I work in the juvenile court system. I do not believe that most people, including Michael, realize the depth that the effect of bullying has on our society. All the cases the public has heard about (i.e. the shootings or bombings of schools) have one thing in common: the bully. It is not the bully doing the shooting, but the victim.
I am a rather retiring type, and my juvenile years were filled avoiding the bullies; what we have now is nothing like it was then. I hope, with some skepticism, that [the narrator of M's story] Jack can continue his vision, correctly, that the adult world will be there to protect him. In most cases, it is not so.
I have sat in the courtroom many times on hearings for juveniles who are sent into our legal system because of habitu! al truancy. Sure, there are the goof-offs. But there is also the element of kids who are petrified of going to school; the very thought will drive them to tears. The counsel of how important education is falls on fear.
In my opinion, the anti-bully campaign has yet to begin in this country. Children who live scared become more and more withdrawn, which is often perceived as "things are going better." But when a child kills himself, the victim of the bullies is two-fold: (1) mass shootings; (2) suicide. This story literally gave me the chills. Even though it had a "happy" ending, the underlying theme is of utmost importance in dealing with the truths of the heart. Children matter. By not paying attention to the bullying-aspect of our schooling system, we are doing them a great disservice -- putting them in second place.
I believe our schools ought to have inservice training for all school personnel on dealing with this issue. I also believe that the students should have someone come in and talk to them about bullys.
I saw a program about a woman who went into the schools and had in-service programs with the students. Children can be forthcoming and honest, and she used this to the utmost. She asked more and more difficult questions. She asked who had bullied someone else. The children would say what they had said or done. And then she got to the "hardest part," as she put it.She had the kids publically apologize to a person that they had bullied.
She let the kids define the bully. It was amazing. One girl said, "A look." Another, "A gesture." They definitely know how the bullying process looks. And one girl said she was sorry to someone because of a look she had given another girl. We cannot win this war by simply telling kids it is wrong. And I believe this woman used her best and professional skills in getting to students.
