School Bullying

[sails]

What everyone fails to see was that the big kid wasn't frightened...

Come on GB wakey wakey... of course he wasn't frightened - Casey was clearly the stronger of the two AND clearly he had always taken the bullying before and was somewhat used to it AND it clearly shows the stupid littly bully trying to bignote himself infront of his audience (as bullies do) was taken by surprise. If Casey had used his strength in this way before, I believe the bully would have been ducking out of his way. It does seem that this is the first time Casey snapped when watching the unexpected surprise of his weasley attacker.

Agree with WayneL - I think you must have seen a different version than most or you have some very rose coloured glasses on in favour of the little stupid guy who will hopefully stop his stupidiity in bullying and it just may save his life in later years.

I can't stand bullies - they are the ultimate cowards in picking targets they think won't get back at them. I hope this sends a good lesson to the other cowardly bullies out there who pick on people they don't think will retaliate - because, one day they just might snap too.

I used to be a teacher, and I have no issue with what Casey did!
Hopefully this serves as an example to bullies and those being bullied!

Totally agree...

Not always. The most persistent bullies will follow you and keep on bullying. They will even punch you in the back of the head.

Yes, so true. They can be a persistent menace until the target uses techniques to stop the bullying. They are despicable, cowardly and relentless.

 

[Calliope]

The real low-lifes in this unpleasant saga are Today Tonight (7) and a Current Affair (9). They are real bottom feeders.

 

[DB008]

Found a .gif of it.

 

[tothemax6]

I agree GB - walking away is always the best. Takes more courage in my books to walk than to fight.

Never understood the 'walk away' argument. 'Walking away' is a legitimate course of action when there is equal antagonism from the two parties, i.e. 'two guys getting agro with each other'. Here, they either punch it out, or they decide to walk away and cool down.
In the case where their is an antagonist and a victim (like in bullying), the victim attempting to walk away would achieve nothing but a kick in the back.
Think, Tink.

 

[Bill M]

I rarely comment on these issues but I will in this case. Of the footage that I have seen at least a dozen times and of the interview of both the fat and skinny kids on TV I clearly conclude the skinny kid started the physical violence. He shaped up and clearly struck the fat kid twice and wanted to keep going. How many bashes in the head and stomach was the fat kid going to get get if he had not stopped it? How much physical violence should one put up with before he defends himself? That fat kid did what he had to do to protect himself, no ifs or buts. He was the victim and nobody ever did anything to help him in the past, not the teachers, parents or anyone else. I do not condone violence but if you are going to get belted into a pulp or to your death shouldn't you at least try to protect yourself?

It's all good and well saying no to violence but how would you feel if the Police knocked on your door and said, sorry to inform you but your child has just been beaten up at school and is in a coma in hospital and in a serious condition? Oh hang on you taught him never to defend himself, huh?

 

[Tink]

I am not sure if that was directed at me Bill, but of course my children would defend themselves.

Both my children have done Karate from Grade 3 and I did a year of self defence, not that we have ever had to use it.

I just believe that its best to walk away rather than fight as fighting achieves nothing.

 

[adobee]

Thats a great GIF.. can some one tell me how to copy and past GIFs .. or save them.. I seem to end up with just one picture of Zangiff !?!??

 

[Calliope]

The dysfunctional families of these two clowns are the big winners.

FURIOUS teachers believe prime-time TV interviews with the two students at the centre of the YouTube bodyslam video glorify violence and make it harder for schools to tackle bullying.
Sydney schoolboys Casey Heynes and Ritchard Gale hit international headlines after their schoolyard fight was broadcast on the internet.
The families of the two boys have reportedly made about $40,000 each after TV interviews on A Current Affair and Today Tonight following the incident.
But teachers unions say the glossy coverage surrounding the fight has not been helpful to the children involved, or to teachers who have policies and procedures in place to deal with bullying.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/mak...rn/story-e6frfkvr-1226026624594#ixzz1HO1Zriuh

 

[kitehigh]

Those who advocate to just walk away are living in fantasy land and obviously don't understand or have never dealt with a bully before.

The only mistake Casey made is he didn't take it far enough he should have dealt than and there with the bigger older kid who had set up the whole thing. He would have been up hyped up after slamming the little turd and should have immediately taken the bigger kid straight to the ground when he came at him and than choked him out submission style. Only than would the bullies truly leave him alone as they are cowards by nature.

The world is a violent place and always will be, so you need to be prepared to defend yourself and your family with all means available.

