I am by no means making allegations against the due process taken by the school of a suicide victim. I am definitely not accusing them of a failure to act.
However, it is important to note that some schools forget that the most important responsibility of a school is to ensure that each child is given the respect and care that they so richly deserve.
Some schools seem to get carried away with standardized test results, appearances, marketing and uniform. These considerations are certainly not unimportant, but they do not compare with the importance of knowing every student, being aware of any bullying problems that may be prevalent (even if it’s cyberbullying) and doing everything in their powers to create a culture where bullying behaviour is not given oxygen.
It breaks my heart when bullying leads a child to take their life. These incidents can often be averted by a perceptive school community and classmates that refuse to sit by idly and watch a classmate suffer:
A Vancouver-area teen who used YouTube to share her heart-wrenching story of being bullied online and beaten at school has killed herself, unleashing a torrent of social media condolences and soul-searching.
Amanda Todd was found dead in Coquitlam on Wednesday night, less than a month before her 16th birthday.
News of her torment and death are being shared on social media through Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter, where #RIPAmanda is trending.
“I’m saddened to see that this was the only [way] this young girl could escape such torment. May she rest in peace,” posted one woman on Facebook.
Last month, Todd posted a nine-minute video on Youtube featuring her holding up cue cards that chronicled the cyber-bullying and cruelty she suffered, despite changing schools and cities.
All schools can revise their operational procedures to see to it that less incidents of child suicide come at the expense of school bullying.
Click on the link to read The Rise of Teacher Approved Bullying (Video)
Click on the link to read Nowadays There is Nowhere to Hide From Bullies
Click on the link to read Social Media: A Playground for Bullies
Click on the link to read Charity Pays for Teen’s Plastic Surgery to Help Stop Bullying
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Topical Teaching 
October 14, 2012 at 2:39 am |
Reblogged this on Voiceless in America and commented:
I was going to ignore this post since it triggers something within. I should not have but heck I did. I know there will be no stopping the bullies. As I have mentioned before, our planet is governed by bullies. With all due respect, if these pure souls did not commit suicide during school years, they probably would commit suicide when older. I talk from experience. I have been bullied for as long as I can remember. My parents chose to remain blind since they knew not what to do; I do not blame them as I know they suffered too. For some reason, I am able to endure the pain although I have previously attempted to take my life. Pain caused by bullying result in scars that will never heal–I know I will never fully recover. By enduring and believing in “something” that has always been there for me, I don’t know what it is, I now have self-worth to a certain degree. There is still much I must do since lately I just avoid people to avoid pain. Each time, it never fails. There is someone stronger who decides she does not like me and begins to stab me repeatedly with words, actions and so forth. I’m 50 years old and it continues. What I have learned is that the bullies from when I was in school our now in positions of power. I’ve noticed that there are bullies in every position of power. Police are trained to be bullies as are other professionals. When you do not pay your credit card, trained bullies harass you. There are so many more examples to confirm our world is governed by bullies and is set up so that it works through bullying tactics. Observe and you be the judge. Nothing will ever happen unless the bullies stop governing and the planet stops operating through bullying tactics at all levels of existence.
October 14, 2012 at 6:07 am |
Hakesplace is right on the money. I have previously stated in this place that bullying is embedded in the very structure of our schools. Until a teacher can go to work without the possibility of being bullied by a “superior” school authorities will remain blind to the agony experienced by children. I have seen school management bully and harass teachers and students alike. Riley et al have documented that over 90% of teachers have experienced bullying at the hands of a superior*. After 45 years in the classroom I believe it. It is used and valued as a management tool. I have seen nurses and doctors bully patients and know that in hospitals it is also used as a management tool. One thing that stands out in my experience of bullying. The bully always puts a different construction on his/her bullying. I have met police officers who go about their business in a professional and respectful manner and who treat even suspected offenders with dignity. I have also met the other kind and my conclusion is this: until bullying is eliminated from places of employment, until management ceases to use bullying as a tool for getting things done, it will continue to blight our society. This will require employers and authorities to use some means to identify bullying behaviour and to stop rewarding bullies with promotion. In short, I believe until bullies are exposed and eliminated from our workplaces, especially from management, and even more especially from our schools, this heinous and insidious practice will remain with us.
* Dan Riley, Deirdre J. Duncan, John Edwards, Investigation of staff bullying in Australian schools : executive summary. (2009) ISBN: 9780980637717 (pdf.) http://www.schoolbullies.org.au/InvestigationOfStaffBullying_ExecSummary.pdf
October 14, 2012 at 10:47 am |
I really appreciate your honesty and courage hakesplace. Thank you for your comment. John, as always, your insights are invaluable.