How Should School Bullying Be Handled?
I’ll be darned if I know! I have always thought that the solution to bullying lies largely in the hands of the parents. Though of course, incidents of bullying may occur mostly within school premises or en route to and from school, I believe that the heart of the problem lies in the psyche of the school child who is acting like a bully. That, of course, does not make school authorities exempt from dealing with bullying incidents that occur within their jurisdiction.
Take what has happened at the Los Gatos High School cafeteria. Four older girls started calling a freshman names. Many would say that this is a normal occurrence in schools. High school students can be very cruel. What should school authorities do with this case? Perhaps reprimand the offenders?
But what if the name calling escalates to physical assault? The very same freshman found herself being yanked by the hair – with a bottle of water being poured down her head. Now clearly this calls for more action from the school authorities, right? What the school authorities did in this case was to call the police, suspend the “leader” of the bullies, and more:
It led to school authorities summoning police, suspending the lead bully, convening mediation sessions and checking in daily with the freshman who was bullied. The school even mapped routes around campus to ensure the antagonists remain apart after the victim’s parents took out a restraining order against their daughter’s harasser.
But is this course of action enough to deal with bullying? Based on the same article that I read:
The Los Gatos incident underscores the difficulty of dealing with the problem: Short of kicking a bully out of school, even when educators do a lot they are often accused of doing too little to appease parents and ease victims’ fears.
Indeed, there seems to be a problem with regard to how school authorities handle bullying. They claim that they are doing more and more to handle such situations but parents do not feel that their children are safe enough. And again, I pose the question: Are parents doing their part in ensuring that bullies do not behave the way they do in school?
Bullying is much as a socialization problem as anything else. I believe that there might be a connection to family problems and how children behave in school. Perhaps, instead of focusing heavily on what school authorities can do to handle bullying in school premises, parents should focus more on how the children are brought up at home. I am not meaning to meddle and to tell others how they should raise their kids BUT doesn’t it make a lot of sense to start at home and help our children to be more socially adjusted?
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Posted on June 9th, 2008 by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, Bullying, College, High School, K-6, Parents, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Students
Darn if I know, either, but I do know that it is more of a problem than schools ascribe. I teach and write about the easiest part: How can parents and their children deal with bullies. I deal with the physical consequences of bullying through simple strategies a parent, acting as a child’s Safety Coach, can develop simple countermeasures against. I don’t concern myself with the sociological underpinnings nor the systematic politics of dealing with it. I admire you for taking on this issue because bullying, I believe, is at the core of a great many of our problems in and out of schools.
Great post.
Bullying, Children and Schools
Experts in the criminal psychology field predicted these issues many years ago. A 1993 study by Dr. R. Loeber found that children who became violent could be identified with almost 50 percent reliability as early as age 7. And a report for Congress titled, “The State of School Safety in American Schools” http://www.seraph.net/documents/SchoolSafetyInAmerica.pdf
School violence happens on all grade levels and it is important that staff have proper training on how to identify and manage aggressive children. Social workers, counselors, teachers, and principals need a more accurate scientific understanding of how aggression increases in children and how this relates to family dynamics and the management of school environments.
I believe encouraging our children to have empathy for others and be accepting of differences will go far in the fight aginst school bullying. I created “KIND CLASSES” website and Facebook group to take positive action against school bullying and to promote kinder classes everywhere.
“KIND CLASSES”
Website: http://kindclasses.bravehost.com
Facebook Group:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5776047447
I use this acronym at my Facebook group:
What are “Kind” Classes?
Kids Into Nuturing Diversity
I recently saw a televison interview with Ms. Judy Librach
on the CBC program - “Steven and Chris”
Ms. Librach is a life coach,author, journalist,
broadcaster, tv personality, singer, speaker.
She is also on a mission to spread kindness
and to show how it has a positive effect
on both your physical and emotional well being.
Ms. Judy Siblin - Librach explained kindness in a way
that shows us that kindness is the exact opposite
of school bullying. I often write about my belief
that every party in the bullying scenario
is affected negatively by the experience.
Parenting expert and author,
Barbara Coloroso, wrote about this issue in
“The Bully, The Bullied, And The Bystander”
Ms. Librach says that everyone is affected in a positive way
by an act of kindness.The person who carries out the act of kindness,the person who receives the act of kindness, and those who observe the act of kindness - all are affected in a positive manner.Does it not seem then that kindness is truly the cure for school bullying? Could not widespread acts of kindness throughout a school possibly turn around
an entire school’s attitude?
In “KIND CLASSES” Facebook group introduction
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5776047447
I focus on the candle as been symbolic of school bullying. When the candle is lit, the flame can grow and if it gets out of control then it can destroy everything in its path.
School bullying destroys spirits! It extinguishes the light within a person.But if we extinguish school bullying then the person’s light can begin to grow once again. The light
- the symbolic candle - once again becomes a symbol of hope and peace. Kindness can also be compared to a candle but in how it grows, brings light back to others,
and extinguishes the darkness.
Ms.Judy Sheblin - Librach challenges everyone to carry out acts of kindness every day for one week. She is certain that you will see the positive effects on both yourself and others. One of the hosts of the program pointed out that acts of kindness don’t have to cost anything.
Anyone can take the Kindness Challenge!
I hope that anyone within the school system
- students, teachers, administration, school staff - who take part in the Kindness Challenge will remember to extend some of the kindness within the school walls. The hope of “KIND CLASSES” is for kinder classrooms but our dream also extends to a hope for a kinder,gentler society.
Our schools are but a reflection of our society!
You can read more about Judy Siblin - Librach’s thoughts on kindness and about living a more peaceful life
at her website - http://www.judylibrach.com
An act of kindness only requires you to identify a need
and then find a way to meet that need.
An act of kindness is a very simple
but yet rewarding process!
If you need inspiration for your Kindness Week
then visit the Random Acts Of Kindness Foundation
http://www.actsofkindness.org
Definition of “KIND CLASSES”
K……KIds
I…….Into
N…. Nuturing
D…..Diversity
C…Co - operate With…Care About
L….Love
A….Accept
S…Share With
S…Support
E…Every
S…Student
“It is not our differences which divide us.
It is our inability to recognize, celebrate
and accept those differences.”
~ Audre Lorde
We hope for kinder classes!
“KIND CLASSES” is against the bullying action
- not the person inside!