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Security Changes and the NFL All Clear Bag Policy

Posted on August 26, 2013 7:30 pm by TheAngelForever

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I have been asked to share information about the new All Clear policy at NFL Stadiums. As a long time sports fan, I have seen changes and wanted to share the NFL’s concern and how they are addressing it with new clear bag options. All opinions are my own.

Sports were a big part of my life growing up. Traveling to different parts of the country would typically include going to a major sporting event. Then, when I was in college, I bought season tickets of my own for several years to our minor league hockey team. I still have the backpack that I used to tote everything that I needed to these games. Inside my bag, I had my purse, camera, autographed game-worn jersey, cow bell, and depending on the weather some gloves. This was back in the day when security was never a thought in the world, you just entered places. The world changed drastically on September 11, 2001. From that day on, bags would be searched, TSA would require clear bags with liquids in them, and many venues would alter their rules. Did I have a problem letting them search my bags? NO! In fact, I would often laugh in my head when a poor gentleman at security would look inside and hit feminine hygiene products and squirm. Hey, it’s a fact of life….move on.

It was after this time that my brother and his friends bought season tickets to the Buffalo Bills. Insert your jokes here, they have probably heard all of them in the Buffalo area. Yes, they were diehards and would tailgate before the games and sit there cheering on the team that never seems to catch a break. Watching my brother prepare for a game in Buffalo was fascinating. He had to layer clothing just right, often prepare for snow, and make sure everything was set for the pre-game festivities. These men cooked amazing items to share with each other. There were rules they followed about items that could and could not be brought into the stadium. The NFL had already banned coolers and backpacks into stadiums in 2001 for all fans.

Then, in an instant, more changes happened on April 15, 2012. The horrific events at the Boston Marathon meant that people questioned permitting bags/purses and how to safely allow people to carry items into events. The NFL decided that they were not going to take any chances after the tragic events that happened in Boston. They got to work on the #NFLAllClear policy. Like other pro leagues and college stadiums had already done, they would not be allowing purses, diaper bags, and other large totes into their facilities. Season ticket holders were notified before the pre-season, and to assist fans, they have a video explaining the changes along with more details on their NFL All Clear page. Here, you will be able to locate the sizes of bags allowed. In addition to this, the NFL released the video below over a month ago to explain more about the new security policy.

While the NFL hopes that fans will leave their bags at home, they have outlined what is permissible to carry if they need to head into a game. Also note that medically necessary items are permitted they explain in the FAQs more about that. In addition to this, the Buffalo Bills have their own website with information about their stadium at the bottom of their website. This also includes a page on permitted/prohibited items and lists more information about the bag policy.

While I admit that, when I first heard this on the news, I wondered how it would work for families and women that need to bring more than the items into their pockets to a game. After reading the information on the website, I realized it was less that you can not bring things just a change in how it will be done. As you can see from three of the example NFL bags above, the sizes are not bad and would work for fans to tote in any necessities that would go inside a purse, diaper bag, or beyond. So try not to worry about the changes, it is for your safety. It will take time to adjust, but go with the flow and focus on the important part…cheering on your team. Let’s Go Buffalo!

What do you think about the new NFL security measures? How will this alter the way you pack items to head to cheer on your favorite team?

Please join @TheOnlineMom and other #NFLAllClear ambassadors to share your thoughts on the new policy this Wednesday evening on Twitter. Join in on the conversation from 9-10 PM ET.

It's Me

Disclosure: As stated above I am working with the NFL to spread the word about the new policy. This relationship and compensation does not influence my thoughts and opinions as a long time sports fan.

Categories:
PSA real world news sponsored post

NetSmartz Teens – Resource for Kids on Internet Safety and Bullying

Posted on August 8, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that I have blogged about being a teacher. Over the years, I have shared my educational background in different ways around The Angel Forever. When Sara, from Saving for Someday, reached out to see if I would be interested in sharing information about a cause that is near and dear to her I asked for more information. I later found out that she does a lot of volunteer work for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This week, NCMEC launched an updates website that is geared for tweens (8-12) to high school students. NSTeens is a re-launch of their NetSmartz Teen page.

Why Share the NSTeens Website?

My first reason is because I am still a teacher to my core. While I may not be in a classroom, I like to share resources that will be helpful to children, parents, and teachers. The topic of online safety for tweens and teens is an area that I spent a lot of time on while teaching. While teaching in a middle school, I taught several different subjects. In addition to Science and Language Arts, I also taught Health to students. Not only did I have to talk about topics like eating disorders, sex education, and drugs, I also made sure to open up the gates to online safety. It always scared me when I would see what kids were sharing on Facebook that strangers could see.

