A recent Boston Globe article revealed that a handful of anti-bullying bills are currently under consideration in the state legislature. The bills are the results of an increasingly violent bullying atmosphere reported in Boston schools, most of which already bear the burden of horrible nationwide reputations. Boston public schools and charter schools have been especially topical for years ‘- most recently they garnered considerable attention during the mayoral and city council elections, during which candidates emphasized the urgency of the Boston public school crisis. That being true, the bullying issue isn’t one to be taken lightly, but it also isn’t something that should be seen as a separate problem. Rather, it is a symptom of a much larger affliction, and as common sense would suggest, treating a single symptom will not cure the disease.
The legislative motions seem extreme and out of place ‘- bullying, when stopped early, doesn’t have to become a legal issue, and the logistics of enforcement if such bills were to pass seem unrealistic. Legal punishment for real, lawbreaking criminals is one thing, but it is the job of school administrators, faculty and parents to address young student bullying. Furthermore, it is the job of city government leaders to make sure schools have the resources they need to establish richer, more positive environments for students, as it isn’t a rogue claim to say that better schools foster happier students. All of this can be accomplished without the aid of unfeasible legislative ordinances, which will only cost money, cause confusion and yield ineffective and unfitting punishments, if any at all.
A Nov. 18 Boston Globe article reporting upon this issue actually stated that the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has no formal protocol for bullying policies, and that punitive enforcement standards vary from school to school. Herein lies the very obvious and very fixable core of the issue ‘- the schools haven’t even made a unified attempt themselves to minimize bullying, and have instead jumped to the legislature for help. That the schools are factioned on this issue suggests that they lack the cohesiveness necessary to not only establish a sound bullying policy but also a sound school system. Here is where the government should see fit to step in ‘- in the revision of the major problems crippling Boston public schools. If the highest city officials can start at the top of the list of problems, addressing the broadest and most detrimental issues like facility maintenance, funding and faculty quality, the benefits of this will trickle down to the lower levels of the system, and school administrators will be able to establish viable anti-bullying programs, as is their responsibility to do so. The children, finally, will have the resources they need, instead of having to face the punishment they don’t.
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I have the privilege of being a Sunday school teacher for children in the kindergarten – 1st grade age range. A few weeks ago, one of our more challenging kids was having a hard time concentrating and behaving. Another kid stood up and called him a bully, although no particular action seemed to incite this comment. I watched as the first kid, “John,” began to get trememdously upset. He continually repeated that he was not a bully, and that bully was a bad word. A great deal of sadness showed on his face, and he would not let go of the issue.<p/>It wasn’t until I was walking in a middle school cafeteria the other day that I understood why this was so significant. There are posters up of “bullying” and how terrible it is. National campaigns are portraying the bully as one who should be punished, and some lobbyists even suggest that schools should lose funding if there is a prevalence of bullying in their schools. <p/>I believe this is a misplaced approach. The “bullies” are often the children needing the most care and attention. They are more likely to be the ones with single- or absent- parent families, living in bad situations, and simply turn to bullying to take out their pain or lack of love on someone else. If anything, schools with children who exhibit such behavior should be given MORE funding to be able to coach these students along. <p/>Love is an incredible corrective instrument.