7th Grader Writes Exceptional Essay On Bullying

One of our listeners daughters, who is in 7th grade, wrote a great essay about bullying and how the way they "handle" it in the schools is not working. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We'll say anonymous. His seventh grader, His daughter wrote an
argumentative essay. They got one of those assignments, A persuasive essay.
I've heard it described in various ways, and she chose
as her topic how ineffective anti bullying practices are?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Oh good one.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
She did the research entirely on her own, came to
the sane and rational conclusions that the two of you
have advocated, current school discipline practices, especially related to bullying,
are a joke. And I would agree, Jack, this is
the greatest time for bullies since, you know, the nineteen fifties.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
It's the golden age of the bully, which was surprising
to me when my kids got into school. I kind of,
you know, as a non parent, had been hearing all
the PSAs and first ladies talk about it and stuff
and thinking that's good that they got away with that,
because that was an unpleasant experience for me and you know,
other kids. It's the opposite. It's the golden era of

(00:54):
the bully.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
In spite of those public service announcements that even we're
forced to run. Anyway, let me read you some of
this seventh grader's persuasive essay about twenty percent of students
age twelve to eighteen experiencing bullying nationwide, Ninety percent of
students in grades four through eight report having been harassed
or bullied, according to Stop Bullying dot gov nationwide, nineteen

(01:15):
percent of students in grades nine through twelve, et cetera,
et cetera. As bullied children grow older, their social and
emotional lives tend to be less content than people who
did not experience being bullied. Bullied children tend to become
less mentally stable when they get older compared to their
non bullied counterparts. This could mean that kids who are
bullied and up less joyful when they get older, or
it could even mean that being bullied as a child
could increase the chance of someone getting mentally sick when

(01:37):
they're older. Some people may think that the bully will
receive the punishment according to how badly they behaved and
will be dealt with in the appropriate fashion, although in
my experience that rarely happens. The current system does not
do anything productive when bullying is reported correct. When bullying
is reported, a paper is given to the person reporting it.
They seat you in a quiet room so you can
fill out your side of the story. The person that

(02:00):
can write anything on the paper, whether that be true
or false. The office does not know. In the unlikely
event that the office does take action after the paper
is given, counselors may get involved. If the counsellors get involved,
you will talk with them and you may do a
restorative circle. In a restorative circle, you sit in a
room with the counselors and your bully, whoever it might be.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, Padia, how you like that?

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Although this is a course of action, it's very overwhelming
to be in a room with your tormentor. The process
of a restorative circle is most often just the victims
saying they are hurt or upset by the bully's actions.
Then the bully slash tormentor would then apologize for their actions,
whether they mean it or not. You then get sent
on your way, only to get picked on further forgetting help.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Of course, there isn't a kid who has ended up
in that situation on the receiving name of the bullying
who isn't thinking they're gonna kill me when we get out.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Of here, right, And I would posit that there is
not a single child in America who has been bullied
that thinks this restorative justice stuff works, not one, but
it's the craze in education, of course. Oh and it's
so freaking maddening.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Oh my god.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Getting back to the essay, the majority of anti bullying
programs do not work. According to one World Education quote,
anti bullying programs are not as distinguished and effective as
they could be, and sometimes have the opposite effect effect
they were intending. Close quote showing that there could be
more to be done to prevent bullying, et cetera, et cetera,
And she goes on some more detail and the suggestions.

(03:31):
In fact, programs that have zero tonents for bullying and
programs that enforce punishment for bullies have a much higher
success rate. I suggest enforcing a discipline style with more
punishment seeing as the success rate is much higher. In conclusion,
schools are not doing enough to prevent bullying because bullies
are not receiving adequate punishment for their actions. The current
system of dealing with bullies is overwhelming and ineffective. In

(03:51):
the future, I would like to see more discipline for
bullies in school and better anti bullying programs.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Good report from a seventh grader with an accurate view
of what restorative justice actually looks like.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
In the schools, there are some ideas so crazy slash
stupid only an intellectual could hold them. You get so
clouded with theories and esteemed professors trying to teach you
how the world really works, you forget the incredible basics
of human behavior. If you reward a behavior, you will
get more of it. If you punish it, you will

(04:25):
get less of it. Period.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Right, Yes, Michael, I'm old school. I just remember as
a kid, I had a bully and knocked him in
the mouth and he left me alone. Oh boy, you're
in You're in trouble. If you do that in the modern.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
You would be seen as equally bad or maybe even
worse than the bully. If the bully could come up
with some reason they're a bully, then you would just
be a violent maniac for defending yourself.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
Now the hammer, over and over, go telling adult, and
then nothing happens.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
That's right, Go to the authorities. You know that's the reason.
And this is all this all fits in with a
particular mindset that from the left. Why were there so
many guns sold over the last five years, It's because
we've been told over and over again, go to the authorities.
Never settle anything on your own. Go to the call
the cops. Don't take matters into your own hands. Then

(05:15):
when you go to the authorities, nothing happens. Or if
there's a riot in your city, everybody just stands back
and says, no, they're angry. We can't get in their way.
They're angry, So people buy guns.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Interesting