This story discussed how a 9 year old boy was being bullied for taking a “my little pony” lunchbox to school. His mom reports that he loves the show and she doesn’t see the harm in him having the backpack because the show promotes friendship, even though the show is geared more towards girls. The problem that this article identifies is the schools response to the situation. The school stated that they take bullying very seriously and they will continue to take steps to resolve the issue. They did ask that the boy leave the lunchbox at home since it seems to be a “trigger” for bullying. Mom’s response back was “ saying a lunchbox is a trigger for bullying is like saying a short skirt is a trigger for rape”.
I find this to be an interesting debate that brings up a lot of questions. Did the school have the right to request that he leave the lunchbox at home? Do you think the boy should leave the lunchbox at home? Would leaving the lunchbox at home really stop the bullying for this boy?
As a mother of a two year old son I struggled with what would I do if my son wanted to take a “girl” item to school. I love and accept my son no matter what but I also know that not everyone will see it the same way. Do I try to protect my son from the cruelty the world can offer or do I stand up against it with him to try to change it? What role does or should the school play? I strongly feel that schools need to step up and aide this change by allowing more evidence based programs in to help teach social skills to kids in schools. But change is a slow process and is not going to happen over night and it is painful to see kids get bullied and even in some cases lead to suicide because of the rejection society can offer. So should we teach victims how to not be “victims” or is that just giving more power to bullies?
First off, I think the mom's analogy is a bad one. Bullying is not the same as rape. I get what she is trying to stay, but when I read that line it rubbed me the wrong way. I do applaud her for sticking up for her son. The school's response is also a poor one. Instead of telling him to leave it at home, they could have just told him that if he continues to bring it, there is a chance the bullying will continue. It falls back on the teachers to stop the bullying and they have failed. Plus, the kids who are bullying him are not going to forget that he had the bookbag or lunch box. Even though he may not have it with him, the kids probably won't just forget about it. The school needs to help resolve the situation, not blame the victim.
ReplyDeleteI agree w/ Justin that I am glad that his Mom stood up for him. It is sad that for any response to be made I feel like the media or social media have to be involved. The school should not tell the youth to not bring the lunchbox but instead warn the parents that it may cause the people to say hurtful things BUT that bullying won't be tolerated. When schools ask for students to camouflage themselves we not addressing the root issue, which is to continue to teach and promote tolerace/acceptance/unity but also lead by example.
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