Over these last couple weeks I have learned so much about the families and the children that I am working with. The parents have responded very well with me being in their child's class and interacting with them. I feel like when this class is over I will have gained the knowledge to become a better advocate for bullying. I am talked with many people through out this journey about this issue and they all say the same thing, "I can't believe how bad it has gotten!" I couldn't agree with them more. Yesterday I was talking with my husband about writing my paper and how nervous I am to turn it in. He got a phone call just as we were talking about bullying from his sister saying his niece's best friend was found in her room today and that she had taken her life because of bulling. I couldn't believe how close to home this was hitting now. My sister in law has to talk to her 9 year old daughter about suicide and bullying. I think that this is something that does need to be talked about at a very young age because children are not able to handle being bullied sometimes. This is the reality of the outcome of my topic and it is very saddening.
Some of the parents that I did get a chance to talk to for a bit were shocked to hear some of the facts that I was telling them about bullying. They didn't think that it was such a huge concern for children that are in their child's grade. I told them that it doesn't matter how old you are because it can happen to anyone. I also told them to go home and talk to their children about the subject because it is very important that they understand what to do when they are being bullied.
I did witness a couple children picking on one child in the class I was observing this past week and the teacher sent them immediately to the office to talk to the principal. (She talked to them all first) Then after she talked with the children that were involved she pulled the class together and talked about bullying and feelings. It was a wonderful thing for me to experience. I feel the teacher handled the situation exactly how every teacher should handle it.
Amber,
ReplyDeleteI am deeply saddened by your news and send my thoughts and prayers to your family. I can't imagine having to talk to a child at nine years of age about suicide. It also saddens me to think that young people feel as though there are no other choices but to take their life when bullying occurs.
I do know that through your advocacy research you can make a difference. I am happy to hear you had such a good response from the parents at your school and that you were able to see a teacher respond to bullying while you were observing.
Best wishes on your project...you will do just fine!
Take Care,
Cheri
Are you saying that your sister-in-law had to talk to her daughter about suicide because a classmate committed suicide? Wow if that's the case it's very sad. Suicide is a very delicate subject. When my daughter was in 8th grade one of her acquaintances committed suicide and the parents found out several students had a pact. It was a very long couple of months.
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