I have read numerous comments that say kids need to be bullied in order to know how to stand up for themselves. I disagree. I think kids get enough ribbing from friends and families to cause them to stand up for themselves and shut down the more aggressive in the group.
I was bullied as a child. I was in Catholic school. I remember being frozen out of clicks as early as 2nd grade, and by 4th grade, I was the target of a mean group of girls, and at least 1/2 of the class turned against me, with the other 1/2 afraid be my
friend. I spent many mornings making excuses to not go to school. Fortunately, truant laws were not what they are now, and I probably missed 1/4 of that school year. Fortunately, I was smart enough to keep up.
I was also fortunate that my parents removed me from that situation and put me in a different school. Pubic school kids don't have the luxury of switching schools however. You go to schools based on where you live with few alternatives. In these cases, bullying can continue for years such as in the case of Sladjana Vidovic whose bullying did not stop with her death. Girls walked up to her casket during her wake and laughed about the way she looked. There was truly no remorse.
The bullying was so bad in this Ohio school that four teens committed "bullicide" in just two years, where "a culture of mean" is being allowed to not only exist, but dominate.
So as a homeschooler, I say NO THANK YOU to a lack of school choice.... NO THANK YOU to administrators who do nothing for these tortured children. In several of the cases mentioned in this article, parents planned to start homeschooling the kids the following fall before they killed themselves. If you feel like homeschooling is the answer to your child's bullying problem, please don't wait... act immediatly.
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2 comments:
I was so saddened by this article. Learning should be a joy, children should be allowed to LOVE it. That is what I finally decided about schooling. That is why after 5 in public school I brought two home. The middle school in our town was so tough on the first 5. I wanted my last two to have JOY!!
This is such a shame!! I was bullied since first grade. Thankfullly, my mother, too, had the option to switch the schools I attended. Not everyone has that option.
As a former classroom teacher in public school, I have to say that I tried my best to keep bullying at bay. With younger kids I think there are more opportunities for the adults to help control the situation (I taught 2nd grade). But admittedly, I couldn't be with the kids everywhere (the bus, special classes). I think that as children get older there are even more oppportunites for bullys to 'have their way' as adults seems to expect the bullied students to stand up for themselves. Bullies then get the run of things.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on being able to make the choice for my children. Just one of the reasons why I'm thankful to be able to have my children with me at home!
[p.s. I don't often comment as I'd like to, but wanted to let you know that I appreciate the information you share here!]
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