn't anything big. I decided to leave it alone.  As I was walking away I heard someone shouting. It was the 3rd grader. He looked mad. He was standing firmly looking at one of the big 4th graders and he tried to fight back. He started aiming punches at them, then they kicked him in the leg and jumped on him. I was about to go and help him but it didn't feel like it was right. I continued watching like it was a tv show just watching helplessly  as the 3rd grader was being knocked around. I thought I had seen enough and went off to do something else but I had made a mistake.

Still now I feel bad about what I did. I could have easily stopped it. I had so many options at the time: tell a teacher, go and tell them to stop or do nothing. I had known the third grader vaguely and I wasn't very fond of him but what I did was worse then bullying. I was watching it happen. I know what it feels like to have no one stand up for you. Like no one cares. I also know what it feels like to be stood up for. It means you have a friend who's willing  to pay the consequences for you. They might also be picked on but it's always a nice thing to do for someone. The 3rd grade kid must have felt like no one cared about him or maybe they wanted him to get hurt. I know I should have acted but I can't change the past. Whenever I think about him I think about everyone in the world who has been affected by conflict in some way. Ruby Bridges an African American girl was the first to go to a white school, she was the only one in her class because of her skin colour. All the other kids in the other class were mean to her and made her feel bad but she accepted it and moved on. She reminds me of the 3rd grader. He fought back but once it was over he forgot about it and left it alone.

If I could have changed thing now I would have stopped them and told them no. There is no good reason to bully someone. If you don't like how they look then that's your problem. If they are smarter then you that's your problem. I would have gone right up to them ask what the situation was and told them to stop and apologize. I would have told the 3rd grader to ignore them and enjoy the rest of his break. And I would have told the 4th graders to leave him alone and think about doing something nice back  to the victim.

I have experienced conflict being bullied when I was little. Some kids took my hat and didn't give it back. Once I threatened to call the teacher they gave it back and I forgot all about it. Forgive and forget are the best things to do after being bullied. In the end the bullies are the ones being affected. One has to question why are they bullying? I heard later that year, one of the fourth grade bullies received a call from the 3rd graders parents and he was scared. He left alone the 3rd grader. My experience being an eye witness to bullying was not something I would like to see again.


 The two goals that I have for the year are too stop the conflict between people at my school and give out some good examples of a friend. I will achieve these goals by stopping bullying with peace and respect and standing up for people who are having problems with bullies.  If I see someone being bullied in the future I will take action and say stop. I hope that my message has clearly been sent out and people reading this will take action and help.

What Is Courage (Facing my fear)

I time I have shown courage is possibly the time I went swimming with sharks! I was on a holiday in Bali and me and my family were on a snorkeling trip. Although I was a accompanied by all the other people on the trip sharks were one of my worst nightmares. Watching jaws was enough to keep me out of the water but seeing sharks was enough to keep me of the beach. I loved snorkeling without but with sharks I couldn't do it.

It took all my will to face my fear. All I had to do was jump in so I did. The shock of cold water gave me a chill then I looked below me and saw a huge shark as big as a car.As big as a big car. A dark shadow rising up beneath me. I kept an eye on it suspiciously and I got used to it. I started swimming around seeing more sharks peacefully passing by and I was actually starting to enjoy myself. My fear had vanished from existence.

To face a fear you need to think of why you fear that thing. Being scared of heights is common with a  but there are reasons such as falling or possibly just looking down. Being scared of sharks has bundle of reasons whether it's being eaten, Being attacked or looking at there toothy grin. The key ingredient for facing a fear is courage. Everyone can do anything but not everyone would have the courage to do it. I would not be seen walking on the streets alone, it's just one thing that I wouldn't agree too. Being mugged would be a nasty experience. This has hopefully shared my ideas and experiences with courage.

What do the artifacts tell us about the lives of early humans?

Artifacts go back to millions of years ago when the first Hominids took steps on this earth. Artifacts tell us lots about what one needs to know about someone else. Artifacts tell us what someone liked doing. if someone was into hunting they might own a horse spera. If someone liked to craft you might find a pot. Artifacts are clues to the past. Early humans must have had lots of possessions which tells us what kinds of people they were. Early humans could have expressed themselves through some artifacts that would have told us about there lives. The earlier hominids would not have known how to do as much as the newer ones because as humans evolved the brains grew larger giving them more knowledge on everything.
Early Humans such as homo habilis probably didn't own as many artifacts as the newer neanderthals. Over time people would start making new tools and artifacts such as bows, necklaces, clothes and other discoveries. If I was back when early humans lived i would spend my day making tools, skinning animals or searching for small prey and from doing those jobs I would leave behind some equipment which would later be found as an artifact. Early hominids such as homo sapiens may have left behind cave paintings about animals telling us they hunted those animals. Artifacts tell us lots about early humans such as what gods they prayed to, what religion they were, what they ate and even whether or not they were man eaters.