Today I had the unfortunate job of having to break up a fight between two high school boys. It was 7:30 am and first period was about to begin. After breaking up the fight quickly with only a couple of grazing punches thrown, I had the opportunity to speak to one of the students involved as I escorted him to the office. The student mentioned the fact that he was always being bullied by the other student and just could not take anymore of it – he just snapped.
The incident brought back memories of major media stories covering massacres as a result of bullying and re-emphasized how important it is to undertand bullying in all of its forms, including cyber-bullying. Bullying in schools is a major threat to the learning environment. So much so, that Broward Schools requires all new teachers to receive training in bullying.
As it is imperative to understand bullying and why people resort to it, it is equally important to have an action plan in place to address the issue. Stopping a bully is not just about learning the latest self-defense moves, it is about learning pre-conflict strategies and verbal de-escalation techniques that are frequently forgotten or never even addressed.
For the safety of your child, it is essential to have a personal safety plan in place; and, that plan must include bullying. Do not allow your child to be a victim of physical and emotional violence!
Sifu Alfred Magnan
January 27, 2010 at 2:54 pm |
Very well said Alfred. As I posted in your review, you are very passionate about martial arts and it reflects everyone you touch. You started early with Juliett at the age of 3. She had no idea what you were helping her to become. She has to this day, the confidence which is greatly part of the things you taught her at such a young age! Thank you for you!
Veronica
January 27, 2010 at 9:14 pm |
Point well taken. Planning, speaking and preparing your child for how to help minimize the impact of, and ultimately respond to, bullying is something many parents don’t often think of nowadays. Commentary like this from teachers like you who have first hand knowledge of how bullying has evolved from prior generations is invaluable. Parents, not teachers who are already tasked with so much at school, should concentrate on preparing their kids with the proper tools to tackle this issue as they grow both physically and emotionally. Thank you Sifu Alfred for the FYI/guidance.