‘We on the front lines must take charge
of making our schools safe for all children.’
Working with children offers many opportunities to learn. I know
26 years in the classroom has taught me many lessons. One of my
most important lessons deals with how safe and comfortable students
feel in the classroom as well as the rest of the school.
Too often our students’ so-called humor revolves around a
series of putdowns, verbal jabs and name-calling. I used to use
the same old adage with my students that my teachers used with me:
“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never
hurt me.” My teachers were delivering the message that I should
be tough and learn to ignore the bullies. It may have helped me
put on a front, but it didn’t make the remarks less stinging.
Our culture has made it even tougher for today’s kids to
deal with these issues. Popular media figures depict threatening
behavior as the way to get your way. More often than not, the threats
lead to violence. These media images have increasingly affected
the way children deal with each other. Bullying in our schools is
at epidemic proportions, and we on the front lines must take charge
of making our schools safe for all children.
How often have you heard students call each other gay or retarded?
It may not happen in front of you, but I can bet that they use these
names and much worse on the playground, in the restroom or on the
bus. These verbal attacks are almost always linked to further bullying.
When that lesson became clear to me, I decided no longer to tolerate
name-calling or bullying of any type. The message went out to all
parents and students about the policy, and I applied discipline
fairly, evenly and swiftly. It sure helped my classroom-learning
environment. Since that time, I have learned that I didn’t
do enough.
Just making my classroom a bully-free zone didn’t produce
the same effect throughout the school, on the playground or on the
bus. Like most other problems, dealing with bullying requires all
school staff to work together. Every staff member must understand
the extent of bullying in her or his school setting. Only then can
we jointly raise awareness of the issue, examine the solutions and
decide how to tackle the problem.
I’m happy to report that this effort is well underway in
many schools across the nation. In fact, for a number of years many
schools have participated in No Name-Calling Week. This week was
inspired by a young adult novel, The Misfits, by popular author
James Howe. The novel tells the story of best friends trying to
survive seventh grade in the face of all-too-frequent taunts based
on their weight, height, intelligence and sexual orientation/gender
expression. Motivated by the inequities they see around them, the
“Gang of Five” (as they are known) creates a new political
party during student council elections and runs on a platform aimed
at wiping out name calling of all kinds. Though they lose the election,
they win the support of the school’s principal for their cause
and their idea for a “No Name-Calling Day” at school.
NEA joined forces with more than 40 education, mental health, youth
advocacy and social justice organizations to address the problem
of name calling and verbal bullying in U.S. schools. No Name-Calling
Week was held Jan. 24-28, but it is never too late to reinforce
this message more.
Missouri NEA has devoted much effort and time to develop a cadre
of trainers who stand ready to assist you and your school in addressing
the issues of bullying. You can get more information about the MNEA
Bullying/Sexual Harassment Training by contacting MNEA Vice President
Chris Guinther at Chris.Guinther@mnea.org.
Resolve to do something about school bullying in 2005. Your students
are counting on you.
by Greg
Jung
MNEA president
Other Reflections
‘MNEA is ready to fight
this attack on teacher certification, but we cannot do it alone.’
‘Our recommendation
process does exactly what it is designed to do.’
‘The best part of being
an MNEA member is the power we have when we stand up for public
education.’
‘Tell them their payment
is well overdue.’
‘It’s time for people
to recognize the value of the work we do.’
‘The people we elect to the
PSRS Board...
will have the ability to make decisions that affect your retirement
forever.’
Send a message Feb. 16 to legislators
that they need to take care of kids first!
Another hoop for you to jump through
in a single bound
‘Now is the time for all members
to reach out to invite others to join.’
'Missouri's economy will improve
only when legislators realize education is an investment.'
Almost 13,000 Missouri teachers aren’t
currently covered by Medicare
'Temper your frustration with determination'
The Classroom Trust Fund
'Having a pro-public education legislature
has never been more uncertain'
Missouri teachers missing benefits
of Social Security
Reflecting on our work
Every child deserves a great school
|
