Instructions:
- Read article.
- Underline anything that is interesting to you or helps you answer the prompts to the right of the article.
- Write the article citation in bibliography format (bottom of article): “Title”, name of author, name of publication, date
Fighting school bullying by teaching respect and showing kindness
Chicago Tribune
20 September 2013
CHICAGO — When 11-year-old Ronan Schuelke was pushed and called names in his school lunchroom last year, he didn't know what to do.
Now, students at his school have chosen him to star in a music video. The video, which is designed to teach respect, is their own remake of a Katy Perry song.
After students watch the video, Ronan and other student leaders will hand out tokens to classmates who try to stop bullying or who encourage kindness. They attend Stratford Middle School in Bloomingdale, Ill. Students can receive a token for telling a classmate to stop picking on someone or by sitting with a new student at lunch. The tokens are called "Stallion Medallions" after the school's mascot. They can be redeemed for small prizes, like school supplies or tickets to plays.
“I think this is something the kids will pick up … and maybe try it,” Ronan said of the idea.
New Approach To Combat Bullying
The new program at Stratford is an example of how schools have changed how they are handling bullying. Attempts to combat bullying used to be haphazard. Administrators spoke with individual students or brought in speakers.
But in recent years, dozens of school districts across Illinois have been targeting bullying and emphasizing a broader message of respect, educators say. At least 10 of those districts are in Chicago suburbs. Media attention, state mandates and new research on bullying have sparked the efforts.
“Teaching them to show respect to each other is more effective than saying, ‘Don’t be a bully,'” said Brian Meyer. He is operations director for the state's Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports network. The network provides schools with information on the latest anti-bullying methods.
Under the program, schools recognize that all students are capable of bullying and being bullied. Administrators ask students about problem areas. Then all teachers and students are trained in a approach called “Stop, Walk and Talk.”
The program gives students tools to instantly halt bullying. For instance, a student could tell or signal an aggressor to stop and then let a teacher know.
Anti-Bullying Programs Required By Law
Many educators and researchers applaud the effort that reduces bullying. Others worry that rewarding good behavior with prizes sends the wrong message to students. It also doesn't work in the long run, they say.
It is better for students to develop a love of learning and to learn to do the right thing from within themselves, said Jonathan Cohen, president of the National School Climate Center.
About 20 to 30 percent of school-age children are either bullied or bully others.
Twenty years ago, bullying was seen as rare. Few parents asked the school district to protect their children. But as bullying was blamed in shootings and suicides, parents started asking for help and state lawmakers got involved, said Dorothy Espelage. She researches bullying at the University of Illinois.
Since the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, 49 states require schools to have anti-bullying programs, Espelage said.
Clubs, Tokens And Katy Perry Video
Schoolwide prevention is most effective, research shows. Many principals have turned to the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports network which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
When the network began 15 years ago, it focused on students with special needs or severe disciplinary problems. It then expanded schoolwide. By 2011, more than 250 school leaders from across Illinois attended a meeting to tackle bullying. They learned to build on methods they already use to encourage good behavior throughout their schools.
All eight schools in Bloomingdale’s school district, for instance, have a plan that includes Expect Respect clubs, anti-bullying tokens and the Katy Perry video, said Julie Augustyn. She is the prevention coordinator for the district.
Augustyn knows that critics question how effective these efforts will be when students no longer receive prizes for good behavior. The district isn't doing everything perfectly, she said. “But to see this many middle schoolers come out and are enthusiastic — the kids get it,” she said.
Officials at a school district in nearby Schaumburg hope to teach the approach at the library, the park district and in law enforcement offices. They want to make it a community-wide effort, said Dolly Mandrelle, a positive behavior network coach for the district.
Neon-Orange Expect Respect T-Shirt
There is no easy solution to the problem of bullying, said Catherine Bradshaw of the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence. But there are programs that look promising, she said. Schools in Maryland using PBIS saw behavior problems drop by a third, she said in a 2012 report. The study also showed a big drop in bullying within two years.
“There aren’t any quick, easy solutions that are going to happen after one hour or an afternoon,” she said.
Chintan Dave, an eighth-grader at Stratford, had a more immediate goal when he joined the school’s Expect Respect Club. Two years ago, Chintan, 13, switched to a different bus after he was mocked for his Indian accent. When school started this month, he wore his neon-orange “Expect Respect” T-shirt with high hopes.
“I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through,” he said. / Explain the Main Idea/Central Idea of the article:
Cite two pieces of textual evidence that support the main idea (in complete sentences or direct quotes from the article).
What is the author’s point of view on the issue?
What is the counterargument to stopping bully with respect and kindness rewards? (hint- look left)
Bibliography Citation: