Bullying Q & A
Bully Proofing Program Topics:
What
is Bullying?
Where does Bullying happen?
Who are the Victims of Bullying?
Why do young people Bully?
Where do children Learn to
be Bullies?
How
do we teach our child not to be bullies or to be bullied?
How can I help your
Community?
Staff comments on past
residencies
What is Bullying?
Bullying takes many forms, the sole intention always being to hurt
the victim either physically or emotionally. It is the frame work for isms, i.e.
racism,
sexism, ageism.
Bullying includes:
1. teasing
2. humiliating
3. excluding
4. ignoring
5. physically assaulting
6. stealing from
7. or spreading rumors about any person. Top
Where does Bullying happen?
Bullying not only occurs at school, it can occur at home, community activities, social
clubs, sports events, stores and on our streets. Top
Who are the victims of
Bullying?
Children are the primary victims. Bullying, however, can be found throughout life
effecting, people of color, adults (mostly women), people with disabilities and our
elderly. It is a major national problem Top
Why do young people Bully?
Children Bully for the same reasons
adults Bully, to gain and maintain power or control over other people. Quite often,
Bullies have been the victims of Bullying themselves. Children also Bully out of a
lack of understanding of how to perceive the differences in people (race, gender,
abilities & disabilities, age, etc...). Top
Where do
children learn to be Bullies?
Make no mistake, the problem with Bullying in our world
is not bad children but poor adult role models. As with
most things in life, children learn from example and experience. They observe the
actions of parents, older siblings, neighbors, political leaders and any adult they see.
To make matters worse, we park our children in front of the TV which is filled with
examples of all the above forms of Bullying. TV not only presents 1,000s of examples
of Bullying, bad communications and incorrect concepts about society and our world, it
also gives authority to speak rudely, be racist and Bully. As a nation we continually
justify and condone Bullying because "The other guy is the bad guy."
Example: During a news interview President Clinton in condemning the violence at
Columbine HS, said; "We must put an end to the violence in our schools.
All violence is wrong." His very next comment was; "We needed to bomb
.......(whoever we we bombing at the time)". It is easy to find similar
confusing statements from almost any American President, Congressperson, Supreme Court
Justice. In some cases, we even see our religious and spiritual leaders advocating
Bullying. No wonder the children "follow suit" As stated earlier,
Bullying is not about bad children but rather a consequence of poor adult role models. Top
How do we
help our children to not be Bullies or be Bullied?
The answer
is simple. Become good adult role models. Communicate clearly and honestly with our children about
Bullying.
The implementation is, of course, a little more complicated. We need to come together in our schools, churches and communities.
We need to make hard decisions about how we want our communities, and nation to be.
We need to make a commitment to change and work together to stop Bullying on every front.
We need to reclaim our children and
rescue them from TV land and teach them that respect and tolerance are essential parts of
a good life. We need to help our children understand that our country was founded because of the
Bullying of the Kings & Queens of Europe.
We need to support the principle that "Each person is born with the inalienable
right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness . Top
How can I be of service to your community?
Together we will do an assessment of your community's needs to determine a program that
will become the starting point for change. I can present to your students and staff
a single day or multi-day residencies that will help everyone to look inside
themselves
for things they need to change. We can hold an evening concert, including the
students, to share our work with the community. Together we can start a change from
Bullying & Control to Tolerance & Understanding. I use music, stories, humor and a deep sense of conviction in the
rights of all human beings to power presentations that touch people of all ages and
backgrounds. Each residency is designed for the community. Thanks to E-mail, I
can offer guidance and support after the residency. We can arrange for drop-in
follow-up programming when I am in your area or as needed. Let's get together and
design a program for your community. Together we can make a world where it is easier
to be good. It's a long hard path but as my Dad always said; " If you want
something, work for it. If you are going to do something, do it right." Top
Staff comments on past
residencies:
"As you are leaving, I'm hearing reports of the fires which continue
to burn...the destructive fires in Los Angeles which scar us as a people and the
constructive fires within kids here in whom you ignited a spark. I have seldom witnessed
such a spirit of intense curiosity and acceptance as I saw this week. The students thirst
for reexamining this world in response to your words came straight from the heart.
Ann Tobias Becker, School Social Worker,
Union Grove High School, WI
"Your Artist in Education residency "Celebrate Diversity" brought
rave reviews from both students and faculty. My own kids are still regaling us at the
dinner table with stories and songs they learned from you. Thanks again for all your hard
work."
Elizabeth Lowery, Artist- in-Education
Coordinator, Belleville School District, WI
"I appreciate your Artist-in-Education time with us. I know from the comments
of the students you and your music had a big impact on then, their thinking and their
understanding of Native American culture, their attitude towards the environment. Your
were able to reach so many students at their level. You provided them with a depth of
understanding that is difficult to attain. Our entire staff was impressed with your
presence, your personality, and your versatility. I know we asked a great deal of you to
speak and perform for such a variety of classes, Oral Communications, Creative Writing,
Drama, Minnesota History and students with special needs, but you did an outstanding job
in each class."
Bill Hermann, Teacher, Two Harbors High School,
Two Harbors, MN
"I want to sincerely thank you for coming to our school and presenting the HERO (Helping Everyone Respect Others) Program. I've heard nothing but good comments from staff and students. I know several classes that have dome follow up activities. Our students are very fortunate to have you here with us."
Mark Hillert, Principal Syble Hopp School, De Pere WI (920) 336-5754
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