by James Burns | Dec 28, 2018 | Burns' Bench
Taken From Anti Bullying 101
There are probably many reasons why kids become bullies and why they stay bullies as they move into adulthood. There are many theories and a great deal of experiential opinion on the topic. I believe that there are two major reasons for the rise in bullying behavior over the last 40 years.
The first one is it’s an inter-generational problem. What one generation does in moderation the next one does in excess. In the past kids may have fought their own battles, and settled their own disputes; circumstance plays a big part as well. The second one is that by today’s standards there is far more dysfunction in families and parents may have an overly liberal approach to disciplining their children.
Understanding these two reasons can help teachers get a better handle on the behavior. Sometimes just understanding the why’s of the problem can open up a mind to begin to find a clear solution. The next several tips will cover these two categories. So let’s look at some inter-generation tendencies first, get some tips and then move on to circumstance.
Bench Notice
Bullying is behavior that has been left uncorrected. When parents, teachers, and even society in general fail to correct certain behaviors they then by default communicate to a child or maybe even an adult that they agree with the behavior. This is a critical piece to understand when we observe behaviors such as disrespect, or irresponsibility. Silence at times can be deafening. Certain behaviors just scream for correction, and they can’t be missed.
by James Burns | Dec 26, 2018 | Burns' Bench
This Is The Final Installment On Responsibility Taken From Anti Bullying 101
Do you ever watch Crime Seen Investigation? (CSI) I do, occasionally. I am amazed how all the evidence that is collected can point directly at the suspect in question, but they just can’t seem to figure out a motive. They need the motive to convict the person of the crime. We all know what the motive of a bully is right? Power, they want to have power and control over a smaller or weaker person.
How do you change the motive of a bully?
By being the strongest and most influential person in the classroom. That’s right you the teacher have this ability. You don’t need to use power; you need to use your influence. When your students realize that you are in charge their motives change from wanting to hurt, to wanting to help. They have met their match. Remember it is not about the influence of your power, but rather the power of your influence.
Bench Notice
The motive of a person is buried somewhere deep within in their secret life. It’s never revealed until a therapist or someone in the legal field starts to dig for answers as to the reason why some act or crime was committed. Bullies are driven by power as I stated above, victims by revenge.
In knowing this, it should be the job of school personnel, parents, and the community to be aware of those that are being victimized and to do their best to work with them to overcome the trauma of bullying. School shootings are usually carried out with revenge in mind. Let’s do our best to Strengthen the victims, and to hold bullies accountable for their actions.
by James Burns | Dec 23, 2018 | Burns' Bench
No one likes a bully, and yet they’re everywhere, even in our Christmas movies! But never fear, these misfits end up becoming the heroes of their stories and saving the day!
While it may seem like an odd topic to discuss during the holiday season, Christmas movies provide on opportunity for you to talk about bullying with your children. Why? Many classic holiday movies are full of bullies. Here are a few examples:
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Bench Notice
There is a bit more to the moral than the one mentioned in this article. Yes, bullying isn’t cool, but the victim doesn’t always win in the end. For a young child watching these movies hope can spring eternal until they get back to school and have another run in with the school bully. During the holidays bullying can create greater isolation, exclusion, and loneliness than during other times during the year.
In reality for those that suffer at the hands of a bully the world can be a pretty lonely place, and can be extra painful during the holidays. (Whatever the holiday might be) Reach out as much as you can to give hope to one person and let them know how much they mean to you. There are those that are in physical need for sure, but recognizing the mental and emotional needs of people can help those that are victims begin to realize that the world may not be so lonely after all.
Buy A Gift For A Friend
by James Burns | Dec 7, 2018 | Burns' Bench
A fan from a rival high school basketball team flopped around on the floor during a game Friday to mock a player’s epilepsy, witnesses claim.
James Franklin Jr., a senior at Indianapolis’ Cathedral High School, had part of his brain removed in August 2017 to reduce his number of epileptic seizures. He’s battled epilepsy since childhood, Indy Star reported. In spite of everything, he still pursues his love of basketball.
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Some people still haven’t grown up and probably never will. Publicly making fun of someone with a handicapping condition is something that should never be tolerated and I guess officials at the Center Grove are pretty embarrassed. I am not happy with their response and believe that their embarrassment will probably cause them to soft pedal this thing and it will end with a good talking to. Basically let’s kick it under the rug.
Center Grove staff said they never heard any of the seizure comments during the game, but that they were still investigating the claims.“We take all allegations seriously and are continuing to investigate who may have made those comments,” Center Grove officials wrote in the letter to parents.
Bench Notice
First of all it wasn’t the seizure comments,(Have another seizure) it was the student acting out like he was having a seizure. It was obvious and it was caught on tape. After watching the video, what is there to investigate. Sometimes people need to be guilty until proven innocent. In this case, “Due Process” may be taken a bit too far.
We need to spend more time valuing the differences in people and stop the abuse, and in this case valuing this students courage and desire to play the sport that he loves regardless of his condition. Franklin’s coach Jason Delaney called him “a warrior”
“No one sets a better example or fights harder than James Franklin,” Delaney said.
Well spoken Coach, I agree.
by James Burns | Dec 5, 2018 | Uncategorized
The hardest thing to come to terms with, watching the video of a Syrian boy being bullied in a Huddersfield school that circulated last week, was the sense of inevitability to it. The degradation of the country’s political culture continues to play out: it has been poisoned by Brexit, jaundiced by Islamophobia, while anti-immigrant sentiment has been normalized by the Conservative government. We’ve been heading here for years, decades even – to a place where a refugee can flee a civil war to Britain’s safe shores, only to face another type of barbarism, and become a refugee again.
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I have spoken about this problem for years. As a society we have been brainwashed by the news outlets that do nothing more then spout off about their own philosophy and right or left wing beliefs. It has now become an inter-generational problem as evidenced by this article. Here is what I wrote almost 10 years ago about this topic in Anti Bullying 101.
FOX – CNN – MSNBC
Yes, I know all cable outlets for the news. Is it news, or is it the networks slant on the news? I think you know the answer. It is no longer just reporting the news. It’s reporting the new based upon the political views of the network. In homes across the country opinions are being formed by adults who listen to the thoughts of so called reporters, and experts who want everyone to believe that their network is fair and balanced. Thoughts about different countries, races, religions, ethnicity, and all manner of current events can enter homes with the click of a remote.
Do families talk about the news? Of course they do. The problem is they are not forming an opinion based upon their own values rather the values of others. How does this relate to bullying? The bias that may result in homes regarding the differences in others impacts our students. This negative communication filters down by osmosis and our students form negative attitudes and can become prejudicial in their thinking. What parents fail to understand is that their children attend school everyday with other students of very different backgrounds. Adults need to understand how their thoughts, words, actions, attitudes, and motives affect their children. It is far easier to build a boy than to mend a man. Know who is in front of you. Prejudice is learned it’s not genetic. Let’s all learn to value the differences.
