When I see a school disseminate the message that bullying should be left unreported, I feel sorry for people like my friend, Mike Feurstein, who has invested so much of his professional life to inspire kids to do the complete opposite.
A Nebraska school principal has apologized for sending fifth-grade students home with a flier that advises those who are bullied to not tattle on their tormentors.
Some parents of the fifth-graders at Zeman Elementary in Lincoln complained and posted angry comments on Facebook, the Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/1j6Abov ) reported Thursday.
Zeman principal Donna Williams apologized directly to the families on Wednesday for the wording of the flier, and the district posted the apology on its Facebook page.
“The flier was sent home with good intentions,” said Williams. “Unfortunately it contained advice that did not accurately reflect LPS best practices regarding response to bullying incidents.”
District student services director Russ Uhing said the LPS philosophy is: Ask the bully to stop. Walk away. If the bullying continues, tell a parent or teacher.
On the contrary, the flier advises that students should not tell on bullies because the No. 1 reason “bullies hate their victims is because the victims tell on them.
“Telling makes the bully want to retaliate,” it says. “Tell an adult only when a real injury or crime (theft of something valuable) has occurred. Would we keep our friends if we tattled on them?”
I will gladly combat Zeman Elementary’s pathetic advice with two example that will achieve a much better outcome:
Click on the link to read The Bystander Experiment (Video)
Click on the link to read Tips for Managing Workplace Bullying
Click on the link to read 12,000 Students a Year Change Schools Due to Bullying
Click on the link to read Sickening Video of Girl Being Bullied for Having Ginger Hair
Click on the link to read Our Young Children Shouldn’t Even Know What a Diet Is?
Topical Teaching 