Andrew MoultonSCED 663 Advanced Trends in EducationMallorcaJuly 11, 2014Second assignment: Bullying

Rebecca P. HarlinBullying and Violence Issues in Children’s Lives: Examining the Issues and Solutions

Ernest Andrew Brewer and Rebecca P. HarlinBullying: A Human Rights and Social Studies Issue

As the title suggests, Harlin’s introductory article first poses the issues and then suggests

solutions to bullying and violence in our children’s schoolroom lives. She talks largely about girl

bullying, citing Rachel Simmons’ Odd Girl Out (2002), and also providing a personal account of

her niece’s experiences of being shunned by her long standing friends for some unknown

reasons. Bullying is not a recent trend, and Harlin references the ACEI mission statement of

1892 which promotes the, “inherent rights, education and well being of all children in the home,

school and community” (Harlin pg. 338). She provides an overview of the other eight articles in

the magazine that are suggestive of the larger international trend of bullying. She ends with the

argument that the perception of bullying as a rite of passage must be destroyed; bullying must

not be “socially acceptable or the norm” (pg. 339).

In the second article Harlin pairs with Ernest Brewer to offer a place to address the theme of

bullying within the school community. They recommend the social studies classroom as a place

to begin the conversation about bullying since social studies classes are already exploring ideas

of community, justice, and human rights within the standard curriculum. The authors stipulate

that students need experiences such as discussion and role play in order to gain understanding,

but they also need practical skills such as conflict resolution to actively wage war against

bullying.

Moulton | 1

Both articles were published in 2008 making this information feel a bit dated; however, as it is

pointed out in the first article it is a recurring theme throughout time and across nations, and the

foundational question they raise is important to consider: Who is responsible for the safety of our

children in the school environment; what is the role of the teacher?

These two articles emphasize the pivotal role of the teacher in cultivating a sense of inclusion (as

exclusion is a form of bullying), personal responsibility, and empathy. They make the case that it

is teachers who are responsible for coordinating all community members to enact a part in

assuaging the physical, verbal, and emotional bullying in the classroom. I might suggest that it is

not the classrooms so much as it is in the unsupervised areas such as the hallways and

bathrooms, and the unstructured environments such as the gym, where bullying is the most

dramatic and punishing.

Both articles suggest that teachers are ultimately responsible for making the classroom safe for

all students. I agree wholeheartedly. The teacher is the role model of inclusion. In reflecting upon

my adolescence and high school life, I am struck by how softly the line between victims and

perpetrators becomes and in which situations people play different roles. These articles fail to

define who are the bullies and who are the victims. They fail to address the reasons why these

young people are bullying and fail to consider why there should be compassion shown to the

bullies as well as to the victims. I think that we as teachers need to listen hard to the words

between and underneath the actions of a bully as there is often times a root that needs watering.

If the large percentage of bullying happens outside the classroom, are we as teachers supposed to

then focus our energies there? And if so, how do we as teachers get rest and nourishment for

Moulton | 2

ourselves while policing eight hours, or in the case of my prior school, twenty four hours a day

seven days a week?

But perhaps more important than that is the question, when is it bullying and when is it a one off

fight. And why is bullying still around? The difference I see between bullying and a random act

of violence is persistence. Bullying occurs persistently over a period of time. It causes the victim

to alter her routines and has many related problems such as absenteeism, lower academic

performance, and social bonding. I posit that bullying is still pervasive because of the

humiliation associated with it, the lack of a designated space for discussing it, and its pervading

silence. Victims suffer in silence, too humiliated to ask for help. This needs to change.

Moulton | 3