Comments, Feedback, Suggestions? Text Us!
Ever caught yourself nodding along to someone while your mind wanders elsewhere? In a world of constant distractions, genuine listening has become something of a lost art. Yet the ability to truly hear others remains one of the most powerful tools we have for building meaningful connections.
This episode explores the growing challenge of listening in today's fast-paced world. Many of us struggle to listen effectively because we're perpetually exhausted—emotionally, mentally, and physically. Between work stress, family obligations, and the endless ping of notifications, finding the focus needed to truly hear another person can feel impossible.
We examine how making assumptions about what others are saying creates unnecessary conflict. That simple comment from your spouse? It might be exactly what it sounds like—not the veiled criticism you're hearing. By learning to take words at face value rather than projecting hidden meanings, we can avoid countless misunderstandings.
Perhaps most importantly, we discuss the difference between listening to understand versus listening to respond. Many of us, with the best intentions, rush to offer solutions when sometimes all the other person wants is to be heard. As one listener shared: "Sometimes I just want to express how I feel, but my partner wants to tell me how to fix it."
Through practical strategies—giving your complete attention, resisting the urge to interrupt, asking thoughtful questions—you'll discover how better listening can transform your relationships. Because when we truly listen, we communicate something profound: you matter to me, and what you have to say is worth my time.
Ready to become a better listener? Subscribe now and join our community of everyday people working to strengthen the connections that matter most.
"This Is The Everyday Podcast For The Everyday People!"
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
This is the Everyday Podcast for the Everyday People.
Guys, welcome back to anotherepisode of RED.
It's that Everyday Podcast forthe Everyday People.
This week was the longest weekof my life.
There were tons of field tripsthat I had to do, dealing with
(00:28):
elementary school kids, and thisweek just passed by so entirely
slowly.
And I wanted to say that if you, as my viewers, have had a long
week, just know that Iempathize with you guys that the
work week just drags right onand then you get to the weekend
and then, once you're at theweekend, friday night is pretty
(00:49):
much a work day.
Saturday you're crashing fromFriday night and then Sunday
you're moving on to God knowswhat.
But despite the challengingweek that I've had, I did learn
some things.
I learned that people don'tlisten like they used to.
There's a lot of people outthere today who just I'm not
going to say that people justdon't care, but they don't have
(01:12):
that listening ear that theyused to have in the past.
And so you guys know that eachepisode comes with a theme, and
I found that this week's themeit would be vital to consider
the topic of how to be a goodlistener.
Now, before we jump into that.
I just wanted to sharecondolences to the actor Val
(01:33):
Kilmer.
I didn't realize that he passedaway early on this month, but
usually when there's a celebritythat I know that's passed away,
someone close and dear to myheart, I have to give them a
shout out on this podcast.
So Val Kilmer, let's talk abouthim.
He was the Batman in 1995.
Now that's Batman Forever.
(01:54):
That's the movie with JimCarrey as the Riddler.
You had there Tommy Lee Jonesas Two-Face, jones as Two-Face,
and it was a movie that wasreally important to me because
me and my brother who passedaway, we would watch it all of
the time together as kids andmake jokes about the movie, et
cetera.
So when I found out that ValKilmer had passed away, it just
(02:16):
touched me differently than ifit had been another celebrity.
Lately I just find that thereare so many people that are just
passing away like it's it'stragic.
You know.
I know that for some peoplethey may say, well, he was a
celebrity and we didn't reallyknow him, but the reality is he
was a human being.
You know, he was a living,breathing soul and his life had
(02:38):
an impact on others, and so Ijust wanted to express
condolences to persons who mayhave known this actor or who
knew this actor, or for personsthis week who may have lost
someone in death.
I just want to express thecondolences to you guys in that
regard.
So our theme in connection withthis episode is really important
(02:59):
how to be a good listener Well,why is that a challenge?
How to be a good listener Well,why is that a challenge?
The context of this discussionis focused on married persons.
However, you can apply thistopic to any individual.
In specific, being a goodlistener is important because it
(03:21):
gets you places.
It helps you to buildrelationships and to strengthen
the ones that you have.
Have you ever heard someone sayto you, or has someone said to
you recently you're notlistening to me, and then
someone else or you may respond,but I was.
Evidently, what you heard isvery different from what this
(03:45):
individual said or is trying totell you.
As a result, an argumentdevelops.
In this episode, we're going tobe able to examine as to how we
can improve listening toindividuals that we love and
(04:05):
care for.
It is possible to avoidconflicts that are tantamount to
having arguments ordisagreements with your spouse,
lover, boyfriend, girlfriend,mom, dad, parents, family
members, etc.
Why does it happen?
Well, the first thing is that alot of us today are tired,
(04:28):
exhausted emotionally, mentallyand physically, and so when we,
as humans, are going throughthese emotions, it's very
difficult for us to listen tosomeone else.
As a result, it takes a greatdeal of concentration to be able
to listen to someone.
And just got someone in thelive there.
Hey, what's going on?
(04:49):
So, aside from kids, aside fromtelevision, and aside from the
problems that we have to dealwith at work, it is very
difficult to find the emotionalstrength to talk to one
significant other, even thoughyou may love and care for them.
Another reason why it'sdifficult in order to listen to
(05:09):
someone is that we makeassumptions.
This has been called a damagingform of mind reading.
You assume that there is ahidden message behind your
spouse's words, or your cousin,boyfriend, girlfriend or
whomever you're talking to.
Has that ever happened to you?
Have you been in a heartfeltconversation with someone and
you say something to them andthen they respond in a way that
(05:32):
does not acknowledge what you'resaying, but creates an entirely
different thought or statement.
Here's an example.
Suppose someone in your familysays to you you spent a lot of
extra time at work this week.
Interpretating this ascriticism, you say it's not my
fault.
I have to work extra hoursbecause you are running up our
(05:54):
bills, whose original intentionwas merely the problem here,
right?
So your spouse asks you thisquestion out of a kind heart,
but you took that as criticismand then responded in kind, or
(06:14):
as you thought.
When it comes to listening, itis so important to focus on what
the person is saying and dealwith the circumstances
unbiasedly.
Here's another thing that canmake listening a challenge you
look for solutions prematurely.
(06:34):
Notice what Marcy says.
Sometimes I just want toexpress how I feel, but Mike
wants to tell me how to fix it.
Sometimes, as humans, we tryour best to alleviate, remedy or
fix the problems of people welove and care for.
The reality is, sometimespeople need a listening ear as a
(06:57):
form of comfort, and no matterwhere you were raised or where
you were born or what yourupbringing was like, all of
those things will be affected byhow you listen to individuals
and how you strive to deal withsuch persons in your life.
Now again, this theme isfocused on couples or persons in
(07:18):
a relationship, but you canapply these principles even in
your own family dynamic.
So what is it that you can do toincrease your listening?
First, give your completeattention.
Your family member hassomething important to say, but
are you ready to listen?
(07:39):
Well, perhaps not.
Your mind may be on otherthings at the moment.
But if that is the case, do notpretend to listen.
If possible, put aside whatyou're doing and give your
person of interest here yourfull attention.
Or perhaps you could ask themto wait until you are able to do
(07:59):
so.
Have you ever been in aconversation with someone and
you say to them I don't thinkyou're listening to me?
And they'll say of course I am.
And then you'll say okay,repeat it back to me.
And then they'll summarize whatyou said, but they won't give
you the full picture of what wasstated.
That causes a lot ofcomplication.
(08:19):
So strive to improve yourability of self-control by
telling that person hey, by theway, now was not a good time for
me to talk, or you couldpossibly be able to let them
know I got a lot on my mind andright now my thinking is
distracted.
You see, when you take thosesteps, you'll be able to support
that individual by agreeing tospeak one at a time.
(08:41):
I don't know about you, butthere are many times in which
I'm talking to a person and thenthey'll cut me off or they'll
over talk someone else in theperimeter or the vicinity of the
conversation.
When it's your turn to listen,resist the urge to interrupt or
disagree, and I find that to befunny because it seems like
(09:03):
common sense, but common senseis just not so common anymore.
You're going to get your turnto speak.
It's inevitable.
If you're having a conversationwith someone, you're going to
get a chance to speak.
Just make sure you don't overtalk them, because that can lead
to confusion and problems andstress.
Another thing that's vital inconnection with listening or
(09:25):
increasing our ability is askingquestions.
This will make you better ableto understand what persons are
saying.
So when you do ask questions,it shows that you are involved
in the conversation and it showsyou really want to get their
response on such matters.
When we apply these principles,not only do we increase our
(09:46):
listening ability, but wereassure people that they're
loved and cared about, and wereassure them that, despite the
darknesses that are going ontoday in this world and despite
the circumstances that weinevitably find ourselves in,
that we've got their back.
One of the things that I loveabout being able to come on this
podcast every week is the factthat I get to really listen to
persons who comment on my shorts.
(10:08):
They get to comment on mystories and express how these
stories are affecting their lifein real time.
There's a lot of contentcreators out there who don't
even give their followers orsubscribers the time of day, for
whatever the reason you know.
