I'm hearing the same thing over and over: Statewide anti-bullying programs are a joke.

[RandySF]

I've been hearing it in California and I heard it a couple of months ago in Michigan. Local school districts are not implementing statewide anti-bullying policies. As a matter of fact, there is a boy playing 7th grade basketball for my son's school even though he attends the middle school across the street. Bullying from teammates was so bad he walked over and begged to play for us. He's a great kid and we're happy to have him, but I thought that, even though public schools are stuck with bad kids, sports participation is still supposed to be a privilege. I guess we have a long way to go.

[kimbutgar]

1. I just watched the movie Bully

And was in tears after watching it. I live in SF and substitute teach, when I have lunch and yard duty I step in when I see bullying and confront the bullies and ask them why are they bothering this kid? The bully usually walks away from me not saying a word. I then make sure to focus on the bullied kid the rest of recess and try to talk with them.

[Sancho]

2. I don't know about California...but it's difficult..

here in Florida there are statewide statutes and schools try to implement policies. It's hard to legally define bullying. Recognizing bullying takes lawyers, evidence, and practical punishment.

Without getting into a bunch of examples, some schools and districts have tried and the details are not worked out to make enforcement easily possible.


You see a lot of programming to prevent bullying, lots of attempts to get kids to report, and some mediation/problem solving skill building. Enforcing a policy with expulsion or suspension or whatever you think is possible is quite hard without repeated evidence against the bully. Also, if the bully carry on outside of school on the internet or in the neighborhood the school may not have a way to do anything. Local police won't respond often to a report on bullying unless it's clearly a crime that physical or stealing.

[femmocrat]

3. The thing I noticed in our district was the lack of continuity.

Every so often we would have a program, assembly, or whatever, about bullying. Everyone gets all enthusiastic over "Be a buddy, not a bully." Kids are given stickers and pencils and have a poster or essay contest.... or something. Two weeks later it is forgotten and everyone goes back to their old behaviors.

Despite adults' efforts to moderate the behavior, it just seems to be ingrained in kids to have a pecking order. And a lot of it begins at home, IMO.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. Trickle down from the 'culture of compliance' that typifies most schools these days, I'll wager.

Politicians pass laws based on the most recent headlines so schools are swimming in mandates and directives about this, that and the other thing. Most of them impractical, many of them creating bigger problems than those they ostensibly address. My distinct impression is this: Everyone's just going through the motions. Again: a culture of compliance.

To actually combat bullying you need teachers that like kids and really want to BE THERE. That are INTO combating bullying. In other words, high quality teachers. The truth is it's getting harder and harder for people who feel this way about kids to stay in the system.

[AwakeAtLast]

5. I'm sorry, I don't agree with your last paragraph

There are plenty of teachers who care, it is administators who time and time again drop the ball. Then they go after the teachers who report it - especially if the students play sports. I have seen it too many times.

Losing tenure will only make the problem worse because we will now fear losing our jobs for stepping in.

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. It goes without saying that admins are focused on keeping out of trouble.

Pretty much exclusively. They're a different breed entirely and I wasn't talking about them.

But since you brought it up, I agree: they want this issue... it's really a constellation of a lot of issues.... to disappear when it surfaces and will just as soon blame the messenger ( usually the teacher) as not. ( There are, of course, exceptions to this rule.)

Also... no one's more pro-teacher tenure than I, though it ( tenure) really is highly overrated. There are all sorts of ways to create a hostile work environment sufficient to make people ( teachers) change buildings and even professions. Tenure's not going to help much in these cases.

Tenure helps people who REALLY want to hang on to.... well... hang on. But it makes sense that people with other professional options are going to reconsider teaching when they experience the day-to-day reality of what it ( teaching) has become.

[lenrely]

7. Re:

It's amazing that even athletes aren't exempt from this. The reason programs are a joke is that when adults try to interject themselves into student problems it's a joke. " target="_blank">