Bullying Essay

Students in Reading Workshop recently completed an essay on bullying. You can read all of the essays HERE.

A Look at Bullying

The assignment for Reading Workshop students is to write a blog post about bullying. Use the information below to help guide the writing. Use a web as a prewriting tool to help organize your post.

What is your view on bullying? Is it really a problem? Does it always look the same? Do you recognize it when it happens? How do you react? How do you define bullying? Is it always the bullies fault? Or does the person getting picked on sometimes cause the problem? 

Please pick one scenario listed on the Reading Workshop Wiki as an example. Explain how you view it and tell why it is or is not bullying. Describe possible responses to the situation and include how you would react if you were involved, both as the person being bullied and as a member of the group, but not the person doing the bullying.

Web from http://stamford.region14.net/webs/gilbertm/target_lessons.htm

Hey Mean Boy, Get a Clue

As part of our reading class, we are singing Mean by Taylor Swift which asks the question, "why you gotta be so mean?"  The current read aloud is The Revealers and students commented about bullying on a recent Reading Workshop post about bullies.  Every day for the last week the class has discussed bullying and not being mean to other students.

 So tell me, what is up with this one boy?  Why does he still think he can say mean things to other students? This class has so many kind and caring students.  No one else acts like him. 

He struts around like he is so cool, but then sneaks around and says mean comments that he knows will tear kids up.  He is good at pretending to help when the teacher is watching, but watch out when he thinks no one can see him.

I hope as we continue to discuss meanness a light will click on and he will stop.  I don't know if he realizes how many people see his sneaky ways of hurting others.  Maybe once he catches on to that, he will try out kindness and compassion.  I guess right now he is the only one in the whole class that doesn't get that everyone else gets that he is mean. 

Bullying Revealed

Every school has a Richie.  He is bigger than most of the kids, and way meaner.  Normal kids like Russell just stay away from him.  Unfortunately, an attempt to be funny puts Russell straight in Richie's sites.

The latest read aloud in Reading Workshop is The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm.  The book opens with Russell, the main character being harassed by Richie Tucker.  Russell is already having a tough time with the start of middle school.  Somehow, he found himself without a group.  He was alone even though people were all around him.

This brings us to the question, if you were in the same position as Russell, what would you do?  What can you do about a bully? 

Please Be Nice

"Did you have fun with your partner?" she whispered with a sneer to the girl in the seat next to her.  I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, because the comment wasn't meant for me to hear.

Shala just looked at her and shrugged her shoulders.  She really didn't know what to say.  It never occurred to her to be upset about her partner, or make fun of him.  And that is exactly why I put her with that student.  I knew that she would treat him with kindness and respect.  She would help him stay on track and both of them would successfully complete the assignment.

The students in Reading Workshop had been working on a letter writing project.  I wanted them to take a couple of minutes with a peer to discuss their letter--how they organized it, what was going well, and what parts of the project needed help.  I chose a partner for each student, forming teams that would succeed.  This is something we do frequently, and students are used to working with many different peers throughout the year.

This comment has banged around in my head ever since I heard it.  I keep thinking about the connotation behind, did you have fun with your partner.  This sneaky form of bullying, trying to get a classmate to join in ridiculing a student is what makes school so difficult for so many students.

I'm not really sure which student I feel most sorry for--the boy being laughed at, or the girl that feels the need to be so mean.  The boy is a bit of a social outcast.  Unfortunately, he irritates peers and causes them to loose patience with him.  He also tries to gain attention too often by acting out and saying things to set himself apart.  He isn't mean, but he does act that way sometimes when he gets picked on.

The big question to me is why the girl feels the need to be so mean.   She is no stranger to trouble, and I am sure teachers have talked to her about this behavior before.  Yet she continues to be hurtful, even enlisting a student like Shala who would not act this way under any circumstance.  Will she ever figure out that actions like this, and the negative attitude behind it will create problems until she finds the strength to be a stronger and kinder person?

Image from http://www.comicvine.com/forums/off-topic/5/the-creepy-thread/574156/

What's Your Story?

In Reading Workshop we are continuing the read aloud of The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm.  In this story about life in  middle school, three students, Russell, Catalina, and Elliot are drawn together due to being targets for bullies at Parkland Middle School.

As the aggression heightens, Catalina decides to share her story.  She reveals that she was forced to move to the USA from the Philippines when her parents divorce.  She comes to America with her father based on the chance for a better education.

This brings up the question for Reading Workshop students, what is your story?  If you were new to the school, and wrote a story for peers, what would it say?

What to Do About a Bully

The latest read aloud in Reading Workshop is The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm.  The book opens with Russell, the main character being harassed by Richie Tucker.  Russell is already having a tough time with the start of the new school year.  Somehow, he found himself without a group.  He was on a friendship island, even while surrounded by people.

Every school has a Richie.  He is bigger than most of the kids, and way meaner.  Kids like Russell just stay away from him.  Unfortunately, an ill advised attempt at humor puts Russell straight in Richie's sites.

This brings us to the question, if you were in the same position as Russell, what would you do?  What can you do about a bully?