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Auburn Middle School (AMS) students were entertained by Paul Little, on Friday, during an all-school Bullying Prevention Program. His rendition of ‘Don’t Laugh At Me’ brought many to tears. The song relates how some people are often ignored, picked-on, and hurt in various ways.
Ms. Jennifer Biedler, science instructor, lead Hip-Hop song and dance, as the students cheered with joy. Ms. Susie Weaver, Guidance Counselor of AMS, and Kathy Kenley, Prevention Specialist at New River Community Services, coordinated the event. A goal of AMS for several years, as told by Ms. Guylene Wood-Setzer, AMS Principal, is to maintain a ‘BULLY-FREE ZONE.’ As she spoke to the sixth- through eighth-graders, she said that she ‘didn’t want to hear, “I was just playing”…as she gave other examples of activities that were not acceptable. Bullying in any form will not be tolerated. “AMS has tackled the problem of bullying, by educating adults and students about the negative effects of this social injustice, and what role each of us plant in the problem and in the solution,” Kenley said. “We strive bystanders to TAKE A STAND against bullying, empowering the caring majority who do not think it’s cool to bully others.” School rules against bullying, weekly classroom meetings and rewards for positive behavior and serious consequences for offenders make the AMS prevention efforts strong.Little said, “I enjoyed improvising some of the music; I wrote the Hip-Hop/Rap introduction. It’s been a wonderful experience to work with Ms. Weaver and Ms. Biedler, doing something so positive for the students. It was a ‘moving’ experience for me.” Ms. Biedler said that she and Ms. Weaver “strived to provide an entertaining kick-off for the Anti-Bullying campaign. We wanted elicit interest, and to serve those that learn better by hearing, seeing, and speaking, using a contemporary context, via the use of music.” The Campaign continues throughout the year, bringing comfort to the school community. Teacher training is part of the program, as they make are directed to be pro-active and observant. STAMP is the acronym that is used to help implement the efforts - S: Stay away from bullies; T: tell someone; A: Avoid bad situations; M: Make Friends; Project Confidence.
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Bullying is prolific, throughout the world. It is often facilitated by those 'in-charge,' inadvertantly, or not.
Students, hoarded into closely-packed spaces, including gym locker rooms (whereas they must dress/undress, within the company of strangers, etc.), are often intimidated.
The younger the 'victim,' the more likely to be emotionally affected by physical and other forms of bullying.
Sure, psychological bullying is relevant, but physical bullying is the paramount issue. Physical bullying, obvious to most, often has a negative emotional affect.
Except for the 'high-dollar' inception of 'programmed' project-based efforts, costing the school-system a great amount of money, the concept of anti-bullying is important. Sure, some 'grant' monies' are used, and some are paid to facilitate the grant efforts, but realism must prevail. Adjust the monitoring of interactions; AVOID facilitating bullies' 'perfect chances.'
Much of the high-dollar expenditures could be avoided, by closely monitoring the 'naked' truth: students are put in precarious situations, often unmonitored. Can one imagine: a 6th-grader is expected to expose themselves, to all (Phyical Education locker-rooms)?
Crowded facilities, etc.; finally, at least some of the hallways have video, in some schools. Years behind other regional efforts.
The locker-rooms, obviously, cannot be video-recorded. Sexual harrasment. by both genders, is often labeled as 'bullying.'
A 'real' approach must be expedited. Why should some 'buy into' Jay Banks, an anti-bullying COMPANY, when simple realism should 'rule.'
Sure, there's a lot of folks making a lot of money from the exposes' of efforts, but the costly ventures are only 'hightlights' of realism.
Monitor the students, ask them questions, help them. 'Hype' is good, in this case, but the $$ expenditures should be targeted into personnel that monitors students, more closely.
'Don't Laugh At Me'...I've seen enough to make me feel that the issues are NOT really being addressed, realistically.
I appreciate the efforts of those that try to help those that might encounter life-long, negative effects, due to bullying. Victims often suffer life-long, negative affects. I wonder, do any folks have any stories to tell about their experiences?
Times have 'changed,' but the bullying problem has not.