Tasha and The Bullly: Isn't the school bus supposed to be safe?

Tasha got off the bus crying earlier this week, much to our shock and chagrin. It seems some children on the bus were calling  her names, and one child hit her in the head.

Two of  the kids were kindergarten, one was a second grader. A second grader picking on a kindergartner? What in the world???
 Well. I don't know what those kids thought they were doing, but what they actually did was as Yamato  said at the end of the bombing of Pearl Harbor..was" wake up a sleeping giant and filled it with a terrible resolve". The giant in  that case of course was America, in this case was her me.

Don't get me wrong, her mom was pretty upset herself, but her Nanny was livid.  Who should have to worry about having their world rocked at 6 years old.

Denise went to the school and talked to the principal, I spoke to the bus driver and we got Tasha calmed down pretty well. But No Child should have to deal with this. Children are supposed to be safe at school and on the bus, right?

Wrong.

1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.

- 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.

- 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school.

- 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

- 1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.

- 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.

Statistics courtesy of  Make a sound for a voice unheard

The majority of bullied children do not tell their parents or teachers for fer of retribution. 

? 

This proved true with Tasha by the shear fact that the child walked into the principals office and Tasha was so unnerved she burst into tears and became confused. Just like witnesses on TV who are bullied into being quiet for fear of their life. Evil has come to the second grade. 

We can do something though. Bullies shouldn't win. and sometimes they don't. Sometimes a bullied child will be so fed up he will come to school with a gun and everyone loses. Do we think this is a small issue

What can we do?

Teach your child how to defend his or her against bulling Violence begets violence, although it is a good way to win a war it is not the best way to stop bullying. 

• Bullies are cowards. They pick on children smaller then them and more vulnerable. they mostly pick on a child who is a loner, so no one else can see therefore report the altercation. The more people you know, the less chance you will be a target. 
• Tell some one, if you tell one grownup and they don't do anything, tell someone else. Someone will step up to the plate
• If it feels safe, stand up to the bully. Tell them to Stop!, I don't like that, and walk away. ALWAYS tell a grownup. If the bully thinks you won't do anything, the more chances there are of his continued bullying. 

Bullying is not a rite of passage, it is not something where your child has to buck up and handle it. The leading cause of death for children under the age of 14 is suicide, and that death is caused by the loneliness, fear and isolation they felt from someone who was bullying them. 

Have a talk with your child, make sure they are safe. 

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