Trying to explain to a child or even at times an adult the reason whys or why not’s that are related to certain behaviors can at times can be frustrating and with our own children can be frightening. Don’t drink and drive, don’t smoke; watch who you pick as a friend or who you date are all things that teachers and parents communicate to their students and their children. In school kids are always asking why we have to do something, or learn certain academic skills. Bullying behavior can have a lasting effect on those who experience social, emotional, or physical abuse at the hands of a bully.
Why don’t kids and bullies in particular heed the warning of adults and just listen and stop saying and doing things that are just downright cruel? The reason; many of our children today were never taught to obey so they don’t have a vision in terms of the long range consequence for what they do and often what they say; and often times just don’t care. Consequences I might add that could cost them as an adult. Remember all we are looking for is a kid to do what he is told, when he is told to do it.
Three military men were walking across the huge flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Suddenly, a commanding officer yelled out to them, “Drop!” Two of the men immediately fell on the deck. The third man turned around to see what was happening and was instantly killed by an incoming airplane. All three men heard the same word; however, only two of them understood what they heard and obeyed the command. Recognizing and immediately obeying the voice of the commanding officer proved to be a matter of life and death for these men. Help your students understand that there does not have to be a reason right now why they have to just do what they are told. Hopefully the bully will change before his life is effected, or worse yet the life of someone else.
Bench Notice
Over the course of the last 20 years we have been warning kids relentlessly about their attitudes and behavior, now many of them have become adults. What are we seeing? A high crime rate, adults with poor employment and job related skills, divorced parents and adults at forty years of age sitting home with mom playing video games. “It is easier to build a boy then to mend a man.” Gandhi.
As a society we need to start building the future from the ground up. It’s far easier to build a house then to put on an addition. We can’t give up nor can we continue to go down the path of mediocrity when it comes down to student behavior, bullying, disrespect, and irresponsibility. The word awesome has been used so much that kids actually believe that they are awesome at six years old. Imagine, thinking that you have arrived at the age of six. Let’s get more realistic with our children and students’s and really take the time to help them develop skills that will provide them with a chance at lifetime success. Stop the madness.
