There’s an issue that has been bugging me for some time, and I really need to address it.
I have seen many social media posts where parents vent and complain that their child is being bullied at school and that the school “does nothing about it.”
Here’s the thing: I’ve been a teacher for about 20 years. I have worked with a lot of teachers and administrators, some more effective than others. I have NEVER worked with people who did “nothing” or ignored a student who is being targeted by another. Never.
Many times, kids will come home and spill their guts out to mom and dad, letting them know all the things that bugged them or made them feel “less than” throughout the day. It is so awesome that your kids talk to you and confide in you. For many reasons, they often don’t feel that way about talking to their teachers or other staff members who could help them at school. Many times, when we hear “the school didn’t do anything about it,” its because we didn’t know about it. Teachers don’t ignore students in pain, but they may not know when students are in pain.
One of the hardest things to understand and come to terms with is that you may not be privy to what discussions have taken place with the other student or what consequences have been imposed. In this case the school must protect the privacy of both students. The best thing here is to make sure there is an open line of communication with the school, whether it be with the teacher or the administration. If we can tell you, we will. If we can’t, we’ll be open about the fact that we just can’t divulge private information. It might not be satisfying to you, but you will know that you are supported and that your child’s privacy will be protected as well.
Please remember that we are teaching. Yes, we are teaching curriculum, but we are also teaching appropriate behaviours. Just like it might take children different time periods to learn to read or to learn a concept in math, it takes kids varying time periods to learn socially acceptable interactions as well. That’s a hard one to take if your child is being affected – we understand. Schools will work with you and your child to help them feel safe while also working with the other student to teach them positive social interactions.
If there’s anything I want parents to know, its that we DO care. No one wants kids to feel badly at school. No one is ignoring or doing “nothing” about bullying. That’s just not happening.
Teacher Talk 