But if you are out here contentcreating, you should make it
your aim in business to respondto these people who have aided
(10:31):
you in your success.
So that is going to be theconclusion of our theme for this
particular episode Increaseyour listening ability by
exercising self-control and byeffectively asking questions so
as to be able to stir upemotions from the person that
(10:51):
you are communicating with.
Now, as always, we have 10stories on this week's episode
that are going to be quitegripping.
I will say that this lineup ofstories that I'm covering this
week are pretty intense.
There were some.
I was just baffled at howwicked people can be in dealing
(11:11):
with other human beings.
Here's our first story Dad ofteen accused of fatally stabbing
Texas football star AustinMcAlf says son was not the
aggressor.
The father of a Texas teenaccused of fatally stabbing a
football star from a rivalschool over a seat at the
(11:32):
stadium says his son is a goodkid who was provoked to violence
.
Everyone has already made theirassumptions about my son, but
he's not what they are makinghim out to be.
Andrew Anthony told the Post.
Carmelo Anthony, 17, wasarrested Wednesday for allegedly
killing 17-year-old AustinMetcalfe at a track meet,
(11:54):
leaving him to die in his twinbrother's arms.
He's a good kid.
He works two jobs.
He's an A student, has a 3.7GPA, the heartbroken father
added.
The elder Anthony insisted hisson didn't instigate the tragic
brawl over a seat at a stadiumin Frisco, texas, where the
(12:18):
boy's school had met for a trackmeet.
His father adds that he was notthe aggressor.
He was not the one who startedthis brawl.
Although Carmelo has beencharged with first-degree murder
, anthony said his son's actionwas a heat-of-the-moment mistake
that has brought tragedy toboth families.
(12:39):
I feel bad for the otherparents and family, and words
can't explain how both familieshave been affected by this
tragedy.
He continues tragedy.
He continues.
Carmelo, a senior at CentennialHigh School, was allegedly told
he was sitting in the wrongseat before he drew a knife and
launched his attack.
(13:00):
The father of the victim toldNBC Dallas Fort Worth.
Carmelo allegedly stabbedAustin Metcalfe in the chest.
As his victim's identical twinbrother, hunter Metcalfe,
watched in horror.
As his victim's identical twinbrother, hunter Metcalfe,
watched in horror.
The teen was pronounced dead ata local hospital and, despite
life-saving measures by policeand fire personnel, including
(13:22):
CPR and the administration ofblood, the 17-year-old died.
The grieving father questionedCarmelo's upbringing and parents
as he forgave his son's allegedkiller.
The context of this story isindeed insane.
This is what I gather.
Two students at a track meet.
(13:44):
One student tells anotherstudent hey, you're in the wrong
seat.
That student jumps up with aknife, stabs him in the heart
and kills him on the spot.
We are living in times in whichpeople just don't have that
natural human affection likethey used to, and if you are
(14:05):
going through circumstances inwhich you've experienced
violence or perhaps someone thatyou know and love has
experienced violence, what canyou do?
Well, one thing that can be agreat source of comfort and
support is to communicate withothers about the feelings that
you're having.
We are constantly beingbombarded by negative news, and
(14:26):
what happens is that negativenews starts to become a burden
on us, and if you don't havesomeone to support you through
it, it can literally crush yourspirits, your hope and your
emotion for the future.
I'm truly hoping that thisfamily is getting the comfort
they need to be able to copewith this devastating loss that
(14:47):
was senseless by nature.
We wish you guys the best asyou strive to endure and we do
express our heartfelt love foryou, dear ones, regarding this
tragedy In this following storydisturbing I will say that this
is the most disturbing storyI've ever come in contact with
(15:08):
on my podcast.
On my podcast, a teacher accusedof arranging group sex with
students who allegedly worescream masks faces new charges.
A former Indiana high schoolteacher is facing two dozen more
felony charges, as prosecutorsaccuse her of arranging group
sex with middle and high schoolboys as young as 13 years old
(15:32):
while they allegedly wore screammasks.
According to new courtdocuments filed in Morgan County
obtained by TMZ on Friday,march 28th, prosecutors are
alleging that BrittanyFortenberry committed crimes
against a sixth victim.
Victim County Prosecutor StevenP Sanega told the outlet on
(15:55):
March 27 that Fortenberry, 31,will be charged with 24
additional felonies, bringingher total to 29, including five
level one child molestationcounts.
Fortenberry is also facing 24counts with level 4, 5, and 6
offenses, which carry sentencesranging from 2 to 12 years to 1
(16:18):
to 6 years, sonega added.
The former teacher's chargesinclude sexual misconduct with a
minor, dissemination of matterharmful to minors, performing
sexual conduct in the presenceof a minor and contributing to
the delinquency of a minor.
Court records show One of heralleged victims said that the
(16:39):
boys involved in the incidenthad to wear a scream mask and
they would rotate every 15minutes in sexual encounters
that would go on for hours.
According to court documentsobtained by Fox 59.
Fortenberry has been previouslyarrested and charged in
(17:01):
February with three counts ofsexual misconduct and one count
of dissemination of matterharmful to minors and one count
of contributing to thedelinquency of a minor that had
previously been filed.
Fortenberry's trial isscheduled to begin on June 25th.
Court record show Someonereached out to me recently.
They hit me up in my mailbox andthey said to me how does this
(17:22):
stuff happen?
And I'm thinking to myself.
I've been driving school busfor many years and I can tell
you why these things happen.
Well, in short, there's noprotection.
No one is setting a boundary inthe classroom between a teacher
and a student.
Now you may say well, why can'tthey just hire teachers at a
(17:44):
certain age?
It does not matter If it's ahuman being and they have urges
and desires.
They are going to be tempted toact on those desires.
So what could possibly be donein these scenarios?
Don't allow the teachers to bein the classroom by themselves.
For example, a teacher should,by law, have an aide in the
(18:05):
classroom.
On my school bus I have twoaides, one male, one female.
Now some people may find thatto be a little bit babysitting,
but the reality is there is nosuch title when you're trying to
protect someone else's childand that's the problem in the
school system today they don'tthink about what could go wrong.
(18:27):
They often focus on theexception of the matter rather
than the rule of thecircumstances, on the exception
of the matter rather than therule of the circumstances.
In this following story we'recontinuing down that path of
poor choices in the schoolenvironment.
Now there is a video attachedto the story.
Tiktok obviously will not letme upload it, but you can copy
and paste the link and searchthis information up to be able
(18:49):
to see this video.
Quite horrendous by nature.
Texas junior high school studentbeaten head stomped by vicious
peer as teachers fail tointervene.
A Texas junior high schoolstudent was viciously beaten by
another student as adultshalf-heartedly tried to stop the
savagery that ended with a headstomp.
(19:11):
According to a viral video, thetwo youngsters involved are
Harwood Junior High Schoolstudents in Bedford, texas,
where the violent incident tookplace.
The school confirmed in aletter.
According to WFAA, disturbingvideo of the one-sided incident
showed the aggressor sitting onanother boy's chest while he
(19:32):
rained down fist after fist onthe head of the flailing victim.
At one point in the attack thevictim attempted to get up but
is tackled by the aggressor andbrought back down to the
concrete of the school'scourtyard as he is beaten,
senseless, the young boy looksto fellow students for help, but
(19:53):
instead they make whoopingnoises, watch and record on
their phones as the boy suffersfrom punches to his face and
back of the head.
The video showed Teachers failto halt the violence.
Video shows two adult men onewho doesn't put down his thermos
slowly approach the skirmishand gently pull the attacker off
(20:16):
without straining him.
When the punches subsided, theattacker stands up unimpeded by
the adults and stomps on thehead of the victim, knocking him
unconscious and rendering himimmobile After the stomp.
No one goes up to help thevictim for at least 20 seconds.
Instead, students continue togawk and adults are nowhere to
(20:38):
be seen.
It was unclear how badlyinjured the student was or if he
required medical attention.
The principal of Harwood JuniorHigh School confirmed the viral
fight video occurred at theirschool and that they are
investigating the matter.
The Bedford Police Departmentinvestigated the incident and
(20:59):
has referred it to the TarrantCounty Juvenile Justice System.
According to a statement postedon Facebook, children, violence,
anger, rage, aggression.
There is a brief photo, just aglimpse of the mayhem that
(21:19):
unfolded.
Now what is it that I warn myviewers about when I cover these
stories?
These stories are out ofcontext.
I don't know if this studentwas being bullied and he just
had enough.
By the photo, it seems to be anAfrican-American male atop
another male of a Caucasianethnicity.
(21:40):
But violence is never the answer.
I'm never going to support anyof my followers, any of my
listeners, getting involved inviolence.
It's like I tell the kids on myschool bus why would you get
involved in violence knowingthat that person can come back
to school the next day and takeyour very life?
Years ago we could handlematters that way you could be
able to brawl it up with someone, you could be able to roll
(22:01):
around with them on the ground,ramble it up, and then you peace
up, peace out, make respect andyou're on your way.
But today, when you have afight with someone and if it
doesn't go as planned, it couldliterally cost you your life.
