Everywhere you look, families are preparing for the return to school. We were in Brandon yesterday picking up school supplies and we were not alone, there were kids and moms everywhere, with big signs at the store proclaiming that it was "Back to school." Shops are doing a roaring trade, especially when the list of required supplies includes $150 graphing calculators for older students!
But, there's another type of preparation that is seldom talked about, and that is the anxiety that some kids feel, knowing that with the return to school, there is a return to persecution and bullying. My daughter has known what that is like. She is one of those young people that has been bullied, has been persecuted, and has been shunned by peers. It is sickeningly wrong, and she is only one of thousands of kids that have experienced it. So let's get down and dirty with bullying!
To all those kids who fear the bully - For heaven's sake, if you are worried about it, talk to your parents about it now. You do not need to go back to school worried sick about what is going to happen there. You do not need to suffer it alone or suffer it in silence. Bullying is wrong, against your rights, and it must be stopped. But it cannot be stopped if you don't tell someone about it.
To parents - Do you see a change in your child? Do they appear quieter, more reserved, somewhat distant or even agitated? Have you asked them how they are feeling? Why not ask them straight out if they have been bullied at school and have not told you? Many kids keep it quiet because they fear it will make things worse to report the bully. And so they say nothing, and the situation continues. As parents we need to be proactive in this matter.
To the kids that stand by and witness it - When are you going to stand up and stop it by saying something? If you see a fellow-student being bullied, and you sit back and say nothing, then as far as I am concerned, you are part of the problem. Bullying seldom takes place in a vacuum, most times people see it happening, and they keep their trap shut and don't want to get involved. Think about this, if you were the victim, would you want someone to come to your rescue?
And to the bully - What are you getting out of your actions, a sense of power? Or are you crying out for help too, in a way that does not serve you or anyone else? Think twice about your actions please, and if you need to talk to someone, do it, before you really do get into trouble.
Bullying is a cancer in school society, and it is time to stop it. It is time to rid school society of this terrible disease. But it takes more than school programs; it takes individuals having the guts to make a difference. It takes courage for the bully to reconsider their actions, it takes courage for witnesses to say "This is wrong, enough is enough." It takes courage for the victim to speak out. It takes courage for parents to open up and encourage their kids to talk. Do you have that courage?
Bullying takes many forms. Sure, some cases involve physical violence, but most do not. It involves name calling, it involves labelling, it involves shunning people and keeping them as an outsider to the activities of the "in crowd." Hmmm, maybe by that definition some of you kids reading this ARE bullies, and you have not yet made that connection - there is still time to change!
So how prepared are you to return to school? I mean, who cares about school supplies when there are kids already feeling ill at the prospect of going back to bullying? I hope this article serves as a wake-up call to everyone that reads it. If you have seen yourself in something I have written, then you better think about it. You don't need to stand up in class and go on some kind of crusade, but awareness is the first step. I challenge every student to be aware of the social interaction in your classroom. Does it encourage and build up every student? Or are there those who are put down constantly? Is there a victim among you, and are those who love to victimize also among you?
Be more aware this school year. To the bully and the victim, to the parent and the witness, I say it is time to stop this madness. It is time to move into a new era of mutual respect and harmony, where people really do treat others as they would like to be treated. After all, that's not exactly a new message is it?