The other reason I am interested, I am a parent of an almost ten year old son. In just over a year, NHL will be going to middle school and that is a very different world from elementary school. Though he is very young, he has already been the victim of bullies. I need to teach him how to talk to me about cyber-bullying and helping friends that are in trouble. We also need to have more in depth talks with him about online safety. This is a big item that TechyDad and I have to really think about. We want NHL to use technology, but do so safely and not get tricked by his peers or others that may take advantage of kids. We also need to teach NHL how to be responsible when posting information online. He has to think about his digital footprint and how it will be tracked in the future by colleges and future employers.

What Resources are Available on NSTeens?

NSTeens is a free online resource for tweens and teens to learn about making better choices online. There are online games, comics, and videos to actively engage this age group while they are learning. The new content includes (information from the NSTeens Press Release):

6 Degrees of Information, a video that asks teens to think about the information they share online and how comfortable they are with people finding it. In the video, Matt, an Internet researcher, asks five teens to participate in an experiment where he will try to find out as much as he can about them online in just six clicks.
Rescue Run, a new game where players must avoid obstacles while racing to stop their friends from meeting face-to-face with people they first met online. During the game, players receive tips about how to handle requests to meet offline. Tweens can play at NSTeens.org or download the mobile version from the Apple iTunes stores or the Google Play Android store.
Stand By or Stand Up?, the first interactive, role-playing comic on NSTeens.org. The comic addresses cyberbullying and engages tweens through a “choose-your-own-adventure” style of story in which their decisions help shape the comic’s outcome.

In addition to the new content, there are older Internet-safety games and videos available on NSTeens. Parents and educators can also print activity cards and discussion guides to help them when talking about these crucial subjects.

I know that we will be spending more time this summer looking over the NetSmartz website before we share it with NHL and then we will explore it more together. To learn more, please check out NetSmartz Teens updated website and Twitter account. In addition to this, learn more about the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on their Facebook page.

Have you talked to your children about internet safety and cyber-bullying? If you have, please share your experiences in the comments below. It is always helpful to hear how others have communicated with their kids about this more difficult subjects.

Disclosure: None! I posted the information as a PSA to other parents and educators looking for a resource to help kids to learn more about internet safety and cyber-bullying.

Categories:
Educational parenting PSA

The Testing Generation

Posted on June 13, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

These days, I often find myself thinking and worrying about my children. It is not about their health, it’s about their future. More specifically, I am growing more fearful of the lack of education they will receive as they proceed in their academic lives. As I have mentioned in the past, I have seen a dramatic difference in public education in just the last five years between my own two boys. I do NOT blame their teachers. They are also a victim of the teach to the test mentality that is being forced at them. If they want to keep their jobs, they must do what they are told. The chain of command is a lot higher in this respect and far above most on even the district level.

Looking back, I hardly remember tests as a child. Sure we took the Iowa exams, there was the New York State ELA in grade 4, and of course the Regents exams in high school. None of these exams scared me for life or left me afraid of following my dream of becoming an educator. I think I took a lot of things for granted at the time. I was given the ability to be a kid, to learn and be able to think outside of the box, and my teachers were able to be creative and teach us material that would NOT be on a test.

Fast forward to the One Voice United Rally at the Empire State Plaza on June 8. It was at that moment that I realized more had to be done. I did not want my children to lose out on what they should be learning and doing in their school. I no longer want to see the frustration on the faces of parents, children, and teachers. We need to stand up together and make our voices heard. We need to gather groups together to let New York State know that our children mean more than a number to us. Our children need to be educated so they can think freely and not conform to tests. The robotic nature of teaching to the tests has to end now.

One of the most inspiring speeches at the rally was from 18-year-old Nikhil Goyal. As I noted in my rally post from the other day:

18 year old Nikhil Goyal, a recent high school graduate from Syoset, New York talked to everyone at the rally. He is the author of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School. He pointed to the need for students to join the fight for their education. Next year, he plans on rallying them to stand up for a world beyond No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. In his words we need to stop the “drill, kill, bubble fill” generation of students.

Here is the video he posted of the speech. I urge you to take the time to see what a young man who is from the testing generation thinks of the system. Watch his passion to stop this and get the kids involved in the process.

As Goyal stated:

To Governor Cuomo, Commissioner King, Mayor Bloomberg, Chancellor Tisch: We’re coming for you. We’re taking back our children. We’re taking back our schools. We’re taking back public education from your hands, from the hands of corporations, billionaires, Wall Street, and testing companies.