So, no, I would not say thathandling things in a violent
manner is the best way to go.
But I will tell you guys thisthat if this student is not
(22:26):
careful, he could be looking atfirst degree murder, attempted
first degree murder, because ofjust how heinous this was.
And then, when the student wasdown on the ground, he came back
and then stomped him in thehead.
It just amazes me how violentpeople have become.
And then, if you have to lookat the other side of the coin,
maybe the student that was onthe ground was the one getting
(22:47):
bullied, or maybe it wassomething small or even stupid
that caused these two to getinto this altercation in which
someone could have literallylost their life.
In our following story we arefollowing that pattern in which
teachers do things to studentsthat they just should not.
Former Central Dauphin teacherkicked 12-year-old nonverbal
(23:10):
student.
Old non-verbal student.
A former teacher in the CentralDauphin School District kicked
a 12-year old non-verbal studentseveral times.
According to police, lowerPaxton Township Police cited
Miracle Stokes, 27, last weekfor harassment in connection
with the January 17 incident atLinglestown Middle School.
(23:31):
The citation said Stokes kickedthe student after he kicked or
attempted to kick her.
District spokesperson ShannonLieb said the teacher had
received proper, safe crisismanagement training and
appropriate techniques forrestraining students safely, but
did not follow those requiredtechniques.
(23:52):
Stokes was immediately placedon administrative leave,
according to Leib, and sheresigned on February the 5th.
She added that the schoolprincipal also immediately
notified the parents of theother students in the classroom
where this incident particularlyhappened.
Police said the student didn'tsuffer any injuries as a result
(24:13):
of the kicks.
My mom used to work in a grouphome with persons whom had
disabilities and variouscomplications in connection with
their everyday functions andyes, these people become violent
from time to time and peoplewill say, well, they have the
state training.
You know, they have thetraining.
They shouldn't have did that tothe person or whatever the case
(24:36):
is.
But we often and this is justso humorous, we always forget to
leave room for human error andfree will.
The goal is not to retaliatewhen a person who's disabled or
has a disability is trying to doharm to you.
Of course the mentality isn'they, let me just kick this guy
(24:58):
in the neck, hey, let me kickthis guy in the stomach.
But as a human being, we haveto be realistic to the fact that
we're human.
So if someone tries to attackyou, you might kick or defend
yourself out of reflex, not amatter of being violent or
trying to be abusive in thatregard.
That's something that thesestories often leave out and
(25:20):
that's something that we'retrying to really stir up on this
podcast.
You have to recognize that ashuman beings, all of us have a
limit.
No, I'm not condoning thisteacher kicking this 12-year-old
nonverbal student, but Were theparents fully aware of the
circumstances?
And then you have to reallythink about the protocols when
(25:41):
it comes to these matters.
Had the teacher been tellingthe school that this was an
ongoing problem and they didnothing about it?
Because oftentimes, when itcomes to my line of work as a
school bus driver, I will reporta student every single day for
crazy activity.
Nothing happens.
Every single day for crazyactivity, nothing happens.
(26:02):
But as soon as one adult slipsup, they're ready to throw the
handcuffs on you and lock you upand throw away the key.
The system is unbalanced in theway that it deals with simple
humans.
Every single day, humans arebeing oppressed and squeezed to
their limit and if we're notcareful we might find ourselves
on the opposite side of such anindividual.
(26:23):
We are hoping that this teacheris going to be able to get the
assistance that she needs tocontinue to move forward, should
she choose to do so.
We also recognize that the12-year-old that was kicked by
the teacher was not injured, andthat is indeed a nice to report
to you guys.
Our next story is gripping.
(26:43):
It is very intense and it isvery, very serious.
Beautiful relationship I ruined.
Call discloses teacher'srelationship with student.
The arrest report was releaseddetailing the inappropriate
teacher-student relationship ata middle school in Palm Beach
(27:05):
Gardens.
A former seventh grade mathteacher at Watson B Duncan
Middle School, christopherWithers, 32, has been arrested
for lewd and lascivious batteryand the use of a child in sexual
performance following aninvestigation by the Palm Beach
Gardens Police Department.
The case emerged when the PalmBeach School District Police
(27:27):
alerted PBGPD about allegationsof an inappropriate sexual
relationship between withers andan underage student.
Police said the investigationbegan on March 25 when the
victim, a minor, provided asworn statement to police
detailing her relationship withWithers, which began when she
(27:48):
was in the eighth grade.
The victim told detectives thatWithers initially took on a
mental role after her father'sdeath, but the relationship soon
turned sexual.
The relationship escalated whenthe victim started high school,
with Withers kissing her andengaging in sexual activities in
his classroom.
Their interactions continuedfor almost once a week for
(28:11):
nearly two years.
She was 14 years old at thetime.
She described how Witherscommunicated with her via
Snapchat, discussing the sexualnature of their relationship.
Police said that Withers eventook the victim and her mother
out to lunch so he could explainhis desire to be more involved
in her life.
The victim also toldinvestigators that when she
(28:33):
began her sophomore year of highschool, they stopped having sex
due to them growing apart intheir relationship.
The victim recounted multipleinstances of sexual encounters
with Withers, often taking placein Withers' apartment and a
nature park in Jupiter Farms.
According to the arrest report,she also mentioned that she
(28:54):
believed that Withers recorded avideo of them on Snapchat and
saved it to his my Eyes Onlyalbum.
On March 26, the victim went tothe police department to conduct
a controlled phone call withWithers, during which he
admitted to their sexualrelationship and expressed
remorse.
According to the arrest report,this call was recorded on body
(29:15):
cam and used as evidence.
Was recorded on body cam andused as evidence In my opinion.
Withers states we had abeautiful relationship that I
ruined.
You showed me sides of myselfthat I didn't know existed.
You showed me that I didn'tknow I could feel these things
(29:40):
and I know that all of that isovershadowed by terrible,
terrible things that I did.
The arrest report mentions thathe stated he will always love
this victim in question, withhis face's lewd and lascivious
battery for engaging in sexualactivity with a minor aged 12
through 16 and use of a child insexual performance for
recording a video of the victimengaging in sexual acts.
(30:01):
His bond was set at $260,000and he was ordered to have no
contact with the victim or thePalm Beach County School Board
and property.
In court he was ordered tohouse arrest with a PBSO monitor
on release from jail with aPBSO monitor on release from
(30:23):
jail.
The article goes on to statethat this individual sought
refuge in this young girl whenhe was having relationship
challenges of his own accord.
And then the article also goeson to state that he took an
opportunity to provide comfortfor her emotionally when she
lost her father in death.
On this show, we often talkabout how to cope with death.
(30:43):
One of the things that parentsmust be aware of is, when their
child loses someone in theirlife, they are desperate to fill
that need with another person,and oftentimes that person is a
mentor at school.
That person is someone online.
That person is someone that theparent may or may not suspect.
(31:05):
Well, in any case, parents,stay vigilant as you strive to
help your child cope withtraumatic stresses that could
hinder them or push them closer,rather, to dangerous
circumstances.
When it comes to the molestationof a child, there is never an
okay reason for it, but thisstory highlights why there has
(31:29):
to be boundaries in the schoolsystem for adults and children.
If there are no boundaries andthese children today think that
they are on the same level of anadult they are the peers of
this adult then you're going tohave these stories in which
these grown persons are gettinginvolved sexually with these
young preteens and teenagers.
(31:50):
So be vigilant, guys.
Don't allow yourselves to fallfor these sick twisted words
that connive and seek to do youharm.
This next story.
I found it to be just a smallbit of an update and it's just a
passing by thought, but it issomething that I wanted to share
(32:12):
with the class of 2025, becausewe are approaching graduation
season and, well, you may havethis concern on your mind.
Teens are losing their mindsover college rejections and
there is a need for them toregain perspective.
Here's why College admissionsdecisions are pushing kids off
(32:34):
the deep end.
Of the 1.2 million kids whoapply to college this year, many
of them won't get into theirdream school.
This will be a huge gut punchfrom admissions officers.
They will never meet analyzingfactors beyond their control.
As results come out, we have toremind them you, dear college
(32:55):
students, of something thatseems far less obvious when
you're 17.
The college you go to does notdefine you, even if 76% of high
schoolers say that the collegeadmissions process is a life
defining event.
Things have become so bad.
Sources have told the Postinstances of self-harm and even
(33:18):
suicide have been linked tocollege decisions at elite prep
schools.
Social media is also awash withtheories linking students'
death to admissions.
And, for the sake of youthmental health.
There is a need to instill inyoung people that life is worth
living, even at your backupschool.
(33:40):
I personally did not seek highereducation.
Why was that?
Well, as a graduate from theclass of 2010, yes, that is 15
years ago I perceived thedangers of college and higher
education For one.
My teachers all went to college, but none of them were happy.
(34:02):
All of them were stressed,hated their job and took several
steps backwards in order to getthat job.
I also wasn't a fan of thecollege atmosphere.
The college atmosphere can bevery competitive it's like a
reality show that's actuallyhappening.
