Parents Express Reasons Why Bullying Must Stop!
Rosanne Fortier
News Correspondent
People are observing Pink Shirt Day today.
The annual anti-bullying day is set aside to raise awareness of the issue. Often students and staff wear pink shirts to school to confirm that they stand against bullying.
When I had a chance to interview local parents anonymously about bullying, I received the following responses.
One person said their son was bullied from Grade one until he finished school. “He was bullied by his peers and some of his teachers. I had to make several trips to the school to discuss the treatment he endured.
My son has learning disabilities due to epilepsy and the school and most teachers tried to give up on him. I fought hard for him. My son suffers from an anti-social disorder now from the relentless bullying. I remember him crying every morning begging me not to send him to that place. It made me cry because I had no choice but to send him. I wish I could have home schooled him.
I went through the same thing, it was the reason I quit school at 16, but went back at age 28.
Being a visible minority in an all white school didn’t help.
Bullying is so wrong and can affect a person for a lifetime. I think it can be prevented by parents teaching their children right from wrong. In my belief, the government should help parents who wish to stay home and raise their children, instead of getting other people to take care of them.”
Another parent explained, “When my son started kindergarten, the principal at the time starting a big show about bullying and how it was not tolerated.
My son was the type of kid who would play with someone who was alone. There was a boy in his class who had absolutely no social skills and out of no where this kid would hit and pound my son around. When I bought it up to the principal, they said it wasn’t the other kid’s fault as he had no social skills and it was my son’s fault for talking to him first. It started from there. So, I pulled my son out of this school and put him in another school.
Then my son didn’t play hockey so he wasn’t a part of the cliques that were in this other school. Then the kids started going after him and wanted to fight with him.
The main problem was the principal and teachers not wanting to take action when my kids were being bullied.
I also put my daughter in another school which she started attending in Grade four. The issue over there was the schools in Vegreville for girls were so cliquey then. By the time she started all the cliques had formed.
If you didn’t have money, didn’t wear the right clothing, didn’t have a computer, or this or that then you weren’t part of the proper class. Eventually, the other girls acted like my daughter wasn’t good enough to hang around with them. That lasted all the way till high school for her.
I think we can stop bullying at schools by making parents be more accountable because it starts at home. You cannot tell me if those kids’ parents would have put their foot down and tell their kids if they don’t stop bullying, they won’t be able to play hockey anymore.
Better yet, how about treating the kids who bully at home, the way they are treated the kids at school? Show them what it feels like to be treated like that and they might change their minds.
I told my kids that bullying is not acceptable in anyway, shape, or form and I never had to worry about them being bullies. Then you also need principals and teachers that are actually going to deal with bullying when it happens. The older the children get, you need to bring in social services because that is when it gets dangerous.”