On the other hand.........social media can be used against a bully if one is smart.......just like a facebook page can be created for a just cause........one can be created to defame a bully and gather public support........in the days of cyber-net.......even bullies can be bullied into social outcast.
God show's mercy on drunks and dumb animals.........two outa three ain't a bad score!
Things have sure changed a lot since I was in school. We didn't have a bullying problem; we had people who would bully others until a certain point was reached, and on or off school grounds, it got handled. Nothing like 5 or more of the bullied giving the bully a beatdown and making sure he understood it would be repeated if the bullying continued. It worked, too. And we knew not to seriously hurt anyone, too. And if they started bullying someone else, all that needed to be done was say, "Hey! Knock it off or you are going to get what you got the last time!"
Back then it was pretty normal for the bully to get sent to the principal's office where the bully was introduced to the principal's 'board of education', too. But back then, it was normal for parents to encourage corporal punishment when their kids got far out of line. It worked, too. And like as not, a paddling at school was repeated by one when you got home. Fear of punishment was a good deterrent on repeat bad behavior.
Now it's all that touchy-feely crap that does nothing to curb the problem. The kids know they can get away with it and push it to the limit. Teachers are no longer respected, and there is no fear of getting their backsides lit up for getting out of line.
I kind of see all these bullying problems as a problem that started at home. Kids that aren't disciplined at home and taught to respect others will be problems at school. And speaking of respect, when I was growing up, respect for any adult was drilled into us, as well as respect for others. Seems that respect is lacking now in a lot of kids. Not exactly their fault, either. They lack the respect because they were never taught it by their parents. Speaking of which, there are way too many single parent households. Kids that have two involved parents to teach them and keep them disciplined seem to do better over all.
“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer” ― Douglas Adams
While eating dinner with the girls, I'm always trying to teach them about conversation. Well, it ain't easy with 5 and 7 yo Girls. But today we had a good one.
When I asked about school, my youngest said that a boy pushed her down at recess. Then the older sister chimed in and said that the boy was trying to take a toy from a girl and my youngest went over to try and help her. Then the boy pushed my daughter down. Then the little one chimed back in and said "so Hannah pushed him down and told him to leave her sister alone".
Now the thing is, my oldest is a girly girl. She likes shoes, dresses and her nails done. So I asked her why she pushed the boy and all she said, with a grin from ear to ear, was " that's my sister".
After a long conversation about avoiding trouble, I ended it with some ice cream and sprinkles.
After about three years of enduring an abusive situation when I couldn't be there to defend them, my kids learned to depend on each other- - - -a lot! My son, the older by a little over two years, got bullied occasionally, so his very petite 5-year-old sister figured out a way to come to his aid. It's surprising how a small handbag with a long shoulder strap- - - - filled with rocks and swung like a Louisville Slugger- - - -will take the wind out of even a big kid's sails!
Jerry
'Bully-baiting,' for lack of a better description, is a kind of tradition in my family, going back for several generations. Every generation, on my dad's side, has its own lore about thwarting bullies.
My two grandsons, ages 9 and 12, eat this stuff up, and see themselves as 'bully-killers,' too...and they are big enough and tough enough to be completely credible in that role. They both have a well-developed sense of justice, and everybody knows it, students and teachers alike. Surprisingly, many of their friends have adopted similar attitudes, and the result seems to be that there isn't much bullying happening in their grade levels. I know all of this, because their mother (my daughter) is a high school counselor in the same system, and she eventually hears everything that happens in the entire system.
It seems that the teachers and principals approve of this 'grass roots' handling of the problem, even though they would probably deny that they know anything about it.
While eating dinner with the girls, I'm always trying to teach them about conversation. Well, it ain't easy with 5 and 7 yo Girls. But today we had a good one.
When I asked about school, my youngest said that a boy pushed her down at recess. Then the older sister chimed in and said that the boy was trying to take a toy from a girl and my youngest went over to try and help her. Then the boy pushed my daughter down. Then the little one chimed back in and said "so Hannah pushed him down and told him to leave her sister alone".
Now the thing is, my oldest is a girly girl. She likes shoes, dresses and her nails done. So I asked her why she pushed the boy and all she said, with a grin from ear to ear, was " that's my sister".
After a long conversation about avoiding trouble, I ended it with some ice cream and sprinkles.
This makes me smile....
Sharps Model 1874 - "The rifle that made the west safe for Winchester"
Replies
Back then it was pretty normal for the bully to get sent to the principal's office where the bully was introduced to the principal's 'board of education', too. But back then, it was normal for parents to encourage corporal punishment when their kids got far out of line. It worked, too. And like as not, a paddling at school was repeated by one when you got home. Fear of punishment was a good deterrent on repeat bad behavior.
Now it's all that touchy-feely crap that does nothing to curb the problem. The kids know they can get away with it and push it to the limit. Teachers are no longer respected, and there is no fear of getting their backsides lit up for getting out of line.
I kind of see all these bullying problems as a problem that started at home. Kids that aren't disciplined at home and taught to respect others will be problems at school. And speaking of respect, when I was growing up, respect for any adult was drilled into us, as well as respect for others. Seems that respect is lacking now in a lot of kids. Not exactly their fault, either. They lack the respect because they were never taught it by their parents. Speaking of which, there are way too many single parent households. Kids that have two involved parents to teach them and keep them disciplined seem to do better over all.
― Douglas Adams
When I asked about school, my youngest said that a boy pushed her down at recess. Then the older sister chimed in and said that the boy was trying to take a toy from a girl and my youngest went over to try and help her. Then the boy pushed my daughter down. Then the little one chimed back in and said "so Hannah pushed him down and told him to leave her sister alone".
Now the thing is, my oldest is a girly girl. She likes shoes, dresses and her nails done. So I asked her why she pushed the boy and all she said, with a grin from ear to ear, was " that's my sister".
After a long conversation about avoiding trouble, I ended it with some ice cream and sprinkles.
Jerry
My two grandsons, ages 9 and 12, eat this stuff up, and see themselves as 'bully-killers,' too...and they are big enough and tough enough to be completely credible in that role. They both have a well-developed sense of justice, and everybody knows it, students and teachers alike. Surprisingly, many of their friends have adopted similar attitudes, and the result seems to be that there isn't much bullying happening in their grade levels. I know all of this, because their mother (my daughter) is a high school counselor in the same system, and she eventually hears everything that happens in the entire system.
It seems that the teachers and principals approve of this 'grass roots' handling of the problem, even though they would probably deny that they know anything about it.
This makes me smile....