In my elementary school days, I was an awkward, chubby child
with a fondness for reading and a distinct lack of style. My family (God love them) were also a bit on
the weird side; my Mom was a graduate student studying India, my Father owned a
small stereo repair business, they were chronically late, and it was painfully
clear that we were not rich. And, since,
at the age of nine, I was (obviously) dependent on my parents for transportation,
I become the only third grader who arrived tardy to class every single
day. Needless to say, my unusual family,
absence of physical charm, embarrassing punctuality issues, and conspicuous
cash deficiency all conspired to make me a prime target for the catty girls and
aggressive boys at the Catholic school I attended. I was relentlessly ostracized and taunted,
and can therefore personally attest to the long-standing emotional scars that peer
bullying inflicts on youth.
As unpleasant as my experiences were, I can only imagine the
mental torment that lead to 13-year old Jon Carmichael’s March, 2010 suicide at
his home in Dallas, Texas following a long period of repetitive abuse at the
hands of fellow students. On one
particularly horrifying occasion, Carmichael was shoved, naked, into a trashcan
in a Loflin Middle School locker room.
What made him so offensive to his antagonists? He was small.
After the death of her son, Tami Carmichael began lobbying
Texas law makers to implement legislation that would levy heavy consequences,
such as legal prosecution, not only bullies, but the adults that are in charge
of them. And, her efforts were met with at
least partial success when the Anti-bullying Bill was signed into law by
Governor Perry in June of last year. The
Anti-bullying Bill, which will take effect in the fall, supports the prevention
of bullying by methods such as requiring that educators receive training
for its proper recognition and management, and by providing for the removal of
the offender (or victim) from the classroom or school. While I am pleased that Texas has finally
begun to define and regulate bullying through this bill, I feel, after reading
its online fact sheet, that it could address this heinous issue with a bit more
force. Why not make bullying, and its facilitation,
a prosecutable offense? After all, lives
are at stake.
I was able to relate to the message delivered in your blog for several personal reasons. I'm sure we all have been the victim of bulling at some point and time in our lives.
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school I had several encounters with the “school bullies.” I was raised in a small town outside of Waco TX, attending an all white school. Being African American during that time, it was to be expected. However, it wasn't called bulling then. It was called discrimination.
After moving to San Antonio in the early 70's and I thought that things would change because we now lived in “the big city”; however, it only got worse. The kids bullied me on a daily basis for one reason or another. Often it was because my shoes had holes in them or my clothes old or simply because I was poor and black. I was pushed into the wall in the hall ways after they would walk by and spit on it and being called the “N” word by a group of boys. They would either take my lunch or put something in it to prevent me from eating. I can only think of one time when things got so out of control one of the boy’s parents was called by a teacher (that had enough) requesting a meeting. After his mother came to the school and listen to my story, she took him home and shaved his head. She wanted him to see what it was like to be picked and laughed because he looked different. I never had any problem with him again.
I agree bullying should be a prosecutable offense. This should never be allowed regardless. I strongly agree with their parents’ being punished as well but to what level? It’s hard to say. Often parents are the last to know what their children are doing in school. I truly believe that this is a taught behavior and discipline should start in the home. Bullying is a serious matter that’s been over looked for a very longtime.
The only comment I have is you should attach a link of the article about the student who committed suicide would allow the readers see the point of view of his father. What challenges did his father have to overcome to get the “Anit.bullying Bill” to pass? What should be the punishment be to the bullies? Other than that it was a good blog and an answer to a long time problem.
I also can relate to this article and agree entirely.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I too was chubby. My mother ran about 15 minutes late naturally... and was also fond of cutting my hair, herself, into a dutch-boy masterpiece. Needless to say, I was the envy of my third grade class room.
In high school, things got better for ME. However, I would notice other kids being bullied without any mercy to the point where the child being bullied was just so scared of being picked on that they'd be a jerk to anyone who tried to speak to them. It's heart breaking.
This sounds dramatic, but this is SERIOUSLY how some criminals (... murderers!) are created. And it's terrible.
I heard on the radio the other day that a gay kid was being bullied by SIX boys at school. Six boys could easily accidentally kill someone. So the mother gave him a stun gun. It sounds dramatic, but let's be real here. This is her child. I saw a lady try to stun someone's dog at the dog park for not playing nice. I could easily see a mother doing the same. Anyway, the mother ended up getting in trouble and the kid got expelled.
Are you kidding me?
There is NO sort of defense for these kids. Either let them fight back without fear of getting in trouble for trying to defend themselves or defend them yourself. I can't believe the amount of bullying that takes place in schools.
So, in conclusion, I agree 100%. I think that bullying should be taken a lot more seriously than it is and should result in at least a generous fine. (Hey, there's a good source of revenue too.)