 

[Chris45]

Thats a great GIF.. can some one tell me how to copy and past GIFs .. or save them.. I seem to end up with just one picture of Zangiff !?!??

adobee, I’m not an expert on html but this works for me:

1. Create a New Folder (eg ‘Slam’) then right click on the gif and save it to the folder: C:\My Documents\Slam\1300105223354.gif

2. Create a Notepad text file in the same folder: C:\My Documents\Slam\Slam.txt

3. In the text file, copy and paste:
<html>
<img src="1300105223354.gif" alt="Body Slam"></img>
</html>

4. Rename the text file: C:\My Documents\Slam\Slam.htm

5. Run it and you should see the animated gif.

 

[Chris45]

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/mak...rn/story-e6frfkvr-1226026624594#ixzz1HO1Zriuh

The bit I liked was:

Tell the person to back off and leave you alone and report it – teachers are trained to deal with this.

Yeah, right!!! What a joke!

As someone commented:

I agree that clearly the teacher's "policies" do not work otherwise we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

 

[dutchie]

Stamp out bullying.

It's hard enough being different coping at school without having to put up with bullying as well.

Parents need to educate their children to not bully anyone.

Worth reading ......


My son shines in the dark

by: Kathy Lette
From: The Australian
April 02, 2013 12:00AM

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Kathy Lette

Author Kathy Lette with son Julius Robertson. Picture: Dave Poole Source: Supplied

ONE grey, rainy London day, my 11-year-old son arrived home from school with his shirt torn and hair matted. There was a sign sticky-taped to his back. It read: "Kick me, I'm a retard." I ripped it off in fury as a tidal wave of frustration and pity surged through me. "The other kids called me a moron," he whispered, his wide blue eyes filling with tears. "What does that mean? Am I a moron, Mum?"

Trying to protect a child with special needs from being bullied is like trying to stop ice melting in the desert. There were calls to the school, meetings, promises of closer scrutiny in the playground. But basically, when it comes to defeating bullying -- particularly when your child is an obvious target -- a parent might as well be standing up to Voldemort with a butter knife.

New research, published in the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine last week, suggests that more than half of all teenagers with an autism spectrum disorder are bullied at school, compared with an estimated 11 per cent of children in the general population. It also reveals that the problem is largely ignored.
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This certainly chimes with my experiences. My son Julius (Jules) was diagnosed with autism aged three. Autism is a life-long neurological disorder, chiefly characterised by an inability to communicate effectively, plus inappropriate or obsessive behaviour. Not getting a joke, not knowing what to say then saying the wrong things, being told off but not understanding why, doing your best but still getting it wrong, feeling confused, left out, frightened, out of synch, all day, every day -- that is the reality of life for someone on the autistic spectrum.

What many people don't know, however, is that the condition also is often linked to a very high IQ. My son walked and talked early. In fact, family and friends thought him "advanced". So you can imagine my shock when, at about 14 months, Jules just lost his language skills. His brain was like a computer that had crashed.

When the pediatrician made his diagnosis in a sooty Victorian-era hospital that day, an ache of love squeezed up from my bone marrow and coagulated around my heart. I felt an overwhelming lioness-type love. It was my job to stop him from tumbling through a hole in the world, like Alice.

My first reaction was denial. I bankrupted myself ricocheting around the country seeing every available expert, all swishing in and out of doors in their white coats. I tried everything, from karma maintenance to cranial massage. My son had so many tests, he must have thought he was being drafted into the elite moon mission astronaut program. I hate to think how many doctors' children I've now put through university.

The next over-powering emotion was guilt. Fathers, while equally loving and supportive, are better at compartmentalising. But a mother's guilt gland throbs. Was it something I ate while pregnant? Soft cheese or sushi? Was it that one glass of wine I drank in the final trimester? Was it something I should have drunk, like pureed beetroot? If only I'd feng-shuied my aura in yogalates classes like Gwyneth Paltrow.

After intense speech therapy, Jules started talking again when he was four. For years experts had been telling me that he had "global delay", yet I found him to be bubbling with the most intriguing questions: "If onions make you cry, are there vegetables that make you happy? Is a harp just a nude piano? What is the speed of dark? Is a vacuum cleaner a broom with a stomach?" was a typical daily onslaught.

All the doctors with their stethoscopic minds couldn't really diagnose my son, but by the age of five the word "Asperger's" was being bandied about.

