Bullying at Plano West

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by jgn2013

I got into a fight as a high school freshman (2000-2001 school year) and we both received a ticket. I was suspended for three days and ended up going to court to face a judge. The judge was impressed that I appeared; the other kid failed to show up. He gave me some advice and sent me on my way.

Getting expelled may happen if you bring weapons into the fight...not as likely in a simple fist fight. The key with bullies is to draw them into the open and escalate the conflict. Don't allow them to attack you discreetly without retribution.

In the case of a special needs child, we're dealing with a completely different set of issues. That's sick. Teenagers like that need a lot more than a slap on the wrist.

They need counseling, and the parents need to take a long hard look at themselves and what they did to raise such cruel punks.

[aggie972]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

This is possibly the single, most horrible piece of advice I've ever seen posted on CD.

Escalate the conflict? How do you think school shootings happen? Kids today are far more apt to bring a gun to school to protect themselves from/confront a bully than they used to be.

The key with bullies is to shame them for their behavior among their peer group, and if that doesn't work, the authorities make an example out of them for what their bad behavior has earned them. Just like this thread, I bet any bully at Plano is now walking on eggshells, knowing they can be found out and arrested for sending anonymous texts/calls, and probably worried that they are next.

The only way to shame them in front of their peer group is to be more witty/insulting than they are (in which case, they'll probably resort to violence to save face). You can't shame them in front of their peer group simply by calling them a bully and saying that their actions are immoral. This is a school, not a workplace or the opera.

I was picked on by this one guy in high school, and as soon as I stood up for myself and fought him, he never so much as even looked at me again. This isn't an ideal situation, but pacifism doesn't work at school. You know why they won't even diagnose people as sociopaths until they turn 18? Because kids are so undeveloped emotionally that a lot of them would meet all the criteria. And relying on the authorities isn't a much better strategy. Most of them won't really do anything. I credit this girl's mother for pushing the issue. If she had just told the school and then sat back and waited for the principal to solve the issue, nothing would have happened.

[Walter Benjamin]

How do you stop people from bullying you? : AskReddit

A lot of formerly bullied kids chime in with their views on this thread. Many votes in favor of: change the bully's risk/reward equation by punching and kicking your tormentor as hard as you can, even if you're smaller and weaker, even if you lose the fight, and even if you wind up with a suspension from school. Subsequently the bullies will inevitably leave you alone in favor of an easier target.

Not much good if the bully is an anonymous online coward.

[deenie1]

If you ask me, I think kids need as much training in conflict resolution and life skills as they do in math and language arts. Some adults too! Unfortunately, it can't be left to the parents in all situations - either they're too busy, not interested or can't model acceptable behavior themselves. Certainly doesn't excuse it but this calls for the schools to address it since the kids spend so much time there each day. Our local schools have counselors that spend way too much time monitoring testing (and other non-related tasks) and not enough time dealing with issues like this this. Then when something happens, it can already be too late.

[ritholtz]

Originally Posted by Walter Benjamin

How do you stop people from bullying you? : AskReddit

A lot of formerly bullied kids chime in with their views on this thread. Many votes in favor of: change the bully's risk/reward equation by punching and kicking your tormentor as hard as you can, even if you're smaller and weaker, even if you lose the fight, and even if you wind up with a suspension from school. Subsequently the bullies will inevitably leave you alone in favor of an easier target.

Not much good if the bully is an anonymous online coward.

I think, it is not a bad idea to join kids in karate sort of classes which teaches some sort of self defense mechanism. What do you guys think?

[Lakewood Parent]

The bullying never ends. Even 6'5" 312 pound offensive linemen can be victims. he had to leave school, I mean the team due to bullying. Wonder if getting the victim's parents involved or involving the police would be the best way to deal with the situation.

Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin leaves team after bullying by teammates - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN

[frenzyrider]

From my experience, the only way to stop bullying is to confront them. People have talked about physical confrontation using karate and other stuff. I think it is equally important to make your kid mentally strong. It is hard when bullying is by a group of individuals and not one person. For example, I used to imagine bullies as some weak cartoon characters. I used to laugh non-stop when they said something and confront them verbally (not heated) but laughing telling them alone how idiotic they sound when they speak. It took a couple of days to make them go their way.