Critical Incidents

When children leave their homes in the morning to go to school one would presume that the teachers and administration take good care of them. In a perfect world, school children are taught in a safe nurturing environment and they are sent them back home without any issues or incidents. After all-the classrooms in our nation should be a safe haven where learning is encouraged and hazing, bullying or abuse of any kind is not tolerated. With the recent headlines in the news about many students committing suicide after suffering months, or even years of tormenting from their classmates, one needs to take a look at what is the cause and methods of preventing further untimely deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the annual suicide rate among Americans 15 to 19 years old is about seven per 100,000 and teenage boys are more likely to commit suicide than are girls (Fitzharris, 2010). Recently, CNN reported a study from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network that said despite recent strides towards preventing bullying in schools and increased awareness programs, 65 % of teens are bullied each year and most believe adults cannot help them.

Suicide is multifaceted issue that also is impacted by depression, feelings of hopelessness, lack of self-worth, parented neglect and more. Still, because bullying can be a catalyst for suicide, its significance should not be overlooked. When adolescents who are already at risk for suicide due to depression or other issues are bullied, the results can indeed lead to taking their own lives.

Dignity for Students Act (DASA)

One state in our nation, has adopted a Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) for which teachers and administrators are to report any incidents of bullying thus giving students the long overdue safeguard needed. The Dignity for Students Act was signed into law on September 13, 2010 and took effect on July 1, 2012 in the state of New York. Amendments to the act were effective as of July 1, 2013. The Dignity for All Students Act also amended Section 801-a of New York State Education Law regarding instruction in civility, citizenship, and character education by expanding the concepts of tolerance, respect for others and dignity to include: an awareness and sensitivity in the relations of people, including but not limited to, different races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, gender identity, and sexes. The Dignity Act further amended Section 2801 of the Education Law by requiring Boards of Education to include language addressing The Dignity Act in their codes of conduct.  Additionally, under the Dignity Act, schools are responsible for collecting and reporting data regarding material incidents of discrimination and harassment.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is unsolicited, aggressive behavior among persons, especially school- aged children, which involves a real or a perceived power imbalance (stopbullying.gov, 2013). The behavior is persistent, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both the bullied and those who choose to bully others may have serious, lasting problems.

"Being bullied is not just an unpleasant rite of passage through childhood. It’s a public health problem that merits attention. People who were bullied as children are more likely to suffer from depression and low self-esteem” – Dr. Duane Alexander

Some Facts about Bullying

*Bullying begins in elementary school, peaks in middle school, and falls off in high school. It does not, however, disappear altogether. (The Facts About Bullying, 1997)*

*61.6% of students who are bullied are picked on because of their looks or speech. (U.S. News & World Report, May 7, 2001)*

*Of the students who are bullied, 55.6% report being hit, slapped, or pushed. (U.S. News & World Report, May 7, 2001)*

The facts listed above pretty much act as a bullying timeline. One’s looks, speech and age are major contributing factors in adolescent bullying. Although bullying somewhat falls off in late adolescence it is evident that schools can – and must- do more about bullying, violence, and suicide prevention.

Teachers and administrators need to be aware as that although bullying generally happens in areas such as the bathroom, playground, crowded hallways, and school buses as well as via cell phones and computers (where supervision is limited or absent), it must be taken seriously. Teachers and administrators should emphasize that telling is not tattling. If a teacher observes bullying in a classroom, he/she needs to immediately intervene to stop it, record the incident and inform the appropriate school administrators so the incident can be investigated. Having a joint meeting with the bullied student and the student who is bullying is not recommended — it is embarrassing and very intimidating for the student who is being bullied.

• 23% of elementary students are bullied one to three times a month
• One half of bullying incidents go unreported
• 14% of kids bullied have suffered from severe reactions to the abuse
• 1 out of 4 kids is bullied
• 1 out of 5 kids has admitted to being a bully

Involve Students and Parents

Students and parents need to be a part of the solution through involvement in safety teams and anti-bullying task forces. Students can inform adults about what is really going on and also teach adults about new technologies that kids are using to bully. Parents, teachers, and school administrators can help students engage in positive behavior and teach them skills so they know how to intervene when bullying occurs. Older students can serve as mentors and inform younger students about safe practices on the Internet.

Taking Action

Schools and classrooms must offer students a safe learning environment. Teachers, coaches and mentors need to explicitly remind students that bullying is not accepted in school and such behaviors will have consequences. Creating an anti-bullying document and having both the student and the parents/guardians sign and return it to the school office helps students understand the seriousness of bullying. Also, for students who have a hard time adjusting or finding friends, teachers and administrators can facilitate friendships or provide “jobs” for the student to do during lunch and recess so that children do not feel isolated or in danger of becoming targets for bullying.

