Bullying Does Happen At Your School

Yesterday I was at a South Dakota high school giving a presentation on bullying, cyberbullying and social responsibility. The presentation went well, the students were attentive, I was wrapping up the presentation with Q and A. Midway through the question and answer session a young man in the back row asked if he could ask a question of the students. He bravely asked, “Why do you all pick on me? Why am I always the one that gets picked on?” The room went silent, 100 students found themselves staring at their shoes. I let the students stare at their shoes for a few moments as I asked them to reflect on the situation. I pointed out that they all knew this student. I asked them to think about if they ever bullied this individual and if not, were they ever bystanders and did nothing. These were rhetorical questions. My hope is that there won’t be a next time, but if there is that someone will stand up and be an advocate for this student who I understand has been the target of bullying his whole life.
This is an example of what does happen in schools everyday across this country. 160,000 students stay home from school every day rather than face being bullied. Bullying happens in schools, on school ground, on the bus and elsewhere, even in the presence of adults. As educators, we need to learn what to look for and what to do when we see this behavior in our classrooms, hallways and wherever students are present. No one deserves to be bullied and it is time to start taking this subject seriously. It is not just happening in large schools or somewhere else. It is happening right here in South Dakota as much as anywhere else. Let’s join together and put a stop to the verbal, physical and relational abuse our students face.