Why do kids make fun?

[DeafCaroline]

Wow, I guess times are different. That's terrible. I don't recall such physical violence in any of my high schools (I went to two on the East Coast, and two on the West). It was rare for girls to be violent. They could be cruel but not physical.

Very true. girls can be far more cruel than boys. They know how to use words to wound. Physical abuse was almost easier to deal with than a group of girls whispering behind their hands and pointing at you and laughing. that hurt me far more than being hit.

 

[Bottesini]

I didn't read anything about physical attacks or needing self defense in saraastein's posts.

I think she should try the reporting route first. It may work. We don't know until she tries.

I wonder if the bullies are also targeting the deaf students directly?

I think they probably are. And like Steinhauer, I finally fought back in junior high.

I picked up my worst tormentor and tossed her into a blackboard. She was quite a bit bigger than me. People were less in my face after that.

Both of us were suspended for a week.

 

[Steinhauer]

Wow, I guess times are different. That's terrible. I don't recall such physical violence in any of my high schools (I went to two on the East Coast, and two on the West). It was rare for girls to be violent. They could be cruel but not physical.

What deafcaroline described are almost the same incidents that happened to me in school. Very similar. I had to learn to fight back - it wasn't an option (for me, I am not speaking for others).

 

[CSign]

I think they probably are. And like Steinhauer, I finally fought back in junior high.

I picked up my worst tormentor and tossed her into a blackboard. She was quite a bit bigger than me. People were less in my face after that.

Both of us were suspended for a week.

Good for you Bott. She deserved it

 

[dogmom]

DeafCaroline, I had similar incidents up until high school. But I wasn't brave as you and Bott - very small, skinny little kid who did have a lot of social awkwardness and social...hmm...maybe just lack of awareness...things happened and I wouldn't know what to say or how to explain, just get real upset and start crying.

At the end of middle school <7th/8th grade here> - bullying worst physically there - I was cast as lead role in some kind "Princess"-type play for a children's play that my 8th grade Spanish immersion teacher was putting on the day of the 8th grade graduation. It was all in Spanish as I was in the immersion program. I think she was trying to do me a favor by casting me in that role but I remember how shocked and humiliated I was when she actually announced which student would do what role and that I would be the "Princess" - in middle of class one day. I really wanted to the world to just END right then and there.

And so we rehearsed and rehearsed and I dreaded each day more than before. Then the day came of the final, real performance in front of the whole school - and I ditched it- told my mom that I was sick. This was a common theme of mine back then. So I didn't go to school so I didn't have to do the play. I felt absolutely terrible for the poor teacher who seemed to to be so proud of how she had "helped" me and she was a kind person, I had liked her.

 

[Beowulf]

DeafCaroline, I had similar incidents up until high school. But I wasn't brave as you and Bott - very small, skinny little kid who did have a lot of social awkwardness and social...hmm...maybe just lack of awareness...things happened and I wouldn't know what to say or how to explain, just get real upset and start crying.

At the end of middle school <7th/8th grade here> - bullying worst physically there - I was cast as lead role in some kind "Princess"-type play for a children's play that my 8th grade Spanish immersion teacher was putting on the day of the 8th grade graduation. It was all in Spanish as I was in the immersion program. I think she was trying to do me a favor by casting me in that role but I remember how shocked and humiliated I was when she actually announced which student would do what role and that I would be the "Princess" - in middle of class one day. I really wanted to the world to just END right then and there.

And so we rehearsed and rehearsed and I dreaded each day more than before. Then the day came of the final, real performance in front of the whole school - and I ditched it- told my mom that I was sick. This was a common theme of mine back then. So I didn't go to school so I didn't have to do the play. I felt absolutely terrible for the poor teacher who seemed to to be so proud of how she had "helped" me and she was a kind person, I had liked her.

Tsk, tsk, dogmom. You have an unresolved issue, some unfinished karma. How will you deal with it now?

 

[dogmom]

yup, true...have thought about that....

i bet so many in general do have un-resolved issues though...

 

[Beowulf]

yup, true...have thought about that....

i bet so many in general do have un-resolved issues though...

How about we cast you as the defender in our play "12 Angry Dogs?"

 

[Jiro]

You do realize states are amending anti bully laws so that kids are not punished for defending themselves don't you?

Amending? How can they amend it if such law never existed in the first place?

You must be confused. More and more states are CREATING Anti-Bully Law.... meaning victims will have better legal protection and schools can be held accountable.

and no it doesn't protect kids from fighting back. Violence is not a solution and I don't condone it. In fact, I won't even support any bills that would legally protects kids from fighting back because it negated the very purpose of Anti-Bully Law.