Very competitive, it's like areality show that's actually
happening.
College life can be daunting andif you don't have the
(34:28):
circumstances or the backsupport from your family and I'm
not saying that the backsupport, as in your family
doesn't want you to go, but yourfamily may want you to go to
college, but they have neverwent.
No one in your family has goneto college but you, the first
one to attempt college thatmeans you're alone.
You don't have the support,emotionally and mentally, that
you need to weather this storm.
I also wasn't a fan with thefact that college does not
(34:52):
guarantee you employment.
All of these factors helped meto make a wise decision as to
not pursue higher education Tothe class of 2025,.
I just want to tell you guysthat we love you tremendously.
Do not give up in your race forendurance, for if you do
continue to persevere, you guyswill reap, if you do not tire
(35:16):
out.
The RED team loves you guysextremely much, and if you have
anything that you want toexpress about the hardships
you're going through inconnection with college, or your
concerns or fears, drop us somefan mail or even respond down
to the comment box below on thisshort, our next story.
(35:37):
Powerful, short but gripping.
Special education teacheraccused of sexually assaulting
15-year-old boy during tutoringsession sexually assaulted the
(36:01):
boy in a classroom at DownersGrove South High School during a
tutoring session before schoolin December 2023.
Formella worked there as aspecial education teacher and
soccer coach.
The boy's mother discovered thealleged sexual assault when she
looked through a text messagethread on her son's phone and
reported it to police on March15.
Formella was taken into custodyafter a traffic stop on March
(36:24):
16.
Her husband was with her whenshe was arrested.
Now, according to People, courtdocuments show several explicit
text messages between Formellaand the student that discussed
the details of the sexual abuse.
She also allegedly wrote aboutthe boy on her phone's notes app
, for Mella, who is on paidleave from the school, is
(36:46):
charged with two counts ofaggravated criminal sexual abuse
and criminal sexual assault.
She was released after herfirst court appearance on the
condition that she would nothave contact with anyone under
18.
This story came to me throughthe FYP page of TikTok and I
(37:08):
looked into this and I said wow,you're now starting to see more
and more women take thisassault to an entirely different
level.
But here's the real questionwhy is she on paid leave?
Let me know in the comment boxwhat you guys think about this
particular story, because I'mjust trying to figure out how
(37:29):
the scales of justice arebalanced when this woman has
done this to a kid that hasspecial needs and is still off
on paid leave.
Go figure right.
There are times when justicewill not meet true justice.
We have to accept that reality.
(37:50):
So what can you do to cope?
Look for ways to providecomfort to those who are
affected by these injustices.
Don't take for granted thepower of helping persons to cope
with these tragedies.
This following story graphic,very unsettling man allegedly
beat girlfriend sent her photosof her children after he beat
(38:15):
them.
A man was arrested after heallegedly attacked his pregnant
girlfriend.
She escaped and he sent herpicture proof that he had beaten
her two young children.
According to a release from theManatee County Sheriff's Office
, deputies received reports of achild abuse on March 26
(38:37):
regarding 22-year-old AnthonyReyes and his 23-year-old
pregnant girlfriend and her twochildren, ages 1 and 2.
Reyes allegedly violently beatthe pregnant woman over two days
following an argument,including the man punching her
in the stomach.
The victim told police she wasable to escape the house and
(38:58):
called 911 for help, but shestarted receiving pictures of
her children, who were still inthe home, covered in bruises and
wounds consistent with physicalabuse.
Deputies arrived at the houseand found the children with
injuries that matched those inthe photos, including
lacerations, bruises andswelling.
Per the release, all threevictims were taken to the
(39:20):
hospital to treat their injuries.
Reyes was arrested and chargedwith felony domestic battery by
strangulation, aggravatedbattery on a pregnant woman
tampering with a 911 call, falseimprisonment and two counts of
aggravated child abuse.
You know when I these thingsright, you have to be a really,
(39:43):
really, really hateful person tobeat up a one-year-old and a
two-year-old.
To these three victims, thisgirl, please accept the support
from this podcast, making thesestories aware and allowing
people an opportunity to expresstheir thoughts right in that
comment box.
Let us know what you guys think.
I will say this to you, thoughthis boy is young, 23 years old.
(40:07):
He doesn't appear to have anyparental guidance, he doesn't
appear to have any ounce of lovewithin himself, and I think
that's just the problem today.
Have you guys not noticed howcrazy people are on the road?
Have you not noticed thatpeople literally will get into a
fight over the last piece ofchicken in a restaurant that
they don't own?
Like, when you think about howbad things have gotten, it
(40:31):
really lays emphasis that ifthings don't change soon, it's
going to be an even darker worldthan we've ever, ever seen
before.
Guys, we've reached that finalstory of this particular episode
and man, oh man, they just keptrolling off of the tongue.
I know that you guys areenduring, just like all of us
(40:51):
today, and I want to tell youguys that, on behalf of this
podcast, I can't thank youenough for tuning in each and
every single week For those ofyou guys who support me on
TikTok if they do ban thisRaggedy app, then subscribe to
my YouTube channel.
Nothing you can do but to moveforward.
It's like an upwards andonwards kind of thing.
But in this next story thatwe're going to discuss on the
show, I just find it to be alow-key slap in the face because
(41:14):
, as we mentioned earlier, whenchildren do things in school and
whatever mentioned earlier,when children do things in
school and whatever, whateverit's like, they get the lowest
punishment.
But in this story we know thatthe person did the crime and
still there's no consequences.
Teacher says middle schoolstudent stole her wallet,
charged hundreds to her creditcard.
(41:34):
A middle school teacher inIllinois says a student stole
her wallet and hundreds ofdollars in charges were later
racked up on her credit cards.
Tammy Huggins said she isconcerned that East St Louis
School District might be tryingto sweep her incident under the
rug.
Huggins teaches at Mason ClarkMiddle School.
(41:56):
She says a 13-year-old studentstole her wallet earlier in
March.
On March 21, huggins says shestarted receiving texts from her
credit card company aboutseveral purchases.
She notes that she saw $220charged to Sheen, or for Sheen
rather, and immediately she wentto check her purse.
(42:17):
She said to herself I don'teven know what Sheen is.
Huggins went to check her purse.
She said to herself I don'teven know what Sheen is.
Huggins added that hersuspicions were confirmed after
several students told theirclassmates were bragging about
stealing her wallet and severalSheen and DoorDash purchases.
The principal said the familywants to make you whole.
(42:37):
She wants to apologize.
And he gave me the one creditcard.
Huggins said.
It is an apology.
Huggins mentions, but sherefuses to accept it.
She says she has not receivedher other credit cards wallet,
nor the $200 cash she has inside.
Huggins also continues that shebelieves the district's
(43:00):
administration wants her to justlet it go, but that's something
that she says she won't be ableto do.
The teacher said she did file apolice report in hopes that the
student and her parents will beheld accountable.
This is a female that swiped upthese credit cards from this
teacher.
Now the school did release astatement.
They didn't respond to thisteacher.
Now the school did release astatement.
They didn't respond to any newspersonnel, but they did release
(43:23):
a statement very generic.
We take all reports of lost ormissing property seriously and
address them in accordance withour policies and procedures.
It's obvious that your policiesneed to change, because nothing
happened as a result of thisteacher being robbed,
essentially by a student Drivingthe school bus and dealing with
(43:45):
students.
Today, I will tell you, guys,that I don't blame the students.
I blame the parents 100%.
Now I'm not saying that theparents need to be locked up and
put in the jail, but when Ihave a student on my bus that
refuses to listen, and thatstudent has his own way of
processing life, he feels asthough he can just do whatever
he wants.
That is a parental issue athome.
(44:07):
So why am I going to get madwith little Billy or little
Johnny or little Mr Richard?
Why would I get mad with MrDickey?
I need to direct some of thatenergy to the parents, because
it's the parents who areresponsible for what their child
does and what their child doesnot do.
At the same time, though, as anadministrative figure, I can
try my best to appeal to thechild, to help them to see the
(44:30):
dangers of their course and, ifthey don't make adjustments, how
it will negatively impact theirlife.
But maybe I'm just oldfashioned.
I don't know if any of you guyson live are in school or have
dealt with administration orclassmates who are just
downright unruly today.
But the reality of thecircumstance is people.
Today.
They really need to be moreaware of the times that we're
(44:52):
living in.
We're living in times whereadults can't be nice to a
student because that's looked atas predatory.
We're living in times wherepeople don't hold the door for
you anymore.
We're living in an environmentwhere people literally will stab
you just because you have nofreedom of speech, you don't
have any ability to communicateor choose which way you would
(45:16):
like to go, because that'll makesomebody upset and then they'll
want to be confrontational.
So, regardless of thecircumstances, continue to
persevere as always.
Guys.
We extend a warm thank you toall followers and subscribers.
I literally could not do thiswithout you guys.
You guys are more thansubscribers, you are more than
(45:37):
followers, you are family and Ilove each and every one of you
guys.
Now I am trying to do somethingdifferent.
I know I'm still in the toddlernewborn stages of my channel
and my podcasting and yada, yada, yada, but I did want to do
some kind of giveaway.
