Bullying has been around for quite a while. Therefore it will take quite a while
to start to put a meaningful end to bullying especially in our schools. Of course adults are
often times bullied in the work place. My journey through the age of bullying was unique; to
say the least. In grades 1-4 I suffered mild bullying but some how overcame it by being silly.
Crazy I know; but making the others laugh worked. In 5th grade I met my best friend "Michael"
and slightly more severe bullying seemed imminent for both of us. Michael was artistic which
in the late 60's and early 70's meant gay. Michael made the most meticulous action figures
"paper dolls"of Wonder Woman Superman and Batman that were very good and laminated with scotch
tape. One day, "The" bully "Kerry" began to try to fight us. Before I could do anything; Michael grabbed
Kerry and simply beat him down really bad. After this Michael taught me to fight and we became
unstoppable BFF's. Also during this time period here in GA teachers were allowed to literally spank
out of control students. If the infraction was bad enough; when the teacher reported the spanking
you might get another spanking at home.
Every child (every person) is priceless; but children eager to learn can be compared to "The Hope Diamond".Let us all do our part to make sure that victims of bullying have every opportunity to to learn, make friends and become socially adjusted in their journey to adulthood. Please remember that the
children of today will be the adults of tomorrow charged with the care of this country. Children should
be allowed to be children for as long as they are children. Parents/guardians, teachers
and school officials; in that order, have their jobs cut out for them.
Identify bullish children and deal with them while the other kids peacefully continue their journey.
At the risk of alienating parents and educators and the fantastic groups like "Free2LOVE";
and "CC II EndBullyingNow" I'm going to say that corporal punishment has
it's advantages. Understand that giving a child "bully" medication hoping their behavior will
change is not always effective or necessary. Sometimes bully's need to get their asses whipped
preferably by a parent, but certainly by the teacher who has to juggle teaching with keeping the
peace in the classroom. The fact is children know that no adult can touch them at all without
the threat of authorities being involved. I feel I need to be more specific. If an awful bully terrorizes
students; in today's atmosphere, the bully is protected by law against physical reproach.
My suggestion would be have the child examined by a psychologist. If it is determined that
counseling or medication would be effective. That's the action that should be taken. If the child is
found to be just mean and out of control; that child needs to get his ass whipped. I would not be surprised
if President Obama got his ass whipped by a disciplinarian on the Black side of his family when he
was out of line
As a former teacher I have found that children bully for a number of reasons. The reasons that rise
to the top for me are 1) bully has low self esteem 2) bully is jealous someone has something the bully
doesn't 3) believe it or not sometimes a bully picks on a victim that they "like" and lack the verbal skills
to express it. Whatever the reason for bullying we have to start right away to proactively eradicate it.
My time teaching was between 1987 and 1997. At that time not many video phones were around. Mini
video cams and tape recorders were. I had a tape recorder in my desk drawer ready to document any
miss behavior. I was firm that no bully would return to my class until I meet with the guardian in the presence
of the student. I also encouraged any student who is victimized to tell me or any authoritarian figure at
school. I found that a few children who were being bullied came together on their own to stand up
to bullies. This is safety in numbers. By any means necessary we as a culture will stand up to bullies.
We are "The Civilized" hear us roar.
To summarize; brutish children who victimize other children should be assessed by a professional
and treated if necessary. Otherwise bad children should get spanked. Obviously this post is for parents
overall because you are the one's responsible for your minor. If you can't discipline them then allow a trusted
school official the honor of putting the bad child back in line. You just can't ignore what actually works.
from 1965 -1983 an ass kicking worked on me, my siblings and most every child in the neighborhood
very well. The reality is the kids that are being bullied usually want to learn and make friends and are most
important because they are a teachers' target audience. Bullies get all the attention because their
behavior requires it for so many reasons. Let's concentrate on the "good" kids and set them up
to make a difference in another child's life as they get older.
I would be remiss if I did not end with a poignant true story about a fellow elementary school student.
Her last name was "Moody" and she was the only Caucasian child at our school. Tired of others saying
"_________ Moody got the cooties"; I started greeting her every morning and proactively defending her
from the taunters or "Bullies". This was ME in elementary school. I'm no better than anyone else as an adult
or a child. What sets me apart is that I care.
