There has been so much in the news recently about 2 boys who killed themselves, driven to suicide by bullying. Such a tragedy. These are not rare incidents, unfortunately. Bullying occurs all the time. But what are educators doing about it? It is not enough about intervening when bullying happens, but it is about preventing bullying from happening in the first place.
Creating a culture of tolerance and acceptability, creating compassion for others without judging, and maintaining that environment is just as important as acting on the situation when it happens.
Here's a fact sheet put out by the National Association of School Psychologists on bullying. And there's also a book that talks about the effects of bullying that I think should be read by adults everywhere. It's called "The Wounded Spirit" by Frank Peretti.
Let's raise our awareness about bullying and be a voice for those children who are victims of bullying, regardless of whether it is your child involved directly or not.