I wanted to give out one of mymerch shirts.
It's not a shirt that I sell,but it's just my get up for the
(45:59):
show and it was designed by areally cool company and I just
want to share that expressionwith other people has a school
bus on it, soundboard behind it.
I think it's really creative.
It really gives homage to orjust supports what we're doing
on this particular show.
Well, guys, that was episode 119.
Don't forget to download it onSpotify, apple, amazon, any
(46:19):
place you can listen to thepodcast.
We're there, we love you, guys,and we will catch you on
episode 120.
Oh, how could I forget?
This has been RED.
It's the Everyday Podcast forthe Everyday People.
This is the Everyday Podcastfor the Everyday People.
This is the Everyday Podcast for the Everyday People.
Guys, welcome back to anotherepisode of RED.
It's that Everyday Podcast forthe Everyday People.
This week was the longest weekof my life.
There were tons of field tripsthat I had to do, dealing with
(00:28):
elementary school kids, and thisweek just passed by so entirely
slowly.
And I wanted to say that if you, as my viewers, have had a long
week, just know that Iempathize with you guys that the
work week just drags right onand then you get to the weekend
and then, once you're at theweekend, friday night is pretty
(00:49):
much a work day.
Saturday you're crashing fromFriday night and then Sunday
you're moving on to God knowswhat.
But despite the challengingweek that I've had, I did learn
some things.
I learned that people don'tlisten like they used to.
There's a lot of people outthere today who just I'm not
going to say that people justdon't care, but they don't have
(01:12):
that listening ear that theyused to have in the past.
And so you guys know that eachepisode comes with a theme, and
I found that this week's themeit would be vital to consider
the topic of how to be a goodlistener.
Now, before we jump into that.
I just wanted to sharecondolences to the actor Val
(01:33):
Kilmer.
I didn't realize that he passedaway early on this month, but
usually when there's a celebritythat I know that's passed away,
someone close and dear to myheart, I have to give them a
shout out on this podcast.
So Val Kilmer, let's talk abouthim.
He was the Batman in 1995.
Now that's Batman Forever.
(01:54):
That's the movie with JimCarrey as the Riddler.
You had there Tommy Lee Jonesas Two-Face, jones as Two-Face,
and it was a movie that wasreally important to me because
me and my brother who passedaway, we would watch it all of
the time together as kids andmake jokes about the movie, et
cetera.
So when I found out that ValKilmer had passed away, it just
(02:16):
touched me differently than ifit had been another celebrity.
Lately I just find that thereare so many people that are just
passing away like it's it'stragic.
You know.
I know that for some peoplethey may say, well, he was a
celebrity and we didn't reallyknow him, but the reality is he
was a human being.
You know, he was a living,breathing soul and his life had
(02:38):
an impact on others, and so Ijust wanted to express
condolences to persons who mayhave known this actor or who
knew this actor, or for personsthis week who may have lost
someone in death.
I just want to express thecondolences to you guys in that
regard.
So our theme in connection withthis episode is really important
(02:59):
how to be a good listener Well,why is that a challenge?
How to be a good listener Well,why is that a challenge?
The context of this discussionis focused on married persons.
However, you can apply thistopic to any individual.
In specific, being a goodlistener is important because it
(03:21):
gets you places.
It helps you to buildrelationships and to strengthen
the ones that you have.
Have you ever heard someone sayto you, or has someone said to
you recently you're notlistening to me, and then
someone else or you may respond,but I was.
Evidently, what you heard isvery different from what this
(03:45):
individual said or is trying totell you.
As a result, an argumentdevelops.
In this episode, we're going tobe able to examine as to how we
can improve listening toindividuals that we love and
(04:05):
care for.
It is possible to avoidconflicts that are tantamount to
having arguments ordisagreements with your spouse,
lover, boyfriend, girlfriend,mom, dad, parents, family
members, etc.
Why does it happen?
Well, the first thing is that alot of us today are tired,
(04:28):
exhausted emotionally, mentallyand physically, and so when we,
as humans, are going throughthese emotions, it's very
difficult for us to listen tosomeone else.
As a result, it takes a greatdeal of concentration to be able
to listen to someone.
And just got someone in thelive there.
Hey, what's going on?
(04:49):
So, aside from kids, aside fromtelevision, and aside from the
problems that we have to dealwith at work, it is very
difficult to find the emotionalstrength to talk to one
significant other, even thoughyou may love and care for them.
Another reason why it'sdifficult in order to listen to
(05:09):
someone is that we makeassumptions.
This has been called a damagingform of mind reading.
You assume that there is ahidden message behind your
spouse's words, or your cousin,boyfriend, girlfriend or
whomever you're talking to.
Has that ever happened to you?
Have you been in a heartfeltconversation with someone and
you say something to them andthen they respond in a way that
(05:32):
does not acknowledge what you'resaying, but creates an entirely
different thought or statement.
Here's an example.
Suppose someone in your familysays to you you spent a lot of
extra time at work this week.
Interpretating this ascriticism, you say it's not my
fault.
I have to work extra hoursbecause you are running up our
(05:54):
bills, whose original intentionwas merely the problem here,
right?
So your spouse asks you thisquestion out of a kind heart,
but you took that as criticismand then responded in kind, or
(06:14):
as you thought.
When it comes to listening, itis so important to focus on what
the person is saying and dealwith the circumstances
unbiasedly.
Here's another thing that canmake listening a challenge you
look for solutions prematurely.
(06:34):
Notice what Marcy says.
Sometimes I just want toexpress how I feel, but Mike
wants to tell me how to fix it.
Sometimes, as humans, we tryour best to alleviate, remedy or
fix the problems of people welove and care for.
The reality is, sometimespeople need a listening ear as a
(06:57):
form of comfort, and no matterwhere you were raised or where
you were born or what yourupbringing was like, all of
those things will be affected byhow you listen to individuals
and how you strive to deal withsuch persons in your life.
Now again, this theme isfocused on couples or persons in
(07:18):
a relationship, but you canapply these principles even in
your own family dynamic.
So what is it that you can do toincrease your listening?
First, give your completeattention.
Your family member hassomething important to say, but
are you ready to listen?
(07:39):
Well, perhaps not.
Your mind may be on otherthings at the moment.
But if that is the case, do notpretend to listen.
If possible, put aside whatyou're doing and give your
person of interest here yourfull attention.
Or perhaps you could ask themto wait until you are able to do
(07:59):
so.
Have you ever been in aconversation with someone and
you say to them I don't thinkyou're listening to me?
And they'll say of course I am.
And then you'll say okay,repeat it back to me.
And then they'll summarize whatyou said, but they won't give
you the full picture of what wasstated.
That causes a lot ofcomplication.
(08:19):
So strive to improve yourability of self-control by
telling that person hey, by theway, now was not a good time for
me to talk, or you couldpossibly be able to let them
know I got a lot on my mind andright now my thinking is
distracted.
You see, when you take thosesteps, you'll be able to support
that individual by agreeing tospeak one at a time.
(08:41):
I don't know about you, butthere are many times in which
I'm talking to a person and thenthey'll cut me off or they'll
over talk someone else in theperimeter or the vicinity of the
conversation.
When it's your turn to listen,resist the urge to interrupt or
disagree, and I find that to befunny because it seems like
(09:03):
common sense, but common senseis just not so common anymore.
You're going to get your turnto speak.
It's inevitable.
If you're having a conversationwith someone, you're going to
get a chance to speak.
Just make sure you don't overtalk them, because that can lead
to confusion and problems andstress.
Another thing that's vital inconnection with listening or
(09:25):
increasing our ability is askingquestions.
This will make you better ableto understand what persons are
saying.
So when you do ask questions,it shows that you are involved
in the conversation and it showsyou really want to get their
response on such matters.
When we apply these principles,not only do we increase our
(09:46):
listening ability, but wereassure people that they're
loved and cared about, and wereassure them that, despite the
darknesses that are going ontoday in this world and despite
the circumstances that weinevitably find ourselves in,
that we've got their back.
One of the things that I loveabout being able to come on this
podcast every week is the factthat I get to really listen to
persons who comment on my shorts.
(10:08):
They get to comment on mystories and express how these
stories are affecting their lifein real time.
There's a lot of contentcreators out there who don't
even give their followers orsubscribers the time of day, for
whatever the reason you know.
But if you are out here contentcreating, you should make it
your aim in business to respondto these people who have aided
(10:31):
you in your success.
So that is going to be theconclusion of our theme for this
particular episode Increaseyour listening ability by
exercising self-control and byeffectively asking questions so
as to be able to stir upemotions from the person that
(10:51):
you are communicating with.
Now, as always, we have 10stories on this week's episode
that are going to be quitegripping.
I will say that this lineup ofstories that I'm covering this
week are pretty intense.
There were some.
I was just baffled at howwicked people can be in dealing
(11:11):
with other human beings.
Here's our first story Dad ofteen accused of fatally stabbing
Texas football star AustinMcAlf says son was not the
aggressor.
