It's National Anti-Bullying Month.
Tuesday, a worried grandparent stood before the Board of Education and complained about a bullying situation at Woodrow Wilson Middle School. She said that the school staff and the administration were not taking appropriate action concerning the problem.
The Middletown Press did a follow-up today.
Each member of the Board of Education, and all school administration staff and teachers need to watch this video. The message is vital, and the courage on display is incredible. Bullying and intimidation of any kind can not be tolerated in our school system, and every administrator, every staff member and every teacher must take responsibility to be sure that any bullying is stopped.
Dear Ed,
ReplyDeleteI can't thank you enough for posting this. It should be played in all our schools.
Not only does the bullying need to stop, but sanctioned homophobia (on religious grounds or any other grounds) needs to be opposed too. First Church declared ourselves an "Open and Affirming Church" in January 1993. Are there any other congregations or clergy who will speak out on this issue? We should all know by now that gender identity and sexual orientation are much more ambiguous and complex than previous generations appreciated.
ReplyDeleteEd, thank you for posting. I want to challenge our community to see bullying not just as a school-based issue rather it is a community issue. Get to know the neighborhood kids, know what your own children are doing, step in when you see kids treating other kids badly. Of course the schools need to take action, and so do each of us as community members.
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ReplyDeleteMy 13-year-old sat me down last week and said "you've got to see this." It was one of the early "It gets better" videos - since then, I've just been amazed to see all the videos that LGBT adults across the country are posting about their struggles in adolescence. It is an awesome display of American character, to hear how all of these people persevered - and in spite of my outrage that this country has been so slow to wake up to this basic civil rights issue, I'm also grateful to know that communities of acceptance are growing.
ReplyDeleteEd, thank you for posting this video. I can only hope that this is a turning point for our country.
Side note to John Hall: South Church is an "open and affirming church" too! The UCC has been a leader on this issue.
-Jen Alexander
Thanks Ed. I've been working with kids for fifteen years as an ADL trainer, working on bullying issues a week as discussions about all the isms that make kids targets for bullies. It's complex but simple. Teach kids empathy early and often, enforce with positive recognition for allies and consistent discipline for bullies.
ReplyDeleteAnd finally, and this is where we need assurances, is consistent leadership from the board of ed, instructional leaders and teachers, to set high standards, train faculty in intervention strategies and support parents and students when issues arise.