There are days I think I will never have anything to blog about again and then there are days I wish I had nothing to blog about. Today is one of the latter. Yesterday I started noticing the posts on Facebook about a young man from Buckhannon, WV who had apparently committed suicide. Later I found out that he had been bullied. Amazing how the finger pointing starts after the fact. The following are my opinions and my not be popular with some of you or may even offend some. I hope if you are a bully that my remarks do offend you. I also hope my remarks offend those who stand back and do nothing. Bullying has been around since I've been alive. Bullies come in all shapes, sizes, ages and social classes. Kids are not the only bullies or the only ones bullied. Adults, too, can be bullies and be bullied. I just retired from 30 years in the public school system. I'm also a mother. These are my observations and experiences. I think kids learn how to treat other people from their adult role models. These may be their parents, coaches, teachers, family members, neighbors or religious family members. There the problem lies or begins. Adults can be bullies and other adults passively allow them to be. Kids pick up these clues from adults. Sadly, sometimes these adult bullies, not only intimidate kids but other adults. There are many forms of bullying. I think most people think of the physical and mental aspects of bullying, the name calling and or physically assaulting someone. There are other less sutle but just as hurtful ways to bully someone. I find favoritism, discrimination, elitism, and exclusion other very real forms of bullying. I witnessed these daily in the public school system and not just by young students but by their parents and teachers. The longer I taught, the more blatant these forms of bullying became. I have had parents say to me "Who cares about those kids? Their parents don't even care?" Sad, isn't it that the kids that need the most, get the least. I witnessed teachers treating kids differently depending on where they lived or what their parents did for a living. Believe me, kids aren't stupid. They know. What bothered me more than the passive bullying was the passive acceptance of adults. This acceptance came from adults who thought they were well educated, up standing, Christian members of the community. People who thought nothing of playing favorites, discriminating against poor and special education kids, just as long as their kids and kid's friends remind untouched. I didn't stay on the sidelines for long but started challenging the system. This was not popular. I then became a victim of bullying. Yes, adults will bully other adults when they feel challenged but they usually gather others around to help them, just like kids. My true friends know how my story turned out. I am an adult, fairly opinionated, strong willed and willing to fight for myself. It wasn't easy. I can't imagine going up against bullies when you are still just a kid. I think it is more than time for all of us to take a good look in the mirror and at each other. You know who you are. We may not be able to entirely end bullying but we can begin to lessen it but we have to start with ourselves. Don't set this issue out on the sidelines. We are loosing beautiful young people that we can't afford to loose. In memory of Eston
No comments:
Post a Comment