Letters

28th of May 2009, 10:41am

From: Angel Garden

Subject: article in newsletter

Date: 28 May 2009 10:41:05 am GMT+12:00

To: Mark Thornton

Dear Mark

Further to my last email and re: the article in the newsletter. 

Some parts of it, quoted without context or in a general sense seem to us to be misleading, prejudicial and in fact propagandist put into the newsletter in this way, for example:-

"He added that children who are regularly victimized by bullies may also be engaging in addictive behavior.  A child becomes a target, he said, when he or she has no role in the group."

Ideas such as 'being the victim of bullying can be an addiction' will be looked at in the light of the recent report of the Human Rights Commission who have found substantial bullying BY schools, of parents who complain about bullying IN schools.  Being a target IS a role in the group and in a group that contains children who engage in bullying behaviour, someone must play that part - how outrageous to blame it on them by insinuation.  Looked at in the light of the HRC report, this comment is provocative, and I'm sure the Ministry would agree!

The only direct mention of zero tolerance is this one:-

"Oddly enough, a zero tolerance policy, in which an attempt is made to squash the bully completely, can be a breeding pound for other types of addictions, Payne said.  Denied his or her usual behavior, a child may simply become compulsive about something else, like video games."

Firstly, zero tolerance is not about squashing anybody, it is about eradicating bullying behaviour.  Secondly there is an implicit suggestion that bullying is an addiction, since squashing it will lead the 'bully' into 'other types' of addictive behaviour.  This suggestion is not picked up or examined.  Thirdly there is no understanding whatsoever of zero tolerance, which does not mean that there is no provision for re-integrating children who use this behaviour.

Please take these points to heart.  Lazy, prejudiced, re-hashed propaganda circulated around the school trashing proven initiatives from a point of view of nearly complete ignorance, are not going to help anybody, and point to possible hidden agendas which must now become explicit.

If there is to be a solution to this problem that does not include outside agency, understanding is paramount, but so is a proper will to eradicate the kinds of intentional hurting behaviour that is so rife in the lives of the 8.9.and 10 year olds in the school.

These quotes from the article are also interesting.

"Since teachers see only one of every 20 bullying incidents, some of which are very subtle, it is important to create a culture in which kids can say ‘no’ and tell an adult when necessary".

In Susanne's class, the children do not tell as much as they could because in their words, very little happens.  Even [R], who has to tell because we insist on it, is losing her will.  It is outrageous to encourage and insist that children consistently tell, without taking steps to ensure that their telling results in a safer environment.  That in itself can very easily be seen as a form of bullying.

"But there are some children who need to be dealt with explicitly, said Payne.  And the process needs to be consistent and transparent."  

Where is the consistency?  Where is the transparency?

There is also  a stye of parenting referred to in the article:-

"permissive (adults collude with the children, who then become unaccountable"). 

Like it or not, it's time to face up to the fact that children are getting away with bullying behaviour in these year groups.  We would like an explanation of why the 'anti zero-tolerance' model employed at the school, where each infringement is dealt with purely by the teacher, with no transparent consistency, (and which is NOT resulting in an absence of either physical, or emotional abuse), is not collusion.

Please bear in mind that we see it as a moral duty to stop this situation from continuing and that in the real world, since we know about what goes on at the school, it is really a legal one as well.  There is therefore a substantial pressure of time and just getting on with it, to take into account.

(I will submit my regular report of specific incidents in the next couple of days.)

Thank you

angel