Recent Incidents

There have been many anti-bullying and mentoring programs ranging from Peter Yarrow’s “Don’t Laugh at Me” to Rachel’s Challenge which was named after and inspired by Rachel Joy Scott who was the first student killed at the Columbine High shootings. Each workshop or seminar focuses in on parental awareness, team building skills and attempts to solve the issues and circumvent behaviors in schools settings. The concept of bullying has been defined in this paper. The internal turmoil has not, nor has the terminology in the digital playground known as the internet. Through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram among others students and the mass public have a new arena that includes a new forms of harassment called “flaming” and “happy slapping”.

Flaming: Sending angry, rude, or obscene messages directed at a person or persons privately or an online group. A “flame war” erupts when “flames” are sent back and forth between individuals repeatedly.

Happy Slapping: An extreme form of bullying where physical assaults are recorded on mobile phones or digital cameras and distributed to others.

One infamous cyber bullying incident that led to suicide included a student engaging in intimate behavior that was recorded on camera and happy slapped on the social network twitter. The case involved a Rutgers’s student Tyler Clementi who took his own life due to Dharun Ravi and hall mate Molly Wei urging friends to watch the same-sex on twitter. According to ABC News it was proven that viewing never occurred Ravi and Wei were indicted for their roles and they were not charged with a role in the suicide itself. Clementi's death brought national and international attention to the issues and struggles facing LGTB youth.

Countless other cases involve “flaming” where students send abusive words in which students have led to unforeseen teen suicides. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention advocates educator’s to take suicide threats seriously. Up to 75% of all suicides give some warning of their intentions to a friend or family member.

The Words Remain Inside Project: BULLYING STOPS HERE! goes beyond the surface, with a special two- day workshop in which participates use literacy strategies such as Wiggins & McTighe Key Word Notes, Dancing Definitions as well as create a doll with the outside skin as well as the interior organs. Such hurtful words are shared and  scribed in the Key Word Notes chart (displayed below) that are in line with the state of New York’s Dignity for All Act that protects students of different races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, gender identity, and sexes.

fatty	stupid	freak
loser	retard	J.A.P.
pig	whore	emo
whale	gay	poser
nerd	wannabe	faggot
The “N” word	queer	ugly
sock head	idiot	slut

The concept- based workshop has a transformable doll that each participant can design the exterior however they wish; comprising of a main body - including a torso, head, arms and legs. The series of interchangeable fitted coverings and / or “skins” may be applied to the interior body of which participants will use a permanent marker with hurtful words. With both parts of the dolls completed, they will be collected and washed with detergent and presented at the following workshop. The results will show that despite all the detergent and fabric softener the words written with permanent marker will remain inside. Thus displaying project based approach to combat bullying and reinforcing dignity for all.

Summary

In summary, ignoring critical incidences such as bullying in the classroom or around the school premises should not be avoided. Incorporating The Words Remain Inside Project: BULLYING STOPS HERE! is one strategy that could be applied and implemented through educator’s to reveal the concrete power of hurtful words within the abstract process of how the hurtful words can marinate and remain inside a person leading to despair. Students who experience bullying may feel overwhelmed, depressed or anxious. If a student under a teacher’s watch is having trouble at school or with friends as a result of bullying, a mental health professional, such as a psychologist, can certainly help children develop resilience and confidence. This will however only be enabled if the incident is reported. As stated earlier most cases either go unreported or the student feels he or she will not get the support that is warranted. By the end of this workshop it is my hope that teachers become aware of what goes on inside their students as well as seeing their role in reporting all incidents of bullying.

 

 

REFERENCES

Berman, B., (2009). Dorie Witt’s Guide to Surviving Bullies 1^st Edition New York: Dorie Witt Books

Fitzharris, D. (2010). Childlike Spirit despite Dark Past New York: Brooklyn Eagle

Keeping Children Safe (2013). In STOMP Out Bulling. Retrieved, from http://www.stompoutbullying.org/

McTighe, J & Wiggins, G, (2005) Understanding by Design; Expanded 2nd edition New York: Pearson

New York State Dignity Act (2013, June 21). In DASA . Retrieved  from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/

N.J. Gov. Wonders How Rutgers Spies Can Sleep at Night. (2010, September 10). In ABC News. Retrieved, from http://abcnews.go.com/US/suicide-rutgers-university-freshman-tyler-clementi-stuns-veteran/story?id=11763784

Smith, P.K., Cowie, H, & Mark, B. (2011). Understanding Children’s Development 5^th Edition. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.