What lessons can we learn from children? Reflect on Walking Trees and other experiences with children.
Just because children are children does not mean their words are not weapons. As I read Walking Trees, Ralph Fletcher's memories of being bullied by his classmates evoked many emotions. I truly sympathized with Fletcher when his bullies picked on him and made bets at his expense. They were able to go on vacation with all of the money they had earned!
As a middle school student I remember the "class clown" thinking it was a funny joke to place thumb tacks on his classmate's chairs before they entered the class. Our teacher was young and wanted to be our "friend" instead of our teacher and let him play these jokes. Many students were hurt and offended and instead of the teacher taking control of the situation, she encouraged it. For this reason, teachers should be aware of which students play bully to others and take control of these kinds of situation, instead of allowing them to happen. It is important for children to feel safe and comfortable when at school. If teachers do not address these kinds of situations, a child's safety, self-esteem and learning is at risk.
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3 comments:
I think that it is very important for teachers to know what is going on in their classroom. Bulling is something that goes on and it is terrible if a teacher knows what is going on and does nothing. It is important for a teacher to be a teacher not a friend. That story you wrote about your middle school teacher ignoring what the bully was doing is horrible. I am able to relate to that story. My freshman year of high school I had a teacher who was also the wrestling coach and he let the boys he coached get away with picking on other students. I was luck I never got picked on, but watching them do this was awful. I remember feeling so bad for the students that are being picked on.
Josephine, I agree and feel that it is so important for teachers to take control and be aware of those students who play bully. I actually never realized that children can be bullied very early in age...as young as Kindergarten! There is a student in the same class as my daughter who started to pick on her. My daughter was bothered by her comments and the things she was doing. The teacher was not "aware" because the student plays bully outside after school. I brought it to the teachers attention right away. She actually thanked me for it and told me that my daughter should let the teachers know if something like this happens again. The student is being watched now.
I attended a workshop on bullies in a local school in my town. I found it to be extremely helpful. If you have the opportunity to attend a workshop on this topic I encourage you to go. It is so important for teachers to have some knowledge about this.
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