By Chuck Ring (GadaboutBlogalot ©2009 -2011

Quote Freely From The Article – Leave The Pseudonym Alone

All of us have read about different ways school bullies, from kindergarten through high school cause harm to their victims.  By now, we should all recognize bullying does not require physical acts and that many young people have been driven to suicide through today’s so-called social media.  Social media in today’s world includes texting, Facebook, Twitter and perhaps hundreds of other instant messaging applications used by young people to keep up with their peers.

What might start as innocent banter can suddenly turn into sexual innuendo, written abuse or threats of bodily harm or harm to reputation if the victim does not consent to the criminal’s twisted wishes.  And let’s remember, the attempt at damage does not always come from a member or members’ peer group.  The danger and damage can come from adults portraying themselves as a member of the victim’s peer group.

There are many things parents can do to safeguard their children who are old enough to utilize social media to communicate. First, talk to your children and pay attention to their gestures, eye contact or lack thereof, so that they know you are seriously looking and listening.  Most parents will not pry into their children’s Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts, but you should think of the damage which might be done and how quickly it can be inflicted before discarding examination of their activities online.  Perhaps when you first allow children the opportunity to text, tweet, or use any other social media, you can let them know that you always reserve the right to check their activities online until they become adults.  This action taken by parents assumes that trust has not been damaged for some slight or perceived slight carried out by the parent or child.

Being a parent is a tough job and being a responsible parent is even tougher, but you are responsible and there’s no changing that fact; nor should we think we can or should shirk our responsibility.

There are many online help sites dealing with this subject.  Find them and if they offer reputable advise use it to help formulate your actions and policies.  Last, but not least, don’t assume that because your children are home schooled they are safe; nor should you assume that they are not acting out themselves, no matter where they attend school.

Last October (2010) the information below was posted by myself.  I hope it offers help and encouragement to parents and their children:

Potential Help For Victims Of Student Bullying

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Chuck Ring

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

By Chuck Ring (GadaboutBlogalot ©2009 – 2010)

Quote Freely From The Article – Leave The Pseudonym Alone

The Albuquerque Public Schools District has launched a four-year initiative toward helping students enjoy a safe and enjoyable school experience.  The money comes from a federal grant for ten million dollars.  Some of the money has been used to create a website  students can get access to to seek help for bullying, health, learning and other common problems experienced during their school attendance hours and with problems experienced during activities off-campus.

We believe the information provided and problems addressed through the site are important enough to be made available to every student in every New Mexico school district.  That is why we are posting the link to the information and providing a link to the tragic experience in a Ohio town where several students have committed suicide where the cause is  attributed to bullying by other students within the school system.  The link to the Ohio material was sent to me by a former educator (now retired) and grandmother who spent many years as a school principal in the East Mountains area.

Here is the link to the Albuquerque Public Schools web site which provides in-depth information about their program known as  the Safe Schools Healthy Students Website.

There you will find outside links to additional or similar resources.  We  hope you find the provided material useful and you’ll find ways to pass the information on to others.

The Moriarty-Edgewood School District web site provides internal and external links on the subject of bullying, including their written policy and procedure on the subject.  Click here.

Here is the link to the Ohio story.  This story provides links to added information in addition to reporting on the suicides of four students.

You can look for help from the related articles found below.

Related Articles

• At Ohio School, 4 Bullied Teens Lost to Suicide (newser.com)
• The Importance of Teaching Digital Citizenship (readwriteweb.com)
• Suicides Lead U.S. Schools to Rethink How to Combat Anti-Gay Bullying (startribune.com)
• Tools Against Homophobic Bullying (parenting.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Bullied gay student is subject of new documentary (miamiherald.typepad.com)
• Joe Jonas Speaks Directly About Bullying In School (jsyk.com)

More Recent Related articles

• Bullying at School and Online (education.com)
• Bullying: The Problems and Some Interventions (education.com)
• What do I do if I suspect that my child is being bullied? (education.com)
• What should parents do if they witness bullying? (education.com)
• Bully-Ridden Schools Have Lower Test Scores (livescience.com)
• Bullying Takes Toll on High School Test Scores (nlm.nih.gov)
• Rebecca Black Quits Middle School After Bullying (mashable.com)