Monday
Talking About Bullying Is Not Enough
The movie, Bully, is a powerful exposé of the pain inflicted by bullying. It chronicles the insidious degradation that children and families experience when students misuse personal power to attack their peers and educators fail to marshal their power to stop the bullying. The movie is also a reminder that we don’t have many answers when it comes to solving this problem. As a researcher and a prevention educator in the field of bullying, the point must be made that this movie offers all of us the opportunity to begin a dialogue about this problem, but by itself, this movie will not change anything.
The controversy surrounding the MPAA rating of Bully highlighted the fact that many people believe that showing this video to youth under the age of 18 will change the behaviors of those who engage in bullying. It is important to realize that single event programs are not an antidote to bullying. They heighten awareness and sensitivity for a short time, and perhaps even temporarily motivate children to change their behaviors, but in the long run, one-time presentations do not work. They are a good springboard for conversation, but they will not solve the problem of bullying in our schools.
As an educator, one of the most difficult moments to watch in the movie is an attempt by an educator to get a victim to reconcile with his tormentor. It was a perfect example of the failure to understand bullying. Bullying is the systematic and systemic abuse of power. In order to reduce bullying, we need systemic change that alters the power dynamics. Whereas most efforts to reduce bullying have focused on the bullies and their targets, and on changing them, systemic change is about changing the context in which bullying occurs. It means shifting power away from those who misuse it and increasing the power of those who can protect those who are targeted.
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Latest
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We Know Better: Response to Zupan Op-Ed, November 2012
no responses - Posted 11.30.12
Dean Mark Zupan of the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business is rightly deeply concerned about the state of education in the Rochester City School District. (See guest essay by Zupan in Democrat and Chonicle, 11/24/2012.) However, I respectfully disagree with the proposal he makes: vouchers for students and families to use at any school that they choose, public ... continue -
A Closer Look at School Choice
no responses - Posted 11.28.12
By David Hursh, Warner School Professor and William Cala, past interim Rochester City School District Superintendent Dean Zupan, in his guest essay in the Democrat and Chronicle, compares the RCSD with a local parochial school, McQuaid, and the 22-school network of Cristo Rey Jesuit Schools, claiming that private schools are more successful and cost-effective in educating students. Further, he states ... continue -
Closing Schools: What We Know About Community Participation and Influence
no responses - Posted 11.08.12
I have watched with interest as the Rochester City School District begins the school closure process to shutter an undetermined number of schools based upon deteriorating facilities and declining enrollments. Although this is becoming more common in areas across the country, as many of you know this is not new for Rochester. In fact, each of the ... continue -
The Chicago Teachers’ Strike: Its National Significance
1 response - Posted 09.12.12
As I write this on September 12th, the Chicago teachers are on strike for a third day. In listening to different media reports, many of them focus on salary and class size, issues that do not immediately appear relevant to other districts across the nation. However, there are several issues in which how they are resolved will impact the ... continue -
Power, Context, Modeling, and Bullying
no responses - Posted 06.22.12
Karen Klein is an older woman who works as a school bus monitor in a local suburban school district. A ten minute video of middle school students taunting and bullying her has gone viral, once again putting the subject of bullying in the news. Understandably, this has unleashed an outpouring of anger against the youths who engaged in this horrific ... continue -
Made
1 response - Posted 05.01.12
It’s the end of my first year of becoming a counselor, and in a class reflection the other night I commented that I felt like we had all been “Made.” There’s an MTV show by the same name, in which teenagers want to be “made” into something they currently are not; a cheerleader, an artist, a BMX biker, a soap actor. ... continue -
Exploring Rochester
no responses - Posted 04.24.12
For students and professionals moving to Rochester, returning to the city and those who already live here but might want to know more, here is a quick guide that might be helpful. Quick Facts: -population in the greater Rochester area: 1 million -culture of a big city, atmosphere of a small town -known as the “flour city” or the “flower city” for its industry ... continue
All entries filed under Social Justice
13 responses - Posted 03.21.12
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1 response - Posted 04.13.11
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2 responses - Posted 03.23.11
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6 responses - Posted 03.09.11
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5 responses - Posted 02.09.11
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8 responses - Posted 02.02.11
Last Tuesday the Warner School hosted a screening of Schooling the World, with a fantastic panel discussion afterward. The film covers a lot of ground, from economic globalization and neocolonial ideology to sustainable farming and the Buddhist aspects of Ladakh culture. It attempts, successfully in my opinion, to disrupt simple ...continue