Now I am more determined to keep going in the right direction to help my boys and other children. They deserve to be able to follow their dreams, be kids, and not have to worry about tests constantly invading their lives. Remember, this is not just happening in New York State, it is all over the United States. Look for groups in your area to get more information and join in the movement to take back public education for the future of our children.

It's Me

Categories:
Educational PSA

One Voice United for the Children of New York

Posted on June 10, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

On Saturday June 8, my family went to the One Voice United Rally for public education in New York.

I was a student in the public schools of New York and so was TechyDad. I have spent some time teaching in the public schools of New York. These days, I am a mother of two boys in a public school in New York. The high stakes testing and curriculum manipulation that results in teaching to the tests has gone too far. The rally was a time for teachers and parents to come together to say enough is enough.

NYSUT was coordinating the rally where bus loads of people were coming into Albany from throughout New York. Seeing the streets lined with school and charter buses filled with people marching onto the Empire State Plaza by the State Capitol Building took my breath away. We were all there for the same reason – children.

Some may question why TechyDad and I took the boys to the rally. In my mind, it was an educational experience. NHL and JSL were going with us to the State Capitol and they saw history taking place. Of course, they also saw all of their teachers and their parents together. All of the boys’ main teachers were at the rally. The kids saw their teachers and colleagues, along with other families from our school together. Estimates also say the rally drew close to 20,000 supporters all there in the name of children and their right to learn, be creative, and not be taught simply for high stakes testing.

I am still digesting the experience because it truly was powerful. Listening to Albany High School teacher Jeremy Dudley perform “Stop this Madness” completely rocked the crowed to the core. My kids are still chanting the key words (sorry to their teachers).

17 year old Nikhil Goyal, a recent high school graduate from Syoset, New York talked to everyone at the rally. He is the author of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School. He pointed to the need for students to join the fight for their education. Next year, he plans on rallying them to stand up for a world beyond No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. In his words we need to stop the “drill, kill, bubble fill” generation of students.

Then, Tom Chapin filled me with even more memories that will last. I watched as teachers laughed at his “Not on the Test” song. The biting words in the song that I shared the other day really do say a lot. Then, he introduced a new song that he wrote. “One Voice” brought tears to my eyes. I watched as two of my sons’ teachers linked arms to sway and sing together. I listened to my boys utter the words in unison with the giant crowd. I do hope this song will be shared for others to hear as well.

Thank you to everyone that worked on making this rally happen and to all those that showed up and stood on the Plaza in the name of the children of New York State. This is just the beginning of the public school movement, but it was a truly inspiring experience. More will be coming on this topic soon.

Categories:
Educational PSA school

Standing up for Public Education

Posted on June 6, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up, I went to my neighborhood elementary school. Then, I moved onto one of the middle schools in our district for two years. After that, I went to the giant high school where I had amazing opportunities that many other kids my age did not receive. Teachers in my life made such an impact on me that I wanted to be like them. I hoped to one day be in a classroom where I could be creative and teach to watch children grow and learn.

Of course, these days the world of education has changed a lot. As a parent, I have watched a dramatic change over the last five years. The difference from my oldest son’s experience in kindergarten to my youngest son’s current classroom is alarming. My youngest son is being forced to take 30+ minute tests on a computer several times a year to see how well he has been taught. The tests are not developmentally appropriate and most definitely will not show how well all children are doing academically. I know my son’s teacher is an amazing woman, but she is being held back. She is helpless if she wants to keep her job. Rather than teach the kids in creative ways that reach each of them, teachers must do it the way the curriculum guide tells her.

Looking into her eyes, I can see the level of frustration and it makes me sad. I am sad that my kindergarten kid did not experience things before the change. I am angry. My anger stems from teachers being told how to do things when they are the ones that know their students best. They should be able to create authentic ways to assess how well their kids are learning. Instead, we pay companies millions of dollars each year to frustrate our children.

I also see my older son with a year before he goes to middle school being taught for state tests. As a teacher, I know the drill and it breaks my heart. It hurts to know that kids are not taught to be free thinkers and look outside of the box. Instead, they are being shown how to systemically dissect a specific high stakes test. I do not blame his teacher or any of the others, it goes above them. I saw how stressed my son’s fourth grade teacher was each morning of the NY State exams (three days of ELA, three days of Math, and two days of Science). No child should be put through this, nor should the teachers.

This is why we will be going as a family to the One Voice United Rally in Albany at the Empire State Plaza on June 8, 2013. We will be walking side by side with people from our school letting them know that we have to be heard and that we support them. We need our children to be creative thinkers and not limited to the test. Grammy Award winner, Tom Chapin will also be at the rally. Mr. Chapin recorded the song Not on the Test which really does hit a strong note. Here is the video of the song and you will see why.