You fight, You pay for it. Sorry. You know what it breeds? Vigilantism.

 

[Babyblue]

In the state of Florida schools have the Anti Bullying policy. If the school will not do anything about it, then call your local school resource officer or law enforcement. Get a report on paper stating that you reported or keep a log of what and whom you report the incident to.

 

[dogmom]

Beo

 

[Jiro]

*sigh*...... why must you make my job difficult?

*taking out red pen*

I see your attempt to contradict what I have been saying all along .... but I don't see any contradiction:

Bullied Girl May Get A Marked Record For Fighting Back « CBS Minnesota

As I stated earlier, some people live in a reality where they report bullying yet nothing is ever done ..... knees and elbows ... remember it.

You pointed out another link, more like a blog, where someone asks why children are punished for defending themselves against bullies, yet the example of this is shown by a school in Australia. I specifically asked you to find laws that criminalized people (as here in the U.S.) for defending themselves from bodily injury.

You have yet to do this.

what a misguided statement to say.

It's very simple. It's called ASSAULT or BATTERY if any person ever hit a person.

You hit'em, You pay for it. period.

Bullying does not always involved a physical altercation. Bullying can be done verbally or via Internet - taunting, mocking, spreading rumors, etc. A victim can be pushed to the limit where he/she would lashed out and physically injured a bully. No matter what - I believe that victim should be held responsible for it and same for bully who physically injured a victim. I sympathized for victims but violence is not an answer. I do not want any laws that would protect kids from fighting back because it sends message that it's ok to hit people if they're bad people.

I understand that principals/school officials could do nothing about it because on most cases - bully has never physically harmed a victim. Now with growing cases of victims taking extreme measures such as school shootings or committing suicide.... the government finally took action and passed Anti-Bullying laws that would hold bullies and schools accountable even if there was no physical altercation involved.

For that... I am very happy.

Here, I will "guide" you through this. Charles Podany was prosecuted in a case where the State he lives in has a stand your ground law. My State also has that law.

When he defended himself, using excessive force, the prosecutors did everything they could to turn him into a criminal. They failed miserably. Why? Because Charles Podany was protected by the stand your ground law.

This same law applies to children in my State. Only a loser would try to turn an innocent kid defending themself from bullies into a criminal.

Stand-your-ground defense clears Thonotosassa bicyclist in fatal shooting - St. Petersburg Times

The stand-your-ground law amended Florida's existing "Castle Doctrine," which allowed people to use deadly force to defend themselves and others in their homes against the threat of death or great bodily harm. The measure extended the right to public spaces, including the street or a business, and removed a duty to retreat before using deadly force.

In case you didn't know... "Stand Your Ground" law is mainly for firearm-related cases where people use deadly weapons in self-defense on public area. This law does not apply to children at schools. Are you proposing that "Stand Your Ground" law should extend to children at schools using deadly weapons in self-defense against bullies?

I suppose that you believe Columbine School shooters should be protected by "Stand Your Ground" law because they were bullied.

Please think before you spew such ridiculous, outlandish crap. You need to learn to STOP reinventing terms to your misguided agenda. What I'm reading is incredibly sickening.

 

[Beowulf]

*sigh*...... why must you make my job difficult?

*taking out red pen*


what a misguided statement to say.

It's very simple. It's called ASSAULT or BATTERY if any person ever hit a person.

You hit'em, You pay for it. period.

Bullying does not always involved a physical altercation. Bullying can be done verbally or via Internet - taunting, mocking, spreading rumors, etc. A victim can be pushed to the limit where he/she would lashed out and physically injured a bully. No matter what - I believe that victim should be held responsible for it and same for bully who physically injured a victim. I sympathized for victims but violence is not an answer. I do not want any laws that would protect kids from fighting back because it sends message that it's ok to hit people if they're bad people.

I understand that principals/school officials can do nothing about it because on most cases - bully has never physically harmed a victim. Now with growing cases of victims taking extreme measures such as school shootings or committing suicide.... the government finally took action and passed Anti-Bullying laws that would hold bullies and schools accountable even if there was no physical altercation involved.

For that... I am very happy.



Stand-your-ground defense clears Thonotosassa bicyclist in fatal shooting - St. Petersburg Times


In case you didn't know... "Stand Your Ground" law is mainly for firearm-related cases where people use deadly weapons in self-defense on public area. This law does not apply to children at schools. Are you proposing that "Stand Your Ground" law should extend to children at schools using deadly weapons in self-defense against bullies?

