Here I am in weather stricken Tennessee when I learned of the news about two teens in New Jersey who had planned a "Columbine like" attack on their classmates.
The state of New Jersey has decided to prosecute these two (victims of bullying?) as terrorist. The mere word terrorist strikes fear into the hearts of most of us. Yet to accuse and attempt to prosecute two teenagers who have most likely been subjected to terrorism in the form of bullying: is that right?
Rather than prosecute them as terrorist, why not investigate fully the reasons they felt it necessary to write a hit list?
I'm not in any way, shape or form suggesting that what they had planned is right. There are always other ways of dealing with things rather than resorting to violence.
I believe they should be punished for their acts, what they had planned on doing was certainly wrong! The question remains, however, what was the driving force behind their actions? How can we insure that something like this doesn't occur again?
I would not be surprised to find that these two had long been bullied by others. I certainly don't know what resources they pursued, if any, to get the situation resolved. Nor am I aware of what resources were available to them. I do think that calling them terrorist is a little overboard...in my opinion it those that do the bully who are the terrorist.
Bullying is not a right of passage. Adults will sometimes tell their children they were bullied and lived through it and perhaps it even made them stronger. That doesn't make it right! "Bullying hurts! No one deserves to live in pain!"
Schools and adults, parents and caregivers need to give our children permission to tell someone they are being harrassed, bullied, put down, called names, whatever you care to call it! Then it is up to us to make sure something is done about it!
I have long proposed, as I tell my assemblies, "No one can help you until they know you need help!" There is no shame in saying I'm being picked on and I need help!
All sides of the bullying issue need help. The bullies and the victims. For too long I think we have only identified those who bully as being in need of help...psychologically or otherwise. Perhaps it is time for the pendulum to swing the other way. Perhaps the time has come for us to address the recipients of bullying. PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder is very real and that is what many victims of bullying suffer.
Others, well, maybe they make a hit list like these two teens. Even a tame housecat will become violent when cornered. Who knows when a person who has been a victim of continual or even occasional bullying will reach the "I can't take it anylonger" level? Who knows what they will resort to?
In too many occasions we have witnessed violence and self inflicted violence as a means to ending bullying. It is time for us to stand up and say ENOUGH! We have certainly witnessed enough school shootings and read of too many bullycides.
It is time for us to put an end to bullying. We, all of us, students, teachers, parents, adults, have the power to help end bullying.
Education is one of the most effective ways of beginning the process.
I am at a conference here in Tennessee and one of the morning speakers suggested that conflict resolution needs to be taught in every school, starting she said, at the kindergarten level. I agree. It is time we begin to teach peace and peaceful resolutions to our youth.
It is never too late to begin to make changes.
What are your thoughts on this?
