Viewpoint
When so much is being written and discussed concerning bullying, I am glad to see it has finally come to the attention of the general public, and only hope an answer will be found. Bullying has gone on throughout history and can be done so secretly and with such malice that good-hearted people hardly believe it.
School bullying should not be blamed on the teachers who face it day after day without support of administrators, with limited choices for remedies and hostility from parents. I speak from experience, especially from one little boy who will live on forever in my memory. In those days, it was seriously believed that "boys will be boys" and his parents took great pride in his treatment of other children. I guess they considered it "manly." After the boy, I'll call "Bobby" (not his real name), left school, I often saw his name in the police blotter. I imagine his father was still proud of him.
I kept a journal that year in fear of a court case with me as the defendant. Here is a short sample:
Nov. 1 — Bobby kicked Anne and ran out of school.
Nov. 2 — Bobby hit Anne on the playground and got a gang after her. When I brought him to the room, he asked if Anne had been hurt. I said no, and he said his buddies would "take care of her."
Nov. 15 — Bobby had a fight with Nick before they took their coats off.
Dec. 16 — Bobby kicked Anne on the leg.
Dec. 21 — Bobby sneaked up to the room at lunch time and rifled through the children's desks.
Dec. 22 — Mother brought Bobby in and said two others helped him yesterday. Said she didn't want him to "take the rap" alone. He was unable to name anyone else.
Jan. 3 — Bobby was after John on the playground. John didn't know why.
Jan. 12 — Bobby tripped other children on the ice on purpose.
Jan. 13 — Bobby found a picture of a naked tribesman in a Highlights Magazine and showed it around saying, "That's Anne."
Jan. 23 — Bobby was calling Kathy names. When I told him to stay after school, he said, "I don't give a damn."
Jan. 31 — Bobby bothered Mary all day.
March 1 — Bobby went into girls bathroom and tried to open door on Diane. He was hitting Anne and trying to kick her.
Remember, this child was 6 years old. And while all this was going on, I was trying to teach 32 other children. Punishment available to the teacher was staying after school. A trip to the principal meant a little talk about "please don't do that again." That was a joke. Bobby was my nemesis for one year. But it is still going on in many classrooms. I tried to deal with him with almost no backup. Can you imagine how much more damage he could have done with a computer?
Administrators are helpless in the face of threats of lawsuits. It starts in the home. The attitude is often encouraged in the home. Who can stop it?
¢¢¢
Elizabeth Hicken of Rowley taught school for 40 years, 39of them in Newburyport.
