This week, we were exposed to the struggles of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are faced with the harsh cruelty of being bullied. While awareness is growing, so also are the means of which to BE bullied. In an article written based out of Rhode Island, teachers are stressing the importance of new sources of bullying through the internet. It is a sticky theme to follow due to the source being at home or on pages where passwords are required to view, however, the seed has been planted and has potential to grow into a dark forest if something is not done quickly.
So, the question is, what can we do? how do we monitor this behavior and act upon it accordingly? One of the ideas these schools in Rhode Island have accustomed is the presence of a tip box, along with safe rooms. The idea behind the tip boxes are for kids who witness bullying but have the age old idea that "tattling" is bad behavior. We learn this concept when we are grade school and it tends to stick with us throughout high school. It can be a detrimental for future years when children hold on to this idea and the fear stays in their conscience. The tip boxes are what seem to be an ideal way to begin the journey to end bullying. For the whole article --> http://www.projo.com/news/content/bullying_summit_10-27-10_0VKJDPR_v10.230b9ec.html
I think that as future teachers it is our responsibility to be proactive about bullying. We should not only respond when we see it happen, but we should make it known to our students that it will not be tolerated in our classrooms, or anywhere else. Also, we need to take every case of bullying seriously, as we so often see cases of bullying ignored and eventually result in the harm of the victim or others.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Nikki. So many schools say they will not tolerate bullying, but they do nothing to actually stop it. I had so many teachers pretend not to hear the jocks calling each other "fag" or "retard" and that's just unacceptable. I'd rather be the teacher that harps on bullies than the one who pretends not to notice.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you two have said. Bullying is a sever problem that starts as early as grade school. By sitting aside and letting these children boss each other around and call each other bad names, we are conditioning them to think its acceptable. I think we need to start early and go at it full force in order to combat this rapidly growing problem!
ReplyDeleteBullying is a huge problem! I was never bullied, but girls were so mean to me starting around 3-4th grade! I know how awful it feels, and I want to make sure this never happens in my classroom. I hope my classroom will feel extremely welcoming and safe to many students. Then they can come talk to me if they are having problems with other students. I will address the issue of bullying on one of the very first few days of school, and I will let them know it will not be tolerated. Everyone is going to be respected and respect others in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteAbby Kilian