The father of a Texas teenaccused of fatally stabbing a
football star from a rivalschool over a seat at the
(11:32):
stadium says his son is a goodkid who was provoked to violence
.
Everyone has already made theirassumptions about my son, but
he's not what they are makinghim out to be.
Andrew Anthony told the Post.
Carmelo Anthony, 17, wasarrested Wednesday for allegedly
killing 17-year-old AustinMetcalfe at a track meet,
(11:54):
leaving him to die in his twinbrother's arms.
He's a good kid.
He works two jobs.
He's an A student, has a 3.7GPA, the heartbroken father
added.
The elder Anthony insisted hisson didn't instigate the tragic
brawl over a seat at a stadiumin Frisco, texas, where the
(12:18):
boy's school had met for a trackmeet.
His father adds that he was notthe aggressor.
He was not the one who startedthis brawl.
Although Carmelo has beencharged with first-degree murder
, anthony said his son's actionwas a heat-of-the-moment mistake
that has brought tragedy toboth families.
(12:39):
I feel bad for the otherparents and family, and words
can't explain how both familieshave been affected by this
tragedy.
He continues tragedy.
He continues.
Carmelo, a senior at CentennialHigh School, was allegedly told
he was sitting in the wrongseat before he drew a knife and
launched his attack.
(13:00):
The father of the victim toldNBC Dallas Fort Worth.
Carmelo allegedly stabbedAustin Metcalfe in the chest.
As his victim's identical twinbrother, hunter Metcalfe,
watched in horror.
As his victim's identical twinbrother, hunter Metcalfe,
watched in horror.
The teen was pronounced dead ata local hospital and, despite
life-saving measures by policeand fire personnel, including
(13:22):
CPR and the administration ofblood, the 17-year-old died.
The grieving father questionedCarmelo's upbringing and parents
as he forgave his son's allegedkiller.
The context of this story isindeed insane.
This is what I gather.
Two students at a track meet.
(13:44):
One student tells anotherstudent hey, you're in the wrong
seat.
That student jumps up with aknife, stabs him in the heart
and kills him on the spot.
We are living in times in whichpeople just don't have that
natural human affection likethey used to, and if you are
(14:05):
going through circumstances inwhich you've experienced
violence or perhaps someone thatyou know and love has
experienced violence, what canyou do?
Well, one thing that can be agreat source of comfort and
support is to communicate withothers about the feelings that
you're having.
We are constantly beingbombarded by negative news, and
(14:26):
what happens is that negativenews starts to become a burden
on us, and if you don't havesomeone to support you through
it, it can literally crush yourspirits, your hope and your
emotion for the future.
I'm truly hoping that thisfamily is getting the comfort
they need to be able to copewith this devastating loss that
(14:47):
was senseless by nature.
We wish you guys the best asyou strive to endure and we do
express our heartfelt love foryou, dear ones, regarding this
tragedy In this following storydisturbing I will say that this
is the most disturbing storyI've ever come in contact with
(15:08):
on my podcast.
On my podcast, a teacher accusedof arranging group sex with
students who allegedly worescream masks faces new charges.
A former Indiana high schoolteacher is facing two dozen more
felony charges, as prosecutorsaccuse her of arranging group
sex with middle and high schoolboys as young as 13 years old
(15:32):
while they allegedly wore screammasks.
According to new courtdocuments filed in Morgan County
obtained by TMZ on Friday,march 28th, prosecutors are
alleging that BrittanyFortenberry committed crimes
against a sixth victim.
Victim County Prosecutor StevenP Sanega told the outlet on
(15:55):
March 27 that Fortenberry, 31,will be charged with 24
additional felonies, bringingher total to 29, including five
level one child molestationcounts.
Fortenberry is also facing 24counts with level 4, 5, and 6
offenses, which carry sentencesranging from 2 to 12 years to 1
(16:18):
to 6 years, sonega added.
The former teacher's chargesinclude sexual misconduct with a
minor, dissemination of matterharmful to minors, performing
sexual conduct in the presenceof a minor and contributing to
the delinquency of a minor.
Court records show One of heralleged victims said that the
(16:39):
boys involved in the incidenthad to wear a scream mask and
they would rotate every 15minutes in sexual encounters
that would go on for hours.
According to court documentsobtained by Fox 59.
Fortenberry has been previouslyarrested and charged in
(17:01):
February with three counts ofsexual misconduct and one count
of dissemination of matterharmful to minors and one count
of contributing to thedelinquency of a minor that had
previously been filed.
Fortenberry's trial isscheduled to begin on June 25th.
Court record show Someonereached out to me recently.
They hit me up in my mailbox andthey said to me how does this
(17:22):
stuff happen?
And I'm thinking to myself.
I've been driving school busfor many years and I can tell
you why these things happen.
Well, in short, there's noprotection.
No one is setting a boundary inthe classroom between a teacher
and a student.
Now you may say well, why can'tthey just hire teachers at a
(17:44):
certain age?
It does not matter If it's ahuman being and they have urges
and desires.
They are going to be tempted toact on those desires.
So what could possibly be donein these scenarios?
Don't allow the teachers to bein the classroom by themselves.
For example, a teacher should,by law, have an aide in the
(18:05):
classroom.
On my school bus I have twoaides, one male, one female.
Now some people may find thatto be a little bit babysitting,
but the reality is there is nosuch title when you're trying to
protect someone else's childand that's the problem in the
school system today they don'tthink about what could go wrong.
(18:27):
They often focus on theexception of the matter rather
than the rule of thecircumstances, on the exception
of the matter rather than therule of the circumstances.
In this following story we'recontinuing down that path of
poor choices in the schoolenvironment.
Now there is a video attachedto the story.
Tiktok obviously will not letme upload it, but you can copy
and paste the link and searchthis information up to be able
(18:49):
to see this video.
Quite horrendous by nature.
Texas junior high school studentbeaten head stomped by vicious
peer as teachers fail tointervene.
A Texas junior high schoolstudent was viciously beaten by
another student as adultshalf-heartedly tried to stop the
savagery that ended with a headstomp.
(19:11):
According to a viral video, thetwo youngsters involved are
Harwood Junior High Schoolstudents in Bedford, texas,
where the violent incident tookplace.
The school confirmed in aletter.
According to WFAA, disturbingvideo of the one-sided incident
showed the aggressor sitting onanother boy's chest while he
(19:32):
rained down fist after fist onthe head of the flailing victim.
At one point in the attack thevictim attempted to get up but
is tackled by the aggressor andbrought back down to the
concrete of the school'scourtyard as he is beaten,
senseless, the young boy looksto fellow students for help, but
(19:53):
instead they make whoopingnoises, watch and record on
their phones as the boy suffersfrom punches to his face and
back of the head.
The video showed Teachers failto halt the violence.
Video shows two adult men onewho doesn't put down his thermos
slowly approach the skirmishand gently pull the attacker off
(20:16):
without straining him.
When the punches subsided, theattacker stands up unimpeded by
the adults and stomps on thehead of the victim, knocking him
unconscious and rendering himimmobile After the stomp.
No one goes up to help thevictim for at least 20 seconds.
Instead, students continue togawk and adults are nowhere to
(20:38):
be seen.
It was unclear how badlyinjured the student was or if he
required medical attention.
The principal of Harwood JuniorHigh School confirmed the viral
fight video occurred at theirschool and that they are
investigating the matter.
The Bedford Police Departmentinvestigated the incident and
(20:59):
has referred it to the TarrantCounty Juvenile Justice System.
According to a statement postedon Facebook, children, violence,
anger, rage, aggression.
There is a brief photo, just aglimpse of the mayhem that
(21:19):
unfolded.
Now what is it that I warn myviewers about when I cover these
stories?
These stories are out ofcontext.
I don't know if this studentwas being bullied and he just
had enough.
By the photo, it seems to be anAfrican-American male atop
another male of a Caucasianethnicity.
(21:40):
But violence is never the answer.
I'm never going to support anyof my followers, any of my
listeners, getting involved inviolence.
It's like I tell the kids on myschool bus why would you get
involved in violence knowingthat that person can come back
to school the next day and takeyour very life?
Years ago we could handlematters that way you could be
able to brawl it up with someone, you could be able to roll
(22:01):
around with them on the ground,ramble it up, and then you peace
up, peace out, make respect andyou're on your way.
But today, when you have afight with someone and if it
doesn't go as planned, it couldliterally cost you your life.
So, no, I would not say thathandling things in a violent
manner is the best way to go.
But I will tell you guys thisthat if this student is not
(22:26):
careful, he could be looking atfirst degree murder, attempted
first degree murder, because ofjust how heinous this was.
And then, when the student wasdown on the ground, he came back
and then stomped him in thehead.
It just amazes me how violentpeople have become.
And then, if you have to lookat the other side of the coin,
maybe the student that was onthe ground was the one getting
(22:47):
bullied, or maybe it wassomething small or even stupid
that caused these two to getinto this altercation in which
someone could have literallylost their life.
In our following story we arefollowing that pattern in which
teachers do things to studentsthat they just should not.
Former Central Dauphin teacherkicked 12-year-old nonverbal
(23:10):
student.
