There has been a lot of research about bullying in recent years and from this there have been some very successful programs and school based curricula to teach both educators and children how to deal with bullies and bullying behavior. I know some individual teachers here have taken their own initiative to get some training and teach it in their classes making a true difference. Sounds like this needs to be a district wide program openly incorporated to help teach students to be proactive in handling and dismantling bullying behavior. If I remember correctly a number of city school districts have incorporated this into classrooms with successful outcomes. My guess is that this should have been done ages ago here - maybe some students would not have fled. I know a parent who is about to pull his kindergarter out. I'm sure he'll be in private school by the end of the year. I would like to believe.
Liz Greenbaum Longfellow
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I did not see the channel 5 report, but I did see a nasty case of bullying today.
I was driving to a meeting, and drove past the Longfellow school playground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw five kids chase another kid into the corner of the playground. He fell down, and the other kids stomped on him and kicked him. At least one of the kids was a lot bigger than he was.
I jumped out of my car and ran into the playground. Tears were streaming down this kid's face, and he just lay there crumpled on the ground. By the time I got to him a monitor was next to him, and picked him up and escorted him into the building. She did not see the incident, but did not ask me to identify the other boys who had chased him.
I found it very hard to intervene in this situation. I see this motion out of the corner of my eye, and I cannot tell if they are play-roughhousing or if they mean business. I really did not conclude for sure that this kid was being hurt until the other kids ran away and the kid remained lying on the ground.
And picture how ridiculous or even threatening it would have seemed if the kids were simply play-fighting, and suddenly this stranger jumps out of his car and starts yelling to stop it, or even runs onto the playground.
And while I was staring at the playground and trying to figure out what was going on, other cars were waiting for me to go and I was tying up traffic. I have no idea if the other cars saw what I saw, and none stopped.
I made myself try to help, but I can understand why some people might choose not to get involved and just keep going.
I do not know how frequent this type of behavior happens, but I know a number of parents who refuse to send their kids to public schools because they believe the Minneapolis public schools are too violent and dangerous.
No child should have to fear this type of mob attack during recess.
Jay Clark Cooper
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