You'll want to read Dr. Danah Boyd's excellent article from the Wall Street Journal about bullying. Here are the beginnings of the five misunderstandings:
- Bullies usually aren't the source of the problem . . .
- Not all meanness and cruelty is bullying . . .
- "Cyberbullying" has become an unnecessary distraction . . .
- When a child has been hurt, people want someone—or something—to blame . . .
- Most anti-bullying assemblies are ineffective . . .
1 comment:
GREAT article! Thanks for posting! So many of the bullying policies we put into place, to me, reinforce bullying by modeling that those in power can use it to punish. Recognizing the bigger picture, and not playing a Blame and Shame game, are a great beginning. I agree with Dr. Boyd that "There are effective programs for addressing the underlying issues; they require social-emotional learning and empathy development. Yet, putting these in place requires serious commitment in terms of money, time and community involvement. If we want to change the ecosystem, we need to invest in these long-term solutions."
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