What really amazes me is how hidden bullying can be - to everyone except the victim.  It really irks me when I find out it’s been going on in my classroom, and I haven’t even been aware of it.  Especially because I strive to be constantly aware of what my students’ needs are so that I can meet them.

But I can remember elementary and middle school, and, whether bullied or bully, I never remember the teachers doing a thing.  Was that because they didn’t know or didn’t care?

 There’s one little girl in my second period; I wish I knew what to do!  That’s the other thing: maybe those past teachers did know and did care, they just didn’t know what to do about it.  So they opted out.  I try to manipulate situations so that the child is near friendly students, whether in the seating chart or in group work.  I have spoken to the girls who bully her about “being nice.”  (How much good does that do?)  And the two times I heard someone say something rude, I gently reprimanded them.  (Should I have been harsher?)

There’s another little boy in that class who is very troubled.  He is brilliant (reads on a 12th grade level as a 7th grader and has a vocabulary to rival mine), but his social skills are more muted.  He has trouble with boundaries and knowing what’s appropriate.  Truth be told, sometimes he knows what’s appropriate, and chooses to do the opposite.  While I’ve pushed myself to like him - or at least act like I like him - he is a very difficult child, and I can understand why the other children do not. 

This is a more difficult case, because while I want to prevent him from being bullied, I sometimes wonder if some of the kids are acting defensively rather than offensively.  He gets very angry when he upsets a student; but the students often tolerate his offensive and rude behavior.  I find myself often at a loss, even on just who to sit next to him!

On a more hopeful note: 

Last night I researched young adult books on bullying for a family literacy program I’m excited to be working with my school’s resource teacher this year on planning.  In this program, we will host a sort of book club for students and their parents in the evenings.  While I’m not exactly excited about the extra hours at school on Thursdays, I am looking forward to reaching out more in the community, communicating with parents, and promoting literacy in a broader application.

As I said, the first topic is going to be bullying.  Hopefully this will be a good way to support those who are (or have been) victims, and a good way to prevent future bullies from following their vocation.  We also plan to have the school psychiatrist present as further  support for families, and this will probably be an even greater resource as we delve into even more sensitive topics, such as alcoholism and abuse.