"Asperger's is a form of autism, but at the high-functioning end of the spectrum," it was explained to me -- at pound stg. 245 ($355) an hour. "People with Asperger's are often of above-average intelligence. They have fewer problems with speech, but still have difficulties understanding and processing social situations."

I burst with optimism. It felt like getting an airline upgrade or a prison reprieve, but my euphoria was short-lived. Every expert agreed on one point: only in a small classroom with specialist teaching, protected from bullying, could Jules reach his potential.

Doctors, nurses, teachers, therapists, social workers, and educational psychologists all agreed that this was the case, but getting the necessary help proved a postcode lottery. The waiting lists for special needs schools are so long there are Stone Age families at the front of the queue.

When my son was five, I had him "statemented", which means that he had a statement of special needs from the education department, promising to "fulfil his educational requirements".

I soon learned to decode this spiel, too: an educational "statement" is really just an adroit piece of jargonised sophistry that promises much but delivers little. The system is designed with bureaucratic speed bumps to slow down a parent's progress.

I filled in forests of forms and saw squadrons of psychologists. The technical term for this process is "being passed from pillar to post". I know families who have lost all their savings appealing in the courts against a council's decision not to fund a child's placement to a special school.

My son was eventually "mainstreamed" in a local state infants school, with the support of a very kind, although untrained helper for a few hours a day.

It was woefully inadequate. It seems to me that putting a child with special needs into a mainstream school is as pointless as giving a fish a bath. Being told off for laziness or chastised for disruptive behaviour, put on detention for failing to understand homework and constantly belittled by peers means that school becomes little more than a master class in low self-esteem. Overworked teachers treated my son as though he was a feral creature recently netted in the Amazon and still adjusting to captivity. And pupils taunted and teased him.

Most children at school strive to master maths and grammar. Kids with special needs strive to make themselves invisible. Although, by age eight, Jules had an encyclopaedic knowledge of tennis, the Beatles, Buddy Holly and Shakespeare, including being able to quote most of Hamlet, the only subject at which he excelled in school was "phoning in sick".

Bullying made school unbearable. Most mornings I had to drag him, shrieking and punching, out of his pyjamas and into school. We always planned to leave the house by 7.15am -- and like clock work, we were usually out the door by 8.35am. My son hated school so much, he often just wouldn't get out of the car. Would it be excusable to call the fire brigade to cut my son out of the vehicle, I wondered, slumped on the curb with my head in my hands, Jules welded to the seat within.

"Only fish should be in schools. It's a prison for children. How can you make me sit in that torture chamber all day?" I can remember the mixture of bafflement and betrayal contorting his 10-year-old face into a mask of dismay as he struggled to rationalise our daily battles. The one person he trusted was forcing him into a place where he was ridiculed for being different and beaten up so badly that on one occasion he needed stitches in his head. The incident was brushed under the carpet as "accidental".

How I envied the normal worries of other mothers, who fretted over sugar content in cereal, how to make broccoli interesting and why their offspring wouldn't eat anything that hadn't danced in an ad on television. The parent of a special needs child has to be their legal advocate, fighting his or her educational corner; full-time scientist -- challenging doctors and questioning medications; executive officer -- making difficult decisions on their behalf; and also, full-time bodyguard against bullies.

High school didn't improve things. My son called his school "Guantanamo Bay". It would take me an hour to haul him out of bed, and only then with a mixture of cajoling, begging, pleading and blackmailing. By screaming till the paint peeled off the walls, I could usually half stuff him into his uniform, but not before he'd trashed his room in the process.

My "brilliant" mothering skills became strikingly apparent when I would then run back to my room and sob into my pillow. Eventually I would summon up the strength to drag him, as he cursed and cussed, to his school gates, before dashing to work, all distraught and dishevelled and panda-eyed from mascara leakage.

The daily ordeal left me more depleted than Our Lady of Put Upon and Exhausted -- the Patron Saint of mothers of children with special needs.

But Jules's anxiety was understandable. Venturing out of the house when you have special needs can feel as hazardous as Scott leaving his Arctic base camp. It's no wonder that the hardest thing for parents like me is to stop mollycoddling. All through his teens, I would never let my son leave home without a list of instructions longer than War and Peace and enough supplies in his backpack to set up a comfortable wilderness homestead. I was so over-protective that my friends and family would often joke that they couldn't believe I'd ever let my son out -- out of my womb, that is.

