SURVIVAL ... the start of the Third Marking Period

We are starting the third Marking Period of Academic Year 2015. We are going to talk about Survival. The topic of survival is in Unit VI of the book, Introduction to Navy JROTC which is part of the NJROTC curriculum. You should consider Survival as a part of your life skills. 

Enduring Learning Objective for this Survival Module: Each student-cadet develops an understanding of the concept of survival in a variety of situations and conditions so that they can survive themselves or assist others. Additionally, the goal is to develop the concept for prior planning and preparation and survival skill development ensuring their safety, security, and mental well being. 

Classroom Activity: Form into three groups and take about ten minutes to develop a group definition of the concept of survival without looking anything up.   Have one person write down the group definition. Following the group discussion, you will share the group definition with the entire class. The intent of this activity is to generate each person determining their start point on an understanding of what survival means

Here is a 8 minute video about the concepts of survival from an experienced outdoor guide. Like many people with some survival experience he has many opinions, some of them you might agree with and some perhaps not. The goal is you need to be the "eternal student" (vice self proclaimed expert) when it comes to developing your survival capability.   

This short video (3 minute) on the basic components of How to Survive. 

Final Comment: There is a tendency to think of survival in terms of big disasters such as surviving a plane crash or a tornado. But consider the following: 

• What about your family's care breaking down at night in an unknown location? 
• How about visiting your family in another country and you get lost in an urban environment? 
• A simple hike in a national park where you get lost and the weather turns bad? 
• What if there was a terrorist attack and you were separated from your loved ones? Dad is at work, mom is at home with your little sister, and you are away at college. How will you link up? What if there is spotty cell phone coverage and power is down? 
• What if you were on vacation on an enormous lake and the motor broke down and you were miles away from anyone? Everyone is just wearing their bathing suits and there is poor cell phone coverage. Would would you do? 

Ferguson Missouri Shooting Overview

We are using the ongoing situation in Ferguson Missouri as a vignette in which to analyze the difference between subjectivity (opinions, emotions) and objectivity (facts) it is important to break down the major aspects of this situation: 

Alleged Crime --->  Police Response ---> Police Encounter --->

Shooting Incident ---> Public Response to Shooting / Protest --->

Police Response to Public Response / Riot --->

Post Incident Investigation (Local / State / Federal) --->

Public Response to Grand Jury --->

Discussion Considerations: 

• Role of Leaders 
• Family
• Community
• Local / State / Federal

• Role of Media 
• Reporting News or Making News
• Subjective Reporting versus Objective Reporting
• Impact of Social Media
• What Would You Do Differently?
• 
  

Short Attention Span and Much Work Still To Do... How Can We Improve

It is pretty apparent that many students feel that school is over and the teacher's didn't get the memo...students openly trying to sleep in class...providing the answer "I don't know" when asked a routine question where they could provide input. These are all indicators that many students have lost the motivation to focus. There is only problem: SCHOOL IS NOT OVER YET and FINALS are right around the corner. 

Today, you will be organized into three groups to perform two tasks on a rotational basis for 15 minutes each:

CADET PARTICIPATION DISCUSSION TASK:  You will discuss how to improve cadet participation in drill, community service, and military ball. Feel free to reference the rubric you filled out. Designate one person to take group notes to capture your ideas on how to increase cadet participation. 

RUBRIC TASK:  You will be given a hard copy of the BMHS Personal Responsibility Rubric. I will conduct a quick overview. You will then review it and Self Assess Yourself. Based upon the time left available you can discuss as a group. 

Final Comment: Based upon time remaining we may conduct a class-wide review of the tasks. I will conduct your individual student rubric self assessments and your small group discussion notes. 

STAY ON TASK AND FOCUS.

Teenage Substance Abuse and Underage Drinking

Over the years when talking with students or hearing them discuss their social activities I have often perceived a student attitude of "what is the big deal about smoking a little weed (marijuana) or underage drinking?" Coupled with the attitude of "kids will be kids" and kids "experiment and taking risks is normal". When marijuana use and underage drinking is identified as an illegal activity, another common response is that "it is just a misdemeanor" which assumes that they are fully accepting that breaking a "small" level law is okay.

Let's watch this video of a teenager coming home from the dentist where he had oral surgery (wisdom tooth removal). He was given legal drugs by a doctor for the pain and  is still under the effects of the drugs. He is with his parents and they filmed his behavior for the humor of it. I think beyond the humor value the video shows how a person reacts when their body and mind is altered by drugs. While the video is humorous I want you to think beyond the humor value. Consider what if this teenager was in the backseat of a friend's car going to or coming back from a party under the influence of drugs...How might that be different...?

Class Activity: 
I. Pre-Video Discussion. Prior to seeing the blog post or watching the video, the class is broken down into small groups (4 to 5) sitting in small fishbowl groups. They will discuss the question, "What is the BIG DEAL about smoking a little weed or underage drinking?"

II. Read Blog Post & Watch Video: Teacher reads the blog post and orients class to the video. The class watches the video and is prompted to see beyond the intent of the original purpose of the video (humor) and views it from the perspective a teenager, their friend in a car under the influence of an illegal substance.

III. Post Viewing Discussion: Teacher facilitates a class discussion in relation to the behaviors observed by the teenager under the influence of legal drugs while recovering from oral surgery (wisdom teeth removed).  

