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Take Action Against Bullying
This has been a sad month at my school. And while nobody has died or been seriously wounded, and no one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness or had a terrible loss in the family, there is a great sadness. This month, two students told me that they never wanted to come back to the school because they had been bullied so badly. One student couldn’t even come back into the school. A note was sent to me thanking me for my efforts, and the mom was the one who made contact. When I asked the other student, WHEN this was happening, WHERE this was happening, and WHO was doing it, this was the response.
- Always
- Everywhere
- Everyone
This month, I feel like I have failed. My job is to ensure the safety of the students, to make sure that they have the best we have to offer at our school, to be sure to help our students and maybe even improve their life chances. This month, I have not lived up to my responsibilities as a teacher/administrator/educator.
I suppose I could explain it away for being new here, for not knowing the kids, or for not getting enough information in a timely manner, but in fact none of that makes any difference to those kids, to those families. It is time to take action. If these kids finally had the courage to tell of their torment, then it is a Call to Action for the faculty.
Our program starts in January. It follows the Bully B’ware program exactly, with some additions. See, the thing is, this is a great school. It has a great reputation. The families and the kids are awesome. Kids have tremendous opportunities here. The staff is amazing. We have a leadership program that has more than 100 students involved. Our bands and choirs have over 100 kids involved. Our kids win awards! Intramurals, extra murals, peer mediation programs…we’ve got more going on that many schools. I think the problem is that it has been a long time since the topic of bullying was directly addressed with our students. It’s time.
Our pre-survey will be done in January. That way we will know what the kids know about bullying. Our direct teaching will start in January. We will keep detailed logs in the office regarding referrals of bullying behaviour. We have alerted our Parent Advisory Council that we need their support, that we need to address this issue. They are on track with us. The weekly newsletter in the new year will outline the week’s lessons and let parents know what lessons the students have covered. We will outline consequences for those choosing to engage in bullying. We will also do a better job of highlighting all of the great things that go on and have build this school’s fabulous reputation.
We will take action.
Does that mean our problem will melt away?? NO! In fact, my past experience tells me that we will see an increase in bullying behaviours, at first. We need to teach and remind our kids what it means to be a citizen of the world. I have learned, from our parents, that our kids also need to learn some phone etiquette, some net etiquette, and some manners with parents. We will add this component, and others, I imagine. Wish us luck.
Om a slightly brighter note, one of those 2 students agreed to give us until the end of January to make school a better place for her. I cannot tell you all how grateful we were for this chance to make things right. Kids have the right to attend school without fear of harassment, targeting and teasing. School, when it’s good, is hard enough.
If you are concerned, take action. Do something. Good schools have their challenges too.
I will keep readers posted.
This month’s special offer: “Take Action Against Bullying”. Receive 15% off the retail price of $24.95.
Contact Sandra for details at info@bullybeware.com
