Bullying

Interesting program on NPR's Here and Now program today. Click to get the link.

The program on bullying began with the story of Karl a sixth grader who killed himself after a year of relentless bullying. They interviewed his mother and she was clearly a very strong woman who took the road of not only forgiving the bullies but dedicating the rest of her life to not only helping the victims but to helping the bullies.

The reason here and now focused on bullying today was because the American Pediatric Association just came out with a new report on bullying. Doctors are encouraged to ask about the school environment--not only in the classroom, but in the lunch room, hallways, etc. The later tend to be the places that bullying actual occurs according to the study.

I haven't studied bullies too much because it doesn't come up too often in in my teaching. Although it does happen and this story will help me be more vigilant in looking for it. I had a particularly nasty case this year where a student regularly made fun of a student with Asperger's syndrome.

The big take away for me is how schools have worked to solve bullying. There are 3 participants in a bullying situation. The victim, the bully and the bystander. Schools that have conquered bullying focus on getting the bystanders as a group to create a culture in the school where the bullies are seen as the outcasts.