A. Review the original small group notes taken prior to the video.

B. They now discuss their opinions in relation to the video and its impact on a teenager in an unsupervised social situation while under the impact of an illegal substance:
    (1) Mood Swings (Sad, Angry, Violent, Happy)

    (2) Brain Function: Certainty sometimes and other times being total clueless. Does the way he thinks make sense to him? Does he feel at times that there is nothing wrong with his reality?

    (3) Paranoia: Give examples, why is this a concern?

    (4) Potential for Danger or Unsafe Situation: Running Away, Driving, Going with people you don't know, not alert of aware of your surroundings, grab the wheel from the driver, cross the street in traffic, being physically taken advantage of by others, feeling you are superman or superwoman...

    (5) Social Media: captures embarrassing moments or illegal activities that will last forever...consequences to your future. 

IV.  In Class Group Assignment: Form up in the small groups you were in yesterday and draft a group guidance (advice) letter to freshmen cadets talking about the issue of substance abuse  (underage drinking and illegal drug use). This assignment will be turned in at the end of class. 

Spring Partial President's Physical Fitness Test (Friday, April 25)

Spring is upon us and we need to get out an exercise. We have to take advantage of the good weather and get moving after our partial winter hibernation!!!!  

For those cadets considering Leadership Academy / Sail Training (LA/ST) during the summer, today's test  (Friday) will function as Inventory Physical Fitness Test (PFT).

LA/ST Candidates will conduct the full PFT (cadence pushups, maximum  crunches in one minute, & 1 mile timed run), but all other classmates will conduct the partial PFT (cadence pushups & maximum crunches in 1 minute).  

Remember SAFETY and our ORM (Operational Risk Management) Plan:
1. If you don't feel well at any time or notice someone else not looking like they don't feel well, call a Training Time Out (TTO). Let the NSI or another teacher know ASAP. 
2. If you have asthma, you can't run without your inhaler. 
3. If anyone starts to encounter breathing difficulty or gets light headed (feels dizzy) let someone & NSI know ASAP.
3. NSI will have their cell phone with them to call school nurse or 911, if required 

Good Luck. Enjoy the weather and ability to exercise. 

Hey Remember the Discussion of Meditation for Stress Management, Maybe We Are On to Something...?

Meditation Helps Improve Student Grades

Click on the above Link

Remember our class on Meditation as a form of Stress Management, the link above has a posting that says meditation can improve your grades and school performance.

Platoon PT Competition By Class Period (Friday)

Background. We are almost finished with our internal unit competition, called TOPGUN (after the Navy Fighter Pilot Aviation School). Today's event is a calisthenics competition where every one does a series of selected exercises to determine how many correct repetitions they can accomplish in one minute:

• PUSH UPS
• CRUNCHES
• BURPESS (Similar to 8 count Body-builders) 

Assessment: We are using the President's Physical Fitness Test standards for assessing a correct repetition of the Push Ups and Crunches. Students counting are supposed to correct improper technique as well as not count it as a successful repetition. Teacher supervises this assessment ensuring only credit for proper technique is given. 

Class Activity: 

1. Warm Up: Two class leaders are selected and will perform a group stretch and warm-up.
2. Pick a same gender partner for the competition. One person performs the exercise and the other person will count the repetition only if it is performed correctly. 
3. One line of students will perform the exercise while their partner across from them counts. Students are encouraged to have and bring water bottles with them as they exercise.
4. There will be a designated timer and results recorder.
5. Safety: Following each event they will be given a recovery window. Following the competition they will conduct a Cool Down. (Training Time Out) Any student not feeling well during the event is allowed to stop. Any student observed to not be feeling well or acting OK will be identified to Teacher immediately. 
6. Teacher will conduct a Cool Down where the class walks (column of twos, route step) down the hall to the water fountain to drink water and go to the bathroom if necessary. Then they walk back to class, if they have water bottles then they can fill them up. 

Give it your best effort and exercise safely!!!

Stress Management & the benefits of Meditation

You may be wondering what the heck does stress management and mediation have to do with JROTC...? It has a lot to do with our curriculum. especially Unit V (Wellness, Fitness, and First Aid) section of the Introduction To The Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Curriculum book.Unit V, Chapter 7 is about Taking Care of Yourself, and withing that chapter there is a section called Learn To Reduce Stress on page 263 and 264. Chapter 8 is titled Understanding and Controlling Stress (pages 269 to 281).

After the class on Stress Management (near the end of the second marking period) and your feedback from the End of the Marking Period 2 assignment; many of you were interested in this topic. Many of you wrote  about meditation and the desire to learn how meditation can help you to relax and manage your stress. Anticipating some change in the schedule due to pending snowstorm, we will focus on this topic today instead of Friday. Some people feel that meditating can even help the learning process. Lets watch this short video and follow along and mediate in your seats.

Classroom Activity:  Meditation

1. Place the mats out on the floor and sit down or lay down (space dependent) facing outboard, away from others.
2. Teacher will play some meditative music to enhance the meditation.
Music to Mediate By...
3. Use this time to get in tune with yourself and clear or order your mind and thoughts. This should have an impact on the rest of your day.
4. Think about how (what type, location, setting) and how often (frequency) do you specifically try to relax and manage your own stress. If you don't you might want to consider finding a way that works for you.


Homework:
1. Using First name only & class period (Ex. Luke Period 1) Make a blog entry by monday and state how you meditate or relax to manage your stress and what it does for you. If you don't have a relaxation technique or form of stress management, then post what you can develop that you can use and work for you.