Bullying is something I'm sure we have all talked about growing up in schools. I think if we continue to talk about it in our classrooms and explain the consequences to our students, we may be able to stop some of these actions. Getting through to the bully could be more difficult than we think, but getting through to the other children that this is not OK may be easier. If we make children aware that they do not deserve to be treated disrespectfully and they have the right to tell someone, maybe that can help with this problem.
Something that goes right along with bullying was child abuse. This was my topic for discussion so I got to watch multiple videos and read articles about it. I think the discussion we had at the end of the class about when and who to tell about injuries (black eyes) was very though provoking. When I thought about what I would do, I decided that I would document the injuries, but if it was just once and the story sounded believable, I would leave it at that. If I did think something was going on, I would let my principal be aware of this and then I might talk to the student privately. I think that discussion would be a judgement call whether to have it or not.
All in all I found this week of discussions to be stimulating and useful for my educational career.
I'm glad you mentioned the experience we had at the Boys and Girls Club in conjunction with this topic as I hadn't yet made that connection. I remember thinking that it was sad that some of the kids there had very little resources, either money, food or support at home. Until our discussion in class last week, I had not considered that there are different types of poverty and that even though a child is wearing nice clothes and has enough food to eat, the lack of support at home may have devastating effects on their education. With this in mind, your suggestion of an after school reading program or other forms for assistance when children aren't getting the support they need at home is even more important.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that overcoming bullying in our schools is something that may be much more difficult than we think. It seems that different forms of bullying are so subtle, such as the mean looks or simply ignoring someone even though you aren't actively doing anything mean to them, are so difficult to root out of a school. I have read several books by adults who share their experiences of bullying and how it has effected them as adults and some of the effects are staggering! It will be so important for us as teachers to take this seriously and not simply dismiss it as a "rite of passage".
I also found the discussion on when to suspect that a child has been abused interesting. I think that having both a solid relationship with the families of my students and with the other teachers and especially the principal is very important to helping to prevent this problem in the school.
I love the idea about the reading program after school! That is a great one, and true that just 20 minutes per day, could mean a lot of progression for students.
ReplyDeleteThis made me think of building community support. As teachers, we cannot take all of this on by ourselves, not every problem, every after school program, or every change that needs to occur. But what we can do is be an advocate for these children, and find resources or people who are willing to help us. Very similar to the relationship BC has with the schools, and the Boys and Girls club. It works well for both parties I think, and in the end there are more resources (us!) for the kids to benefit from!
When you mentioned Boys and Girls Club, I got really excited, because I feel as if that was one of my best experiences I have ever had working with underprivledged kids. After working there and meeting the kids, I wanted to help these kids out in other ways as well. The after school problem is a brilliant idea! This would also help out parents who may be getting out of work late and it would give them a few extra minutes. This would be a positive experience for each child, and they may just need that individual attention from the teacher that they may not get at home!
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with Amy. I think Mr. Rued mentioned this, too, about teachers needing to strive to enlist the support of the surrounding community, bringing them to the service of the children in their area. Many people struggle with learning how to deligate tasks to others, but that seems to be an important skill for the community-building teacher to have. Like Amy said, teachers can't take on trying to solve every problem on their own. If we take advantage of every opportunity to build good relationships with community members, though, this could make it a lot easier to find connections that will bring the community to the aid of the students. It will free up the teacher to focus on what he or she is responsible for in the classroom while empowering community members to serve and be generous with their skills and resources.
ReplyDeleteThe Boys and Girls Club is so wonderful. I just wish that more Atchison children were involved in it. The experience there was a very real exposure to poverty. Many of the kids mentioned not even having computers or televisions at home. I was always amazed that the middle school Boys and Girls Club students wanted to play on the computer the whole time, but now it makes sense, since they don't have one at home.
ReplyDeleteThe Boys and Girls Club also awakened me to the distance between socioeconomic groups. The kids feared we thought we were better than them. It too a while to earn their trust. We'll need to keep that in mind when working with students in poverty.
I hadn't even thought about the boys and girls club until I read your post. I always saw why it was important that these kids had a place to go, but I never really thought about what the kids' lives at home were.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to talk about the consequences of bullying. Kids need to know what all can happen when teasing goes to far and becomes bullying. Also, when you said that we need to get through to the bully as well as the student being bullied, that was right on. Educators have to know strategies to accomplish this. I think in class we have talked about it enough to really have a good beginning grasp on all of this.
I agree there was a great opportunity working with the children at the Boys and Girls Club. I believe that they not only benefitted from us but we also learned from working with them as well. I also agree that getting through to the bully could be more difficult, but it is always good to know that the faculty is there to help and back teachers up as well and that we do not have to deal with them alone. I would also document all injuries whether the story sounded believable or not, especially since I would not want to lose my job for not reporting an injury that did not seem believable.
ReplyDeleteI also want to agree with the comments that everyone is making on the Boys and Girls Club. I consider that my most positive experience in the education department. It has truly changed my outlook on poverty. I am very grateful for the time that I spent there.
ReplyDeleteAt my elementary school, we had areading progam called the Read-A-Thon. Throughout each trimester of the school year students would read books. The more books you read the bigger and better prize you would receive at the end of the year. Parents had to sign off and log the time the students read to verify. Prizes would be school supplies or more books to read for the following trimester.
ReplyDeleteI always thought this was a good way for kids to get involved in reading at the elementary level. I hope that they still do this, have not been back in some time.