Saturday, April 21, 2007
Fleetwood - Bullying
Too often, American schools foster a culture of cliques and teasing isolation that torments millions of bullied children who have no place to turn. This culture of bullying peer conformity has led to a record number of suicides, murders, and psychological scars that never heal.
Since 1960, suicides among American teenagers have more than doubled. Today, more than 2,000 teens kill themselves each year. 250,000 attempt suicide.
In a recent survey by Bolt Media of more than 4,000 teenagers, 47% answered, "Yes" to the question "Could one of your classmates be a killer?" This large number indicates that teens themselves are aware of their peers' inability to cope. But educators are not recognizing the cancer that is crippling and killing so many of our youth. The American Medical Association found that 1 in 10 boys have been kicked in the groin by age 16. Twenty-five percent of these kicks resulted in an injury and, most tellingly, a quarter of the injured boys exhibited signs of depression a year after the injury. National statistics show that 30-35% of students are either bullies or victims of a bully.
Since 1960, suicides among American teenagers have more than doubled. Today, more than 2,000 teens kill themselves each year. 250,000 attempt suicide.
In a recent survey by Bolt Media of more than 4,000 teenagers, 47% answered, "Yes" to the question "Could one of your classmates be a killer?" This large number indicates that teens themselves are aware of their peers' inability to cope. But educators are not recognizing the cancer that is crippling and killing so many of our youth. The American Medical Association found that 1 in 10 boys have been kicked in the groin by age 16. Twenty-five percent of these kicks resulted in an injury and, most tellingly, a quarter of the injured boys exhibited signs of depression a year after the injury. National statistics show that 30-35% of students are either bullies or victims of a bully.
The can of worms is open
Comment:
School administrators are scared of parents suing them and the school. I know of an instance where a student struck a teacher and the administrator called the police. She was disciplined for allowing it get as far as a police report. She was told that such matters are settled in-house without any publicity. Her boss sent her home and found her another job where she could no longer harm the school system's reputation over a student behaving violently towards a teacher. This caused problems later when a DD student was raped and the police were not called but the video of the rape got out onto the net. I suppose a dead body might be cause to call in the police but then again, it might embarrass the system so lets just bury the matter 6 feet under.
By: nyboomer on April 21, 2007 at 04:15pm
School administrators are scared of parents suing them and the school. I know of an instance where a student struck a teacher and the administrator called the police. She was disciplined for allowing it get as far as a police report. She was told that such matters are settled in-house without any publicity. Her boss sent her home and found her another job where she could no longer harm the school system's reputation over a student behaving violently towards a teacher. This caused problems later when a DD student was raped and the police were not called but the video of the rape got out onto the net. I suppose a dead body might be cause to call in the police but then again, it might embarrass the system so lets just bury the matter 6 feet under.
By: nyboomer on April 21, 2007 at 04:15pm
Kevin Jennings - When Will We Learn? The call for anti-bullying laws and policies
A further insight into Cho's background comes from high school classmates in suburban Washington who say he was bullied and laughed at over his Korean accent and shyness. When called on in class, they say, he would hang his head in silence. -MSNBC report
Leave it to a cabbie to single out an important facet of the Virginia Tech tragedy and other school shootings that has been largely overlooked.
During my cab on the way to my partner's 46th birthday party last night, Friday, April 20th, the driver turned to me and asked, "Why do you think that boy killed all those people?"
A bit surprised to be engaged on the topic, I replied, "Well, for starters, I think the fact that he could just walk into a store in Virginia and walk out with a gun has something to do with it."
"NO!" the cabbie thundered back, making me jump a bit. "It is because of all the others. The ones filled with hate. The ones who mocked him and filled him with hate. They are the murderers."
The cabbie had zeroed in on something about the school shootings tragedy that has been rarely mentioned in the wall-to-wall coverage that has dominated the airwaves this week: the fact that nearly every one of these tragedies has been perpetrated by boys who have been bullied and harassed.
Leave it to a cabbie to single out an important facet of the Virginia Tech tragedy and other school shootings that has been largely overlooked.
During my cab on the way to my partner's 46th birthday party last night, Friday, April 20th, the driver turned to me and asked, "Why do you think that boy killed all those people?"
A bit surprised to be engaged on the topic, I replied, "Well, for starters, I think the fact that he could just walk into a store in Virginia and walk out with a gun has something to do with it."
"NO!" the cabbie thundered back, making me jump a bit. "It is because of all the others. The ones filled with hate. The ones who mocked him and filled him with hate. They are the murderers."
The cabbie had zeroed in on something about the school shootings tragedy that has been rarely mentioned in the wall-to-wall coverage that has dominated the airwaves this week: the fact that nearly every one of these tragedies has been perpetrated by boys who have been bullied and harassed.