Old non-verbal student.
A former teacher in the CentralDauphin School District kicked
a 12-year old non-verbal studentseveral times.
According to police, lowerPaxton Township Police cited
Miracle Stokes, 27, last weekfor harassment in connection
with the January 17 incident atLinglestown Middle School.
(23:31):
The citation said Stokes kickedthe student after he kicked or
attempted to kick her.
District spokesperson ShannonLieb said the teacher had
received proper, safe crisismanagement training and
appropriate techniques forrestraining students safely, but
did not follow those requiredtechniques.
(23:52):
Stokes was immediately placedon administrative leave,
according to Leib, and sheresigned on February the 5th.
She added that the schoolprincipal also immediately
notified the parents of theother students in the classroom
where this incident particularlyhappened.
Police said the student didn'tsuffer any injuries as a result
(24:13):
of the kicks.
My mom used to work in a grouphome with persons whom had
disabilities and variouscomplications in connection with
their everyday functions andyes, these people become violent
from time to time and peoplewill say, well, they have the
state training.
You know, they have thetraining.
They shouldn't have did that tothe person or whatever the case
(24:36):
is.
But we often and this is justso humorous, we always forget to
leave room for human error andfree will.
The goal is not to retaliatewhen a person who's disabled or
has a disability is trying to doharm to you.
Of course the mentality isn'they, let me just kick this guy
(24:58):
in the neck, hey, let me kickthis guy in the stomach.
But as a human being, we haveto be realistic to the fact that
we're human.
So if someone tries to attackyou, you might kick or defend
yourself out of reflex, not amatter of being violent or
trying to be abusive in thatregard.
That's something that thesestories often leave out and
(25:20):
that's something that we'retrying to really stir up on this
podcast.
You have to recognize that ashuman beings, all of us have a
limit.
No, I'm not condoning thisteacher kicking this 12-year-old
nonverbal student, but Were theparents fully aware of the
circumstances?
And then you have to reallythink about the protocols when
(25:41):
it comes to these matters.
Had the teacher been tellingthe school that this was an
ongoing problem and they didnothing about it?
Because oftentimes, when itcomes to my line of work as a
school bus driver, I will reporta student every single day for
crazy activity.
Nothing happens.
Every single day for crazyactivity, nothing happens.
(26:02):
But as soon as one adult slipsup, they're ready to throw the
handcuffs on you and lock you upand throw away the key.
The system is unbalanced in theway that it deals with simple
humans.
Every single day, humans arebeing oppressed and squeezed to
their limit and if we're notcareful we might find ourselves
on the opposite side of such anindividual.
(26:23):
We are hoping that this teacheris going to be able to get the
assistance that she needs tocontinue to move forward, should
she choose to do so.
We also recognize that the12-year-old that was kicked by
the teacher was not injured, andthat is indeed a nice to report
to you guys.
Our next story is gripping.
(26:43):
It is very intense and it isvery, very serious.
Beautiful relationship I ruined.
Call discloses teacher'srelationship with student.
The arrest report was releaseddetailing the inappropriate
teacher-student relationship ata middle school in Palm Beach
(27:05):
Gardens.
A former seventh grade mathteacher at Watson B Duncan
Middle School, christopherWithers, 32, has been arrested
for lewd and lascivious batteryand the use of a child in sexual
performance following aninvestigation by the Palm Beach
Gardens Police Department.
The case emerged when the PalmBeach School District Police
(27:27):
alerted PBGPD about allegationsof an inappropriate sexual
relationship between withers andan underage student.
Police said the investigationbegan on March 25 when the
victim, a minor, provided asworn statement to police
detailing her relationship withWithers, which began when she
(27:48):
was in the eighth grade.
The victim told detectives thatWithers initially took on a
mental role after her father'sdeath, but the relationship soon
turned sexual.
The relationship escalated whenthe victim started high school,
with Withers kissing her andengaging in sexual activities in
his classroom.
Their interactions continuedfor almost once a week for
(28:11):
nearly two years.
She was 14 years old at thetime.
She described how Witherscommunicated with her via
Snapchat, discussing the sexualnature of their relationship.
Police said that Withers eventook the victim and her mother
out to lunch so he could explainhis desire to be more involved
in her life.
The victim also toldinvestigators that when she
(28:33):
began her sophomore year of highschool, they stopped having sex
due to them growing apart intheir relationship.
The victim recounted multipleinstances of sexual encounters
with Withers, often taking placein Withers' apartment and a
nature park in Jupiter Farms.
According to the arrest report,she also mentioned that she
(28:54):
believed that Withers recorded avideo of them on Snapchat and
saved it to his my Eyes Onlyalbum.
On March 26, the victim went tothe police department to conduct
a controlled phone call withWithers, during which he
admitted to their sexualrelationship and expressed
remorse.
According to the arrest report,this call was recorded on body
(29:15):
cam and used as evidence.
Was recorded on body cam andused as evidence In my opinion.
Withers states we had abeautiful relationship that I
ruined.
You showed me sides of myselfthat I didn't know existed.
You showed me that I didn'tknow I could feel these things
(29:40):
and I know that all of that isovershadowed by terrible,
terrible things that I did.
The arrest report mentions thathe stated he will always love
this victim in question, withhis face's lewd and lascivious
battery for engaging in sexualactivity with a minor aged 12
through 16 and use of a child insexual performance for
recording a video of the victimengaging in sexual acts.
(30:01):
His bond was set at $260,000and he was ordered to have no
contact with the victim or thePalm Beach County School Board
and property.
In court he was ordered tohouse arrest with a PBSO monitor
on release from jail with aPBSO monitor on release from
(30:23):
jail.
The article goes on to statethat this individual sought
refuge in this young girl whenhe was having relationship
challenges of his own accord.
And then the article also goeson to state that he took an
opportunity to provide comfortfor her emotionally when she
lost her father in death.
On this show, we often talkabout how to cope with death.
(30:43):
One of the things that parentsmust be aware of is, when their
child loses someone in theirlife, they are desperate to fill
that need with another person,and oftentimes that person is a
mentor at school.
That person is someone online.
That person is someone that theparent may or may not suspect.
(31:05):
Well, in any case, parents,stay vigilant as you strive to
help your child cope withtraumatic stresses that could
hinder them or push them closer,rather, to dangerous
circumstances.
When it comes to the molestationof a child, there is never an
okay reason for it, but thisstory highlights why there has
(31:29):
to be boundaries in the schoolsystem for adults and children.
If there are no boundaries andthese children today think that
they are on the same level of anadult they are the peers of
this adult then you're going tohave these stories in which
these grown persons are gettinginvolved sexually with these
young preteens and teenagers.
(31:50):
So be vigilant, guys.
Don't allow yourselves to fallfor these sick twisted words
that connive and seek to do youharm.
This next story.
I found it to be just a smallbit of an update and it's just a
passing by thought, but it issomething that I wanted to share
(32:12):
with the class of 2025, becausewe are approaching graduation
season and, well, you may havethis concern on your mind.
Teens are losing their mindsover college rejections and
there is a need for them toregain perspective.
Here's why College admissionsdecisions are pushing kids off
(32:34):
the deep end.
Of the 1.2 million kids whoapply to college this year, many
of them won't get into theirdream school.
This will be a huge gut punchfrom admissions officers.
They will never meet analyzingfactors beyond their control.
As results come out, we have toremind them you, dear college
(32:55):
students, of something thatseems far less obvious when
you're 17.
The college you go to does notdefine you, even if 76% of high
schoolers say that the collegeadmissions process is a life
defining event.
Things have become so bad.
Sources have told the Postinstances of self-harm and even
(33:18):
suicide have been linked tocollege decisions at elite prep
schools.
Social media is also awash withtheories linking students'
death to admissions.
And, for the sake of youthmental health.
There is a need to instill inyoung people that life is worth
living, even at your backupschool.
(33:40):
I personally did not seek highereducation.
Why was that?
Well, as a graduate from theclass of 2010, yes, that is 15
years ago I perceived thedangers of college and higher
education For one.
My teachers all went to college, but none of them were happy.
(34:02):
All of them were stressed,hated their job and took several
steps backwards in order to getthat job.
I also wasn't a fan of thecollege atmosphere.
The college atmosphere can bevery competitive it's like a
reality show that's actuallyhappening.
Very competitive, it's like areality show that's actually
happening.
College life can be daunting andif you don't have the
(34:28):
circumstances or the backsupport from your family and I'm
not saying that the backsupport, as in your family
doesn't want you to go, but yourfamily may want you to go to
college, but they have neverwent.
No one in your family has goneto college but you, the first
one to attempt college thatmeans you're alone.
You don't have the support,emotionally and mentally, that
you need to weather this storm.
I also wasn't a fan with thefact that college does not
(34:52):
guarantee you employment.
All of these factors helped meto make a wise decision as to
not pursue higher education Tothe class of 2025,.
I just want to tell you guysthat we love you tremendously.
Do not give up in your race forendurance, for if you do
continue to persevere, you guyswill reap, if you do not tire
(35:16):
out.