Even now, whenever my darling boy walks out the door, you'd think he was emigrating.

The fuss, the worry, the long hugs and heartfelt goodbyes. But how will you ever know if your child can cope in the outside world, if you never let him out into it?

When I read about the horrific fates that have befallen other young men with Asperger's, the tragic death of Steven Simpson, who had his genitals set on fire at his 18th birthday, or the autistic boy known as ZH who, in 2008, was falsely imprisoned and shackled by the police for jumping into a swimming pool fully clothed, my paranoia seems justified. After my son was mugged at knife point aged 14, I read this comment from a police officer in the paper: "People with special needs are routinely targeted. I'm afraid, it's the price of disability."

If this is the price of being born "differently abled" then the price is way too high.

The only way to eradicate bullying is to encourage society to be more accepting. I no longer think of people as "normal" or "abnormal" but "ordinary" and "extraordinary".

And I adore my extraordinary son. Despite all the angst and exhaustion, he has brought such joy, humour, love and compassion into my life. And also wonder. Jules is Wikipedia with a pulse. People on the autistic spectrum have a lateral, literal logic which is vivid, hilarious, honest and original. My son is one of the most interesting people I have ever met.

Since he was little, he's kept me on my mental toes by asking me the most tangential questions. The latest: "The American constitution says you must pursue happiness. But how do you know when you've caught it?" And "Why is there no other word for synonym?"

With my son's blessing -- Jules is now 22 -- I have written a novel called The Boy Who Fell To Earth to help destigmatise autism. The book is about a single mother's rollercoaster ride of raising a child with Asperger's. It's basically The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time -- Mark Haddon's famous book on a teenage boy with Asperger's -- but told from the mother's point of view.

While based on my own experiences, the book is also a tribute to all the plucky, inspirational parents I've met who've shared with me their battles against bureaucracy and bullying.

We now know, with diagnostic hindsight, that Mozart, Einstein, Van Gogh, Warhol, even Jane Austen's Mr Darcy, were on the autistic spectrum.

It's time to stamp out the bigotry that excludes people with disabilities from mainstream life.

It's World Autism Awareness Day today, so it's timely to realise that with encouragement, love and support, these unique individuals can fulfil their potential and contribute to society in the most fascinating ways.

Julius tells me that my novel is a "celebration of idiosyncrasies, eccentricities and being different". And he's right.

Because how tedious it would be if we really were all the same -- a case of the bland leading the bland.

Kathy Lette's book The Boy Who Fell to Earth is published in paperback on April 11. Lette is an ambassador for Britain's National Autistic Society.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/my-son-shines-in-the-dark/story-e6frg6z6-1226610469665

 

[waza1960]

Stamp out bullying.

It's hard enough being different coping at school without having to put up with bullying as well.

Parents need to educate their children to not bully anyone.

Good luck with that .... The school authorities only pay lip service to address bullying...

I have Aspergers (diagnosed at 45) am writing a book to help others. I had to overcome many obstacles including
bullying and wondering why I was different and at times wondering if life was worth living (no such diagnosis
as Aspergers until the 70's) Fortunately I came to embrace my differences before I was diagnosed .
I didn't think the diagnosis would make much difference but since then has given me more perspective.
Even on this forum I can tell I'm different ie not much response to my comments .
I stated that I was reposting after an absence of some years welcomed back by 1 (thanks canoz)
Only post on here to help others and exchange information not be hassled by trolls is it worth it??
But maybe I don't appear different (many years of learning to fit in)I just think I do. Not knowing having doubt
that is the uncomfortable part.

Hence the avatar lol

 

[dutchie]

Good luck with that .... The school authorities only pay lip service to address bullying...

I have Aspergers (diagnosed at 45) am writing a book to help others. I had to overcome many obstacles including
bullying and wondering why I was different and at times wondering if life was worth living (no such diagnosis
as Aspergers until the 70's) Fortunately I came to embrace my differences before I was diagnosed .
I didn't think the diagnosis would make much difference but since then has given me more perspective.
Even on this forum I can tell I'm different ie not much response to my comments .
I stated that I was reposting after an absence of some years welcomed back by 1 (thanks canoz)
Only post on here to help others and exchange information not be hassled by trolls is it worth it??
But maybe I don't appear different (many years of learning to fit in)I just think I do. Not knowing having doubt
that is the uncomfortable part.

Hence the avatar lol

Hi Waza

Belated welcome back.

