Student, fed up with bullying, writes President Obama and gets inspiring response. Student Ziainey Stokes from West Philadelphia wrote a letter to President Obama about bullying in January. The 11-year-old was fed up with being a victim after several years of abuse at two schools.
“I wrote that some people don’t care if you get bullied or not, but I do care,” Ziainey said.”
Zianey Stokes has been inspired to start her own anti-bullying organization. Excellent!
Interesting article and podcast at Scientific American.
Researchers reviewed and analyzed 153 studies and found that both victims and bullies have poor problem-solving skills within social situations. They also found that boys bully more than girls but here’s a significant point: those who do poorly in school are at a higher risk of becoming a bully. The research was published this week in the journal School Psychology Quarterly.
Q: We recently discovered several instances of one of my sons actually being the cyberbully. The transcripts were unbelievably obscene and I am devastated. I have had numerous talks with him about the severity of this issue, but I don’t really understand what to do from there.
Katey McPherson, founder of the Sharing Healthy Experiences Forum will be presenting at the 4th Annual Girl Bullying and RA Conference. San Antonio, Texas. June 25-27.
“Be The One” Sharing Healthy Experiences Breakout Session Description: Award winning author Rosalind Wiseman calls it “creating a culture of dignity”. SHE and its team members call it “Be the One.” In this interactive, hands on session, the SHE team will highlight and outline the damaging effects of relational aggression in one real life community with special attention to the bystander role. Workshop participants will be transfixed as they watch one community’s proactive approach to relational aggression and the amazing transformation through relationship building. Workshop participants will leave with next step information and ready-set -go manipulatives about how you can “Be The One” to transform your community and begin your own RA awareness campaign and forum that will unite students, parents, and staff to take a stand and truly transform a school culture and community at-large.
Grade Level: K-12
Session Speaker: Katey McPherson
Administrator/Founder of SHE (Sharing Healthy Experiences)
Article on bullying at Yahoo and Live Science has some interesting points about how children will often be judged based on their ability to respond to cues from their peers and the world around them.
From the article:
“Kids who get bullied and snubbed by peers may be more likely to have problems in other parts of their lives, past studies have shown. And now researchers have found at least three factors in a child’s behavior that can lead to social rejection.
The factors involve a child’s inability to pick up on and respond to nonverbal cues from their pals.”
And further:
“When children have prolonged struggles with socializing, “a vicious cycle begins,” Lavoie said. Shunned children have few opportunities to practice social skills, while popular kids are busy perfecting theirs. However, having just one or two friends can be enough to give a child the social practice he or she needs, he said.
Parents, teachers and other adults in a child’s life can help, too. Instead of reacting with anger or embarrassment to a child who, say, asks Aunt Mindy if her new hairdo was a mistake, parents should teach social skills with the same tone they use for teaching long division or proper hygiene. If presented as a learning opportunity, rather than a punishment, children usually appreciate the lesson. “
A national parenting expert is coming to town and has offered to do a workshop for us. This couldn’t be better timing because we’ve heard from so many of you that parents really want good information badly. More more more.
We will try to get an email blast to all past participants to let them know, but spread the word for us if you can ok.
Who is the speaker?
Read all about Chick Moorman at his website. He will be at Ingleside Middle School from 7-9pm on February 17th, 2010. Registration information and detailed topic information to follow.
