One Man’s Fight — School By School — Against Bullying
John Halligan knows all too well what Phoebe Princes’ parents are going through tonight. Phoebe was a 15 year-old freshman at South Hadley High School in Western Massachusetts. Authorities believe she took her own life after being bullied off and online. John was there six years ago when his 13 year-old son, Ryan, took his […]
Do Kids Know What the Word “Bully” Means?
No. Not always. Take for example, a recent trip I made to two seventh grade classes in a relatively small Catholic school. The mission was to conduct a survey on bullying. It was a set of 10 simple questions, including “Have you ever been bullied?” and “Have you ever seen other students bullied at school?” […]
Compassion: The Anti-Bully
The horror in Haiti is unreal. The feeling of powerlessness is overwhelming. The compassion we feel for every one suffering is palpable. Compassion. At the very least, perhaps this is a teachable moment to pass along to our children. To honor all those in Haiti, perhaps we can be more compassionate toward our peers. A […]
If You See Something, Say Something
Shawn Hornbeck’s message is directly aimed at the “bystander.” It’s ok to teach our kids and encourage each other as adults to step up. It doesn’t have to be in a “tie your superhero cloak on and fly in to save the day” kind of way. It can be done in hundreds of ways. And […]
When the Teacher is the Bully…or When the Teacher’s Behavior is NOT Acceptable
When I couldn’t find any easy answers to the question, “What do parents and children do when the teacher is the bully?,” I turned to someone I really respect in the field. Stan Davis, author of “Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies for Reducing Bullying” and “Empowering Bystanders in Bullying Prevention” to get some advice. […]
Helpful Links
Highly Recommended Overall, I found Common Sense Media and iKeepSafe to be the most comprehensive and most helpful on all things including online, video, cell, movies and television. Common Sense Media iKeepSafe The Department of Health and Human Resources developed the Stop Bullying Now site which covers more on “traditional” bullying: Stop Bullying Now Great […]
Net Cetera
Who said Twitter was silly? I just found this great resource recently published by the Federal Trade Commission on Parenting and Online Safety through Twitter. If you’re a school, you can order these in bulk FOR FREE. Bravo FTC. The more quality materials the better. And thank you to Sue Scheff who led me to […]
When the Teacher is the Bully
Anyone have advice on this one? It’s a common problem and a reason many kids don’t want to go to school. It’s a tough situation, though, because the teacher is in control and will often act differently with the parent and principal than with the child. And they’re in a great position to intimidate or […]
“Heaps of People Sees But Nobody Knows”…
Are words from a very wise woman who was a part of my life as a child. It was her way of saying “always be nice and don’t judge.” I thought of these words yesterday as I was skipping through channels trying to find CNN. (Time Warner has moved CNN to Channel 78 from Channel […]
A Pat on the Back
Bravo to everyone in 2009 who did something big — or small — to help stop the heartache of bullying. The fact you cared could have saved a child or an adult years of unnecessary pain. If you did any of the following, stop and give yourself a round of applause: • Noticed a child’s […]
