Bullying

Bullying.

This is a serious problem. Now I am not just jumping on the bandwagon because it is there. I have seen it first hand. Working in a school I see it everyday in varying degrees and manifestations. You have your stereotypical "Mean Girls", those girls that are constantly in a cat-fight, name calling, and gossiping with each other behind the others backs the eternal "Frienemies". Then there are the "Mean Boys". I don't' know the official name for this group. These are the boys that think it is funny to "tease" other students beyond the social friendly norm. What I mean is taking things and hiding them from others, making rude comments right in their face, and physical harassment (beyond the playful wrestling/jostling that is attributed with boys). The third kind of bullying is the manipulative and psychological kind. This tends to be more subtle and often times harder to track and pin on someone. This is the ruthless accusing of stealing, telling lies, continual one upping, and other mental punishments. I find this one to be more detrimental, especially when it involves persons who are not fully capable of filtering and assessing what is right and wrong, true and false, and standing up to it.

Now you might be thinking, you are there, you need to stop it. Unfortunately, my authority is limited. Now this isn't to say I am powerless. I do make sure to stop it when I do see it and report it to those above me in the chain of command. Yet, this seems to be where there is a breakdown. There have been times where there is clear documentation of repeated offenses. Has there been increasing intensity of consequences, sadly no. For a school that has a Zero Tolerance for bullying I am seeing a zero tolerance for discipline for a growing problem. It is time for things to change. We as the adults need to set that tone and let the kids know in no uncertain terms this type of behavior will not be tolerated in the slightest. Isn't that what Zero Tolerance means? In order for this younger generation to become functioning adults and stopping this vicious cycle we need to be the ones to break it. We need to be the ones that shows them what respect really means and not just the shallower version of indifference towards others that has become part of school life.