In response to bullying, it's up to Kids

(In response to http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_17297040)

In response to bullying, it's up to kids  

          The war on bullying is certainly a violent and controversial battlefield according to Clarence Fanto in his article “Digital bullying…” As a very real and growing problem in elementary and high schools, there are measures we need to take in addition to attempting to educate parents and instituting new laws.

Technology has certainly taken a strong hold on kids and teens and has lassoed them into a world based around quick and convenient communication. Kids are learning new ways to make “friends” and are forgetting conventional means of talking face to face. They’re learning to share their feelings with emoticons, not with genuine facial and verbal expression. With this communication barrier growing thicker, the easier it becomes for kids to isolate themselves and become reliant on cyber networks. The fact is, we would be wasting our time if we became convinced that technological advances would be stopped in their tracks – for the land of “OMG’s” and “LOL’s” has already become internationally dominant.

            It seems to me that teachers and administrators alike have taken measures into their own hands with headstrong ideas on how to change America’s youth. Having recently been a high school student myself, I find this uprising in authority to be somewhat condescending. Let’s stop blaming the parents and education systems, and let us take a look at this problem from the perspective of a student. If we are going to be implementing “training programs” to withhold the new anti-bullying law, we should put the students in charge. Too many a health class have I sat through watching cheesy public service announcements on the horrors and harms of bullying. If we believe that kids and teens should understand the consequences of bullying, we should address the issue with a hands-on approach. Engaging them in simulated bullying situations or skits can help our students see both sides of the spectrum; either by being verbally attacked by a peer or by witnessing victims’ reactions. If kids can simulate this verbal/cyber abuse, it could open up a whole new perspective on the concept of being victimized.

As Fanto further describes, parents still aren’t taking matters into their own hands despite schools’ efforts to engage them in discussion and training. This suggests to me that the answer is lying somewhere else, and we need to stop blaming parents for their child-rearing skills. Let’s “seek guidance” inside the school walls and utilize real emotion, real relationships, and real problems to prevent further outbreaks of bullying, self-harm and suicide. If the kids feel like they’re in control of such programs, which they essentially can be, the result of educating them becomes positive reinforcement, as opposed to negative punishment. We can’t revoke their usage of texting and facebook-ing, but we can instigate change through encouragement and understanding amongst their peers.