The RED team loves you guysextremely much, and if you have
anything that you want toexpress about the hardships
you're going through inconnection with college, or your
concerns or fears, drop us somefan mail or even respond down
to the comment box below on thisshort, our next story.
(35:37):
Powerful, short but gripping.
Special education teacheraccused of sexually assaulting
15-year-old boy during tutoringsession sexually assaulted the
(36:01):
boy in a classroom at DownersGrove South High School during a
tutoring session before schoolin December 2023.
Formella worked there as aspecial education teacher and
soccer coach.
The boy's mother discovered thealleged sexual assault when she
looked through a text messagethread on her son's phone and
reported it to police on March15.
Formella was taken into custodyafter a traffic stop on March
(36:24):
16.
Her husband was with her whenshe was arrested.
Now, according to People, courtdocuments show several explicit
text messages between Formellaand the student that discussed
the details of the sexual abuse.
She also allegedly wrote aboutthe boy on her phone's notes app
, for Mella, who is on paidleave from the school, is
(36:46):
charged with two counts ofaggravated criminal sexual abuse
and criminal sexual assault.
She was released after herfirst court appearance on the
condition that she would nothave contact with anyone under
18.
This story came to me throughthe FYP page of TikTok and I
(37:08):
looked into this and I said wow,you're now starting to see more
and more women take thisassault to an entirely different
level.
But here's the real questionwhy is she on paid leave?
Let me know in the comment boxwhat you guys think about this
particular story, because I'mjust trying to figure out how
(37:29):
the scales of justice arebalanced when this woman has
done this to a kid that hasspecial needs and is still off
on paid leave.
Go figure right.
There are times when justicewill not meet true justice.
We have to accept that reality.
(37:50):
So what can you do to cope?
Look for ways to providecomfort to those who are
affected by these injustices.
Don't take for granted thepower of helping persons to cope
with these tragedies.
This following story graphic,very unsettling man allegedly
beat girlfriend sent her photosof her children after he beat
(38:15):
them.
A man was arrested after heallegedly attacked his pregnant
girlfriend.
She escaped and he sent herpicture proof that he had beaten
her two young children.
According to a release from theManatee County Sheriff's Office
, deputies received reports of achild abuse on March 26
(38:37):
regarding 22-year-old AnthonyReyes and his 23-year-old
pregnant girlfriend and her twochildren, ages 1 and 2.
Reyes allegedly violently beatthe pregnant woman over two days
following an argument,including the man punching her
in the stomach.
The victim told police she wasable to escape the house and
(38:58):
called 911 for help, but shestarted receiving pictures of
her children, who were still inthe home, covered in bruises and
wounds consistent with physicalabuse.
Deputies arrived at the houseand found the children with
injuries that matched those inthe photos, including
lacerations, bruises andswelling.
Per the release, all threevictims were taken to the
(39:20):
hospital to treat their injuries.
Reyes was arrested and chargedwith felony domestic battery by
strangulation, aggravatedbattery on a pregnant woman
tampering with a 911 call, falseimprisonment and two counts of
aggravated child abuse.
You know when I these thingsright, you have to be a really,
(39:43):
really, really hateful person tobeat up a one-year-old and a
two-year-old.
To these three victims, thisgirl, please accept the support
from this podcast, making thesestories aware and allowing
people an opportunity to expresstheir thoughts right in that
comment box.
Let us know what you guys think.
I will say this to you, thoughthis boy is young, 23 years old.
(40:07):
He doesn't appear to have anyparental guidance, he doesn't
appear to have any ounce of lovewithin himself, and I think
that's just the problem today.
Have you guys not noticed howcrazy people are on the road?
Have you not noticed thatpeople literally will get into a
fight over the last piece ofchicken in a restaurant that
they don't own?
Like, when you think about howbad things have gotten, it
(40:31):
really lays emphasis that ifthings don't change soon, it's
going to be an even darker worldthan we've ever, ever seen
before.
Guys, we've reached that finalstory of this particular episode
and man, oh man, they just keptrolling off of the tongue.
I know that you guys areenduring, just like all of us
(40:51):
today, and I want to tell youguys that, on behalf of this
podcast, I can't thank youenough for tuning in each and
every single week For those ofyou guys who support me on
TikTok if they do ban thisRaggedy app, then subscribe to
my YouTube channel.
Nothing you can do but to moveforward.
It's like an upwards andonwards kind of thing.
But in this next story thatwe're going to discuss on the
show, I just find it to be alow-key slap in the face because
(41:14):
, as we mentioned earlier, whenchildren do things in school and
whatever mentioned earlier,when children do things in
school and whatever, whateverit's like, they get the lowest
punishment.
But in this story we know thatthe person did the crime and
still there's no consequences.
Teacher says middle schoolstudent stole her wallet,
charged hundreds to her creditcard.
(41:34):
A middle school teacher inIllinois says a student stole
her wallet and hundreds ofdollars in charges were later
racked up on her credit cards.
Tammy Huggins said she isconcerned that East St Louis
School District might be tryingto sweep her incident under the
rug.
Huggins teaches at Mason ClarkMiddle School.
(41:56):
She says a 13-year-old studentstole her wallet earlier in
March.
On March 21, huggins says shestarted receiving texts from her
credit card company aboutseveral purchases.
She notes that she saw $220charged to Sheen, or for Sheen
rather, and immediately she wentto check her purse.
(42:17):
She said to herself I don'teven know what Sheen is.
Huggins went to check her purse.
She said to herself I don'teven know what Sheen is.
Huggins added that hersuspicions were confirmed after
several students told theirclassmates were bragging about
stealing her wallet and severalSheen and DoorDash purchases.
The principal said the familywants to make you whole.
(42:37):
She wants to apologize.
And he gave me the one creditcard.
Huggins said.
It is an apology.
Huggins mentions, but sherefuses to accept it.
She says she has not receivedher other credit cards wallet,
nor the $200 cash she has inside.
Huggins also continues that shebelieves the district's
(43:00):
administration wants her to justlet it go, but that's something
that she says she won't be ableto do.
The teacher said she did file apolice report in hopes that the
student and her parents will beheld accountable.
This is a female that swiped upthese credit cards from this
teacher.
Now the school did release astatement.
They didn't respond to thisteacher.
Now the school did release astatement.
They didn't respond to any newspersonnel, but they did release
(43:23):
a statement very generic.
We take all reports of lost ormissing property seriously and
address them in accordance withour policies and procedures.
It's obvious that your policiesneed to change, because nothing
happened as a result of thisteacher being robbed,
essentially by a student Drivingthe school bus and dealing with
(43:45):
students.
Today, I will tell you, guys,that I don't blame the students.
I blame the parents 100%.
Now I'm not saying that theparents need to be locked up and
put in the jail, but when Ihave a student on my bus that
refuses to listen, and thatstudent has his own way of
processing life, he feels asthough he can just do whatever
he wants.
That is a parental issue athome.
(44:07):
So why am I going to get madwith little Billy or little
Johnny or little Mr Richard?
Why would I get mad with MrDickey?
I need to direct some of thatenergy to the parents, because
it's the parents who areresponsible for what their child
does and what their child doesnot do.
At the same time, though, as anadministrative figure, I can
try my best to appeal to thechild, to help them to see the
(44:30):
dangers of their course and, ifthey don't make adjustments, how
it will negatively impact theirlife.
But maybe I'm just oldfashioned.
I don't know if any of you guyson live are in school or have
dealt with administration orclassmates who are just
downright unruly today.
But the reality of thecircumstance is people.
Today.
They really need to be moreaware of the times that we're
(44:52):
living in.
We're living in times whereadults can't be nice to a
student because that's looked atas predatory.
We're living in times wherepeople don't hold the door for
you anymore.
We're living in an environmentwhere people literally will stab
you just because you have nofreedom of speech, you don't
have any ability to communicateor choose which way you would
(45:16):
like to go, because that'll makesomebody upset and then they'll
want to be confrontational.
So, regardless of thecircumstances, continue to
persevere as always.
Guys.
We extend a warm thank you toall followers and subscribers.
I literally could not do thiswithout you guys.
You guys are more thansubscribers, you are more than
(45:37):
followers, you are family and Ilove each and every one of you
guys.
Now I am trying to do somethingdifferent.
I know I'm still in the toddlernewborn stages of my channel
and my podcasting and yada, yada, yada, but I did want to do
some kind of giveaway.
I wanted to give out one of mymerch shirts.
It's not a shirt that I sell,but it's just my get up for the
(45:59):
show and it was designed by areally cool company and I just
want to share that expressionwith other people has a school
bus on it, soundboard behind it.
I think it's really creative.
It really gives homage to orjust supports what we're doing
on this particular show.
Well, guys, that was episode 119.
Don't forget to download it onSpotify, apple, amazon, any
(46:19):
place you can listen to thepodcast.
We're there, we love you, guys,and we will catch you on
episode 120.
Oh, how could I forget?
This has been RED.
It's the Everyday Podcast forthe Everyday People.
This is the Everyday Podcastfor the Everyday People.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!