In school districts throughout the country, school is out of the summer.
The school year, however, did not end without tragedy.
In late May, a 12 year old from New York City committed suicide. He had
been bullied for months about his good grades, his stature and his father's
death. The bullying went beyond harsh words; pipes and sticks were thrown at
him.
This poor boy had switched schools to flee the bullying but it continued
nonetheless.
Even sadder than the bullying is the fact he kept this feelings to himself
and put up a false front that he was happy. No one, not even his mother, knew
he was hurting until he committed suicide. If they had known, someone could
have intervened and saved his life.
In the years since Columbine, schools have done a better job of dealing
with bullying, but they still have a long way to go. Punishment for bullying is
not harsh enough and there are no resources available to help those who are the
victims of bullying. It is still fluffed off as something that will pass if
it's ignored or that kids will just be kids. Unfortunately, as these tragedies
prove, bullying doesn't stop if it's ignored, it gets worse, and children can be
crueler than any adult.
How do you think schools should handle bullying? Do you think they do
enough?
Awful.
ReplyDeleteI'm inclined to believe that there is no way to say, "Okay -- this is all we can do -- we've done our best."
There has to be a way to be one step ahead of kids mistreating one another. With bullying, the toll it takes on kids who internalize and turn things inward cannot always be detected. But sticks and things thrown? Someone had to have seen this, someone has to be willing to step out and step out. Why are human beings evil enough to throw sticks at another human being? I won't rant, but its sickening.
I'm speechless, this is so sad and I can only think of ways to keep a closer eye on young people. I hope there is a way to intervene, maybe start focusing on the bullies as well as the bullied. Chances are, someone has bullied or is bullying the bully.