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It’s Friday, Friends. Let’s Celebrate True Colors.

Today closes out an international anti-bullying campaign. In schools across our city, kids are shown videos, encouraged to act out skits, and generally work hard not to roll their eyes as they’re told over and over again that bullying is bad — don’t be a bully.

None of it, in my opinion, truly prepares the teachers or the students for how to effectively deal with kids who are bullying and kids who are being bullied. I wish I knew the answers; all I know is that what we’re doing so far isn’t working. But it’s a start.

Let’s keep looking for the answers and working on this complex societal issue. Because everyone deserves to live in a world where their true colors are celebrated.

 

Comments

  1. Sherrie Guthrie says:

    Wonderful post Julie, exactly my thoughts as well :) 

  2. Nicely said Julie.  I went out to dinner with a friend last night and we actually spoke of this and the “mean girls” at school.

  3. The sad thing is, I don’t think there’s anything, anybody can do. The schoolyard can be a very tough place.

  4. I agree and think part of the problem is defining what a bully is/means. To me it is a systematic series of actions/words that hurt or belittle, but often today I hear it being used to describe a single act (ie: a  child gets in trouble for bullying for pushing a classmate in the playground). I think the more we use the term to describe what are often isolated incidents, the more we undermine what true bullying is, and the more kids will continue to roll their eyes when we try to address it. Just my opinion.

    • Coffee with Julie says:

      Hi Denise, I think there could be something to that. I suspect that the “eye rolling” I mentioned is because the kids know the simplistic actions they’re suggested to follow to overcome bullying do not work. (Tell the bully “no” and the bully will stop it … Tell the teacher and the teacher can make the bullies stop … ).  

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