One Result of Bullying - A Child's Suicide
By The Schoolmarm • Oct 26th, 2008 • Category: self esteemBullying, a child's suicide. The Schoolmarm reacts:
My usual reaction in reading of a child's death, is sadness. Today, it is anger.
Once again, a teenager who had been bullied repeatedly, reacted violently. This time not to others, but to himself. He chose to close himself off in the school bathroom and put a bullet in his head, to end the years of torment by his peers.
When will this stop? Don't tell me that people didn't know about his status on campus. Don't tell me that no one in authority was aware that he was the object of ridicule. I don't believe it for a minute.
He was tall, had a learning disability, and poor self-confidence. He literally stood out in a crowd. Even though he was on the football team, he got little respect. Kids threw food at him, taunted him.
I obviously don't know all the details and am reacting emotionally. I don't know what is written in his IEP (Individualized Education Program), if he had one. I don't know how many times, if any, that his parents reported the abuse to the school. All I know is, enough was not done.
We can not allow our children to either participate in the bullying or to stand idly by. Can't we instill in our children that there is a value to every human being ? We can't leave it all to the school. It starts at home. I repeat, it starts at home!
As a member of the community what can you do? Attend PTA meetings and other school organizations. Ask the administrators what the policy of the school is regarding teasing and bullying. If they say they have zero tolerance for bullying, ask them what that means and if it is working. Ask what intervention is provided for at-risk- kids.
For Jeremiah Lasater, it is too late. But I guarantee you, there are many "uncool" kids, boys and girls, who cried themselves to sleep last night, dreading to go to school today.
Speak up, at home and at school, there is enough grief in the world without adding this to our collective guilt.
The Schoolmarm
The Schoolmarm is
Email this author | All posts by The Schoolmarm
My daughter is being bullied at school and I finally took a stand and will as many times as it takes. Enough is enough. Being a kid is a lonely existance and bullying makes it that much worse.
Misty, you are doing the right thing getting involved. I don't know the age of your daughter and that would make a difference in the way the situation is handled, but whatever the age, don't stop with the first person you talk with about the problem. I would ask for a three way conference with the teacher and principal. Before the meeting try to get as much info as you can to be specific on when and where the bullying takes place, the frequency of the bullying and who observes. Bullies are cowards, so they often pick on others in unsupervised areas, such as the restroom. Intimidation can be subtle and grow to include several kids in ways that are covert. So, gather your information as well as you can and with calm and control insist that the bullies be confronted and action be taken to assure it won't happen again. Please let me know how it goes.