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Actually, there were some mature people who actually responded accordingly. It's unfortunate that I actually have to ask for "mature" answers from grown adults, but there are always people that comb the site (such as yourself) that don't want to add any value. They just want to poke fun, be rude or sarcastic.
Apart from a few well known dictators, children can be the cruellest people in the world.
That being said, bullying for race is not really an issue at schools like Punahou, Iolani and Mid-Pac. Bullying for race in Hawaii is almost never about race—but social class. If you’re haole (i.e., white) you’re assumed to be rich and probably pretentious, stuck-up, etc. (Which is also why some people may overreact to the question on this board.) Going to a school where most people are affluent usually neutralizes the issue.
When we lived in Hawaii, I taught elementary grades for two years at a private school on Oahu (I had prior experience teaching public school back on the Mainland). I never saw any behavior issues/bullying for my grade level aside from the occasional kid drama ("she won't play with me", or "she won't give me a turn") that was appropriate for that age level everywhere. I will say that there is definitely more parent participation and involvement in private school which helps curbs a lot of the undesirable behavior/bullying that may occur elsewhere.
Just don't plan on using it on a private school campus unless you can prove it was in self-defense. The one time I saw a fight at my private school, both students were expelled. There was at least a fight a week at my public school and the students usually weren't even suspended.
What?!! I have attended a public high school here on Oahu, and whenever students fought, they were suspended for sure. If not suspended, the student would be given on-campus duties, such as washing dishes in the cafeteria. If it was a very bad fight, HPD would be called to the campus, and I have seen students get arrested for assault/battery.
But I agree that race often doesn't matter. Many bullies are more concerned about picking on anyone weak or getting some money than with the person's race. There were Asians and Pacific Islanders who got bullied at my public school even though like 90% of the students were of those races.
^^ So true. Hate hearing how people think that haoles/whites or even popolos are the only victims of bullying within the public school system here in Hawaii. But it is true that certain public schools are dominated more by locals or Hawaiians than other high schools.
This is why I got a geographical exception (GE), and attended a public high school located 14 miles away from my house!
Heck, in my case, esp in elementary and middle school, I had instances of other students pulling their eyes back, calling me rice-eye, go back to China (and I'm not even Chinese), etc.
I wouldn't waste money on private school for a 5 year old. My daughter is mostly white and has had no problems here. The curriculum is great. The students have loads of homework and the parents are required to sign basically everything they do. I live in the Pearl Harbor/Salt Lake area of Honolulu. Middle to lower class area, kids aren't snobs or wannabe gangsters. I came from a mostly white/native american area in Minnesota, but before that a mostly black area in Cleveland. My kid goes to a mostly asian school now I have a feeling she'll have much more open mind when she's an adult. Your kid will be fine here.
Haha.... That's what I was thinking ... You were only asking a question or looking for an opinion ...if they don't have anything helpful or nice wouldn't be best just to say nothing .. Just my opinion
I believe what you are reacting to in regards to race bullying in Hawai'i is true, but more so in the distant past. Hawai'i nei has changed alot since then. Its true we had kill haole day back then (always last day of school) But as another poster pointted out, it had less to do with race but social class. If you’re haole (i.e., white) you’re assumed to be rich and probably pretentious, stuck-up, etc(stick around cdf hawai'i you will see what im saying). Thus its more of a general attitude thing then race. Ive attended both private school and public in Hawai'i but at a time when Hawai'i was different. My experience was both had bullying, but i found public school to have more of it because generally its people who can't afford private school and are more sensitive to the general pretentious, stuck-up attitudes etc. Just try to be one and blend in instead of standing out and you guys will be ok. Just remember we live on an island good luck.
Ps: these attitudes everyone can have no matter what race, but it appears to be more prominent in european culturals, i assume its because competition is importent and its more I instead of we. So this is were it appears to be based on race when majority of whites get bullied for it.
I'm going to give the same advice that you would get if you posted on the Iowa board, "my daughter is black, how do I minimize the inevitable racial bullying in school [since I'm positive that racism is rampant there]?":
If you send your child into school with a chip on her shoulder about race, that sense of difference is going to communicate itself to her peers and may precipitate the exact problems you're trying to avoid. If you send her in respectful of differences and expecting to get along with everyone, she probably won't have any problems.
I will add that the people of color who I've seen ask questions like this generally manage to find a non-inflammatory way of phrasing it.
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