Taking the Bully By the Horns
Some stories are tough to read. But that doesn't make them any less valuable. One example is Rebecca Golden's recent piece on Salon.com, about trying to make peace with her childhood bullies.
Golden's first-person account is effective for the naked honesty and bravery it took to even attempt such a reconciliation, never mind write about it. But where the story rings most true is in her minimal lack of success -- both at getting her past tormentors to talk to her, and her ability to fully let go of her past pain.
I've blogged about my own history as a "mean girl", as well as my experiences being the one who was picked on. If any of the kids I pushed around were to seek me out now, I think I would have enough respect for the situation to sit down and talk about it. I wish Golden could have gotten the same opportunity.
Her story is valuable to education reporters, as school districts and states nationwide are putting new regulations in place to curb bullying. (I'm not sure how effective it will be to make every student take an anti-bullying pledge, as states like Maryland are now requiring, but I appreciate the intentions behind it.)
Much of the push toward anti-bullying legislation comes in the wake of several high-profile cases of students committing suicide.There have been some questions raised about the Phoebe Prince case, a girl in South Hadley, Mass. who killed herself allegedly after being bullied by classmates. Emily Bazelon of Slate.com has written extensively about the case and is at work on a book about bullying. I look forward to reading it.
If you are writing about bullying, or legislative policies to address it in schools, here are some resources to help you get going:
The National Association of School Psychologists has a wealth of information about bullying, including cyberbullying. You can start with an overview fact sheet here.
The Education Commission of the States has a helpful compilation of anti-bullying legislation nationally that was released in August. You can find it by clicking here.
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email me at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.
Golden's first-person account is effective for the naked honesty and bravery it took to even attempt such a reconciliation, never mind write about it. But where the story rings most true is in her minimal lack of success -- both at getting her past tormentors to talk to her, and her ability to fully let go of her past pain.
I've blogged about my own history as a "mean girl", as well as my experiences being the one who was picked on. If any of the kids I pushed around were to seek me out now, I think I would have enough respect for the situation to sit down and talk about it. I wish Golden could have gotten the same opportunity.
Her story is valuable to education reporters, as school districts and states nationwide are putting new regulations in place to curb bullying. (I'm not sure how effective it will be to make every student take an anti-bullying pledge, as states like Maryland are now requiring, but I appreciate the intentions behind it.)
Much of the push toward anti-bullying legislation comes in the wake of several high-profile cases of students committing suicide.There have been some questions raised about the Phoebe Prince case, a girl in South Hadley, Mass. who killed herself allegedly after being bullied by classmates. Emily Bazelon of Slate.com has written extensively about the case and is at work on a book about bullying. I look forward to reading it.
If you are writing about bullying, or legislative policies to address it in schools, here are some resources to help you get going:
The National Association of School Psychologists has a wealth of information about bullying, including cyberbullying. You can start with an overview fact sheet here.
The Education Commission of the States has a helpful compilation of anti-bullying legislation nationally that was released in August. You can find it by clicking here.
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email me at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.
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posted by Emily Richmond at
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