Glad to hear you have overcome the obstacles in your life and that you are sharing your experiences (just like this lady is). Good luck with that I hope it's a success.

Were you bullied at school? I agree that the schools have limited power to stop bullying hence I think it is more a parent who can make the difference by talking to their children.

It's hard to tell what a person is really like on a forum. Are they male/female old/young etc etc
so its not surprising that you don't appear different to us.

Forums are also fickle beasts. You can start a thread and get completely different responses to that which you thought.
You can also make comments to threads and get no answer/ negative/ positive / etc responses - you just don't know.

All you can do is take it as it comes and contribute where you can.

cheers

dutchie

 

[Julia]

Even on this forum I can tell I'm different ie not much response to my comments .

waza, perhaps don't take a non-response as lack of interest or agreement. I've read many of your posts with interest, agreeing with your point, as I'm sure have others.
But repetitively putting up a post which says +1 or I agree etc is irritating to some members.

I stated that I was reposting after an absence of some years welcomed back by 1 (thanks canoz)

Most days there are posts by several newcomers or posters who return after an absence. Is it reasonable to have to offer a response to all of these? People are absorbed in their own lives. I don't actually remember your announcing your return.

Only post on here to help others and exchange information not be hassled by trolls is it worth it??

That's something only you can decide. Not sure forums are the place to go for 'recognition' and appreciation.

But maybe I don't appear different (many years of learning to fit in)I just think I do. Not knowing having doubt
that is the uncomfortable part.

I've never thought of any of your comments as from anyone 'different'. There are many types of personalities here. I don't think most of us analyse others too much and just take what they say at face value.
I hope you'll continue to make interesting and useful contributions.

 

[sails]

Below is a video sent to my 13 year old granddaughter who has been a victim of bullying (mostly verbal) for most of her school life. She is a gentle caring girl with learning difficulties and it has been hard to see her go through this added trauma in her life. We have read books and tried to help her block the bullies with certain techniques, but even so she still struggled.

A friend sent this video to her and she couldn't stop watching it and asked us to watch it with her - very moving. It was as if she finally got the acknowledgement she needed as she could identify with it all so much. The ending is excellent, imo, so will post it here should it help anyone else with kids that are being bullied.

Waza - it is good to have you back... I thought I had welcomed you back some time ago, but if my memory is incorrect and I failed to do so, I sincerely apologise.

 

[waza1960]

https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24576 here's the thread to stop any confusion.

That's something only you can decide. Not sure forums are the place to go for 'recognition' and appreciation.

Not looking for recognition and appreciation (in fact makes me uncomfortable)just get sick of the trolls and the egos
that side-track good discussion and sharing of ideas .. but it is the internet.

Most days there are posts by several newcomers or posters who return after an absence. Is it reasonable to have to offer a response to all of these? People are absorbed in their own lives. I don't actually remember your announcing your return.

I really don't care about my return being announced or otherwise. To me its just proof that I don't have the social skills or nuances that others do.
But its not a problem although the belated welcomes are appreciated they are not necessary as I am comfortable with who I am.

I've never thought of any of your comments as from anyone 'different'. There are many types of personalities here. I don't think most of us analyse others too much and just take what they say at face value.
I hope you'll continue to make interesting and useful contributions

fair enough and thanks

Were you bullied at school? I agree that the schools have limited power to stop bullying hence I think it is more a parent who can make the difference by talking to their children.

Yes I was bullied(not physically)just verbally and couldn't wait to leave which I regretted later as I would have liked to continue higher education . The reason why I have done adult study.
Your more charitable than me .I just don't think the schools/education departments want to tackle bullying its easier to appear to be doing something by producing a anti-bullying policy = all talk no action

 

[Tisme]

"



60 Minutes Australia
4 hrs ·


How far would you go to protect your child if you thought they were being bullied?

This father violently attacked a 15-year-old he believed was tormenting his daughter. He says he was defending her, but did he cross the line? The full story 8.30 SUNDAY on #60Mins."

 

[Wysiwyg]

How far would you go to protect your child if you thought they were being bullied?

This father violently attacked a 15-year-old he believed was tormenting his daughter. He says he was defending her, but did he cross the line? The full story 8.30 SUNDAY on #60Mins."

If the smart ass wanted a go, I would do the same.

 

[Tisme]

If the smart ass wanted a go, I would do the same.

I tend to prefer to do them slowly. Something very satisfying at seeing a bully confounded at the run of bad luck that seems to dog them for years on end.