Bully Free
When Miss Muffin attended public school it quickly became obvious that bullying was an issue as early as kindergarten. The children quickly banded together in little cliques and like wild animals the weak fell prey to the strong. Fortunately for all involved the kindergarten teachers quickly caught on and began a bullying prevention program that got the kids working and playing together.
Unfortunately you need only turn on the news to see that bullying is alive and well in schools and communities. Children are beaten, teased, and publicly humiliated everyday and often little is done to stop t. Rather than instituting proven bullying prevention tactics school administrations prefer to blame the victim and children are repeatedly told to toughen up. Now add the internet to the whole mix and you have an even bigger problem. Like many adults, children feel nameless, faceless, and protected on the internet so they do things they would never do if they had to claim their actions or face their victims.
Because we home school now I have fewer concerns about bullying although I keep a close eye on her internet usage adn behavior. We even practice our own brand of bullying prevention education modeling polite, respectful behavior online and requiring the same of Miss Muffin.
It seems to me there should be some simple solutions to all of this, I just can’t put my finger on them. I think at least a part of it has to be how we as adults act and the behaviors we model for our children. There’s a thought that will make me think twice before I act or say something mean or hurtful.