I suppose that you believe Columbine School shooters should be protected by "Stand Your Ground" law because they were bullied.

Please think before you spew such ridiculous, outlandish crap. You need to learn to STOP reinventing terms to your misguided agenda. What I'm reading is incredibly sickening.

I agree. Elbows and knees, eh? I am thinking of them used in the defensive fetal position.
I was bullied in high school. My dad told me to hit the biggest bloke there is, so I walked up to one and let him have it. I lost the fight but was never bullied again.
BUT, in retrospect, it turns out I was protected by the jocks of the school. All I needed to do was to talk to them instead of getting into the fight. Go figure.

 

[Jiro]

I agree. Elbows and knees, eh? I am thinking of them used in the defensive fetal position.

lol I was thinking of WWF. boom! bang!

I was bullied in high school. My dad told me to hit the biggest bloke there is, so I walked up to one and let him have it. I lost the fight but was never bullied again.
BUT, in retrospect, it turns out I was protected by the jocks of the school. All I needed to do was to talk to them instead of getting into the fight. Go figure.

yea well... our time was quite different where we just deal with it ourselves and school officials "overlooked" it.

now... schools have unmerciful zero-tolerance policy and if a bully gets a black eye but a victim was unscathed... well - he gets expelled and possibly have a criminal record for assault. how sad....

 

[DeafCaroline]

DeafCaroline, I had similar incidents up until high school. But I wasn't brave as you and Bott - very small, skinny little kid who did have a lot of social awkwardness and social...hmm...maybe just lack of awareness...things happened and I wouldn't know what to say or how to explain, just get real upset and start crying.

I cried every day! Then finally in third grade, my brother is who is ten years older than me dragged me into the livingroom and said "you've got to start standing up for yourself. It's ok to fight back." Then he taught me a few moves. If he hadn't given me that pep talk, I probably wouldn't have had the nerve to hit back for I was raised to be a good girl. Gotta tell ya, it felt damn good to hit the biggest meanest bully in the school two grades older than me and knock him flat in one blow after dealing with his cruelty for years. I still smile with satisfaction when i think about it.

 

[dogmom]

DC, I can imagine that you may have felt so empowered after that discussion with your bro and after standing up for yourself with the bully!
I don't have any siblings. For the verbal stuff I was told to ignore it; for the other I just didn't tell anyone cuz my parents woulda gone to school authorities and that would have made it much worse.
My parents were also often fighting, a lot of verbal drama...once my mom threw hot coffee at my dad, he called her a bitch and walked out. My young childhood friends a couple of houses from us had alcoholic and abusive parents and which I witnessed and there was a lot of screaming so in some warped way I think I was used to drama and difficulties, maybe unconsciously didn't wanna add in anything to my parents problems, though would not have been able to explain that at the time. My parents always have told me they love me but up until maybe the last 10 years or so of my awareness, weren't able to express love for each other; my mom is very damaged from childhood abuse.

 

[whatdidyousay!]

I hate to say this but this kind of stuff happen in collage too! I was sitting in the hallway between classes and a blind student was tying to find an empty chair to sit down and by mistake he sat in a person lap and he was very embarrassed! A guy looked at me and started laughing thinking I am going to do the same and I told him I do not think is anything to laugh about! Some people never know how to grow up!! Do not let the kids get to do you, they are not worth your time. And I would report them like others said.

 

[dogmom]

it's particularly disturbing about that happening in college but I guess there is such a variance in maturity at college. I remember feeling very distant in experience and more mature by the time I'd been there for 6 years, in comparison to the 17 and 18 yr. olds coming in. But I really wasn't so different, I just thought I was.

I know people have horrible high school experiences too but high school actually saved me - I chose my particular high school for literally survival reasons and I think it's one of the best things I've ever done.

yeah you're right about certain kids not being worth your time....

 

[jillio]

Wirelessly posted (droid)

Talk to your counselar at school about it. Report any incidents to the principal. If there's bullying, the adults are not doing their job, which is to keep kids in line and maintain a safe environment. Some kids are just jerks.

And reporting it also provides the counselor with the opportunity to enact a multicultural awareness and bullying program for the students.

 

[Speedy Hawk]

There are no easy answers but I think it worth trying to report first.

Schools now are encouraged to report bullies and teachers are more helpful than in past (well that what kids say in UK). It was different when I was young. Reporting on bullies was seen worse thing you can do ('grassing' on bullies) and they will bully you worse than before to punish you. So that means I had to suffer in silent. Try to defend myself, I wasn't good at it, just able to defend myself from being seriously hurt but not good enough to scare the bullies off.