Monday, February 10, 2014

Step Up to the Plate, Schools!

I have two friends that I used to go to school with back till when I graduated in the mid-90s.  Now, I don't have any kids myself, but these two do and off and on I have heard from them as having problems with their kid being bullied in school.  Physical and verbal.  Given that this school is rural, I can say that they probably don't have as many resources as many of these others that talk about having anti-bullying programs.  Well, to some of my knowledge there are some resources they can tap into and it is in my opinion, not necessarily about not having the money to spend on such programs, but more about the reluctance to even look into such things, because this is the way it has been for a long time.

But bullying has gotten worse over the years.  More and more you are hearing about physical fights and suicides.  Now we have the Internet and now kids are being bullied there.  Now I had been a victim of cyberbulling before and now that doesn't bother me anymore, because I can see that it really isn't as threatening as it looks.  Anyways, cyberbullying is quite easy to over blow and when you are young, cyberbullying seems to be very difficult to deal with on the psychological side.  Users can be given anonymity, while they carry out their devious plots.  The fear comes from the unknown.  The bully can hide quite easily there and that makes it very very scary for young people.

As our society progresses, the ways in which one bullies someone else changes and progresses.  Unfortunately the way in which schools deal with it, in many cases, has not.  Underfunded and rural schools miss out on programs to deal with such things, leaving it up to the parents on what to do.  Should they bring in the police, if it gets too bad?  Take it up with a lawyer and press charges?  Some have sued schools as well.  Personally, I don't think suing a school is such a good idea.  You're taking the money they could use to help improve themselves and keeping it for yourself to spend on your kid's help.  Don't get me wrong.  Some people need that money, but when you take money from the school, that makes the problem worse, because then they have more difficulties doing what needs to be done.

And I know I've stated that they may not have the money for such programs, but to me that is sort of a cop out as well.  Surely they can have board meetings.  They can come up with more policies.  They can even talk to other people who have these programs and see what they did about it.  This is kind of a thing where the Internet can really help.  A school can make connections to any school and see what they did.  They can even research how to solve these problems.  But what I'm seeing is that the schools in this area and many others around the country that aren't taking any active rolls in stopping the problem is just not bothering to take the time to make the changes.  I'm sure they care, so I'm not about to take it as "it's our paycheck."  But the fact is that they're not taking the problem seriously enough and they are not taking the extra time it takes to figure out what to do.  If you are part of a school, be you a teacher, principal or even a Secretary, you owe it to the school you work for to take this extra time.  You owe it to the students.  Parents put them there to learn what needs to be known before they become an adult.  But because the parents stay home, it is now the school's responsibility to take care of the child or teenager.

So, what happens if the bully graduates or quits school?  What happens when they become an adult and they go out in the world.  Research has shown that these bullies end up in jail for later offenses.  This doesn't happen all the time, mind you, but when the bully feels they have gotten away with it, they can do whatever they want.  Then they learn the hard way that it is not.

I think schools should be responsible for the welfare, not just of the victims, but all of the students.  They are helping to raise kids just as parents are to do.  Some parents don't even care that much, so maybe the schools should take over.  I realize that it is mostly up to the parents, but if the parent doesn't care enough to raise the child right, then someone needs to do the job.  It has to be someone.  Honestly, I just think people should care more about these children and teenagers growing up.  Don't leave any of them out in the cold.  As a school, the people working there have to take stake in the people of our future.  Knowledge is one thing, but it's just as important to teach respect.  Sure that is part of schools and always has been, but we need to see much more of this.  Schools need to start stepping up to the plate.  I have always felt that they don't do what they should be doing and with these anti-bullying programs just beginning, I see no reason not to jump into this subject no matter what your funding or resources.  Find these things and just take charge.  It may take extra effort for a school to do so, but it is something that can be done and should not be put aside.