Tag Archives: bullying

Bullying ‘prank’ by sophomore’s classmates draws community outrage to support Whitney Kropp

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Students at Ogemaw Heights High School in West Branch, Michigan thought it would be hilarious to elect someone they considered unpopular  to the Homecoming Court.  Little did they know their cruel bullying prank would rally the town’s support for the young woman who was the butt of their “joke.”

Bullying prank brings supportive response from home town

Sophomore Whitney Kropp saw her Michigan town come to her defense in response to a bullying bad joke by her classmates.

In the small town of West Branch, MI, located a half hour north of Saginaw, the 16-year-old sophomore, Whitney Kropp, won the election.  The Detroit News   reports that after her election her classmates pointed at her and laughed when they passed her in the hall.  The male student who was elected with her, a popular football player, quickly withdrew because he didn’t want to be associated with her.  Francis X. Donnelly (email: fdonnelly@detnews.com) reported in the Detroit News story.  Some cyber bullying was involved, too, in the form of cruel Facebook messages.

Word of the bad joke quickly spread around the town, reminding some alums of bullying they had experienced years ago, as if the bullying had occurred recently, the newspaper reported:

A Facebook support page was created, quickly drawing hundreds of messages of encouragement. The page has more likes (more than 3,500) than the town has people (2,100).

“A bank account was opened for Whitney Kropp’s homecoming expenses but wasn’t needed.  So many businesses donated services that everything was covered.”

Local businesses stepped up:

For the homecoming dance Saturday, businesses will buy her dinner, take her photo, fix her hair and nails, and dress her in a gown, shoes and a tiara. For the homecoming game Friday, residents will pack the football stadium so they can cheer when she is introduced at halftime.  They will be wearing her favorite color (orange) and T-shirts with messages of support.  A 68-year-old grandmother offered to be her escort.

An alumnus of Whitney Kropp’s high school, who was also the victim of bullying as an underclass member, recorded a video in support of her, which appeared on The Huffington Post.  Bullying also plagued an alumnus of Whitney Kropp’s high school. He created a video in her support.

Big Bird and NY Professor Take Bullying to the (Sesame) Street

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“I wanted to join a club called the Good Birds Club,” Sesame Street’s Big Bird tells Jamie Ostrov, a psychology professor. “They didn’t want me because my beak was too long and I was too big and too yellow.”

Developmental Psychology professor Jamie M. Ostrow

Professor Jamie M. Ostrov joins with Sesame Street's Big Bird to teach preschoolers how to handle bullying.

Ostrov is featured in a series of web-based videos to accompany a recent episode of the new season of “Sesame Street.”  In his recent appearance opposite Big Bird and his furry friends, he counsels the “Sesame Street” characters on what to do when confronted with aggressive behavior, physical bullying and verbal bullying.

“Essentially, my research is geared towards preschoolers, which is the target audience of ‘Sesame Street,’” explains Ostrov, a developmental psychologist at New York’s State University at Buffalo.   His work has led him to join federal efforts to develop a uniform definition of bullying, and to adapt bullying prevention materials for young children. He also served as a consultant to the Children’s Television Workshop, creator of Sesame Street and Big Bird, for its bullying prevention initiative.

In the video, when Ostrov suggests to Big Bird and friends that they find a grown-up

Sesame Street's Big Bird

Big Bird takes bullying to the street...Sesame Street

and report what has happened, the blue muppet named Rosita worries about being labeled a tattletale.

“Oh no, Rosita. That’s not tattling,” reassures Ostrov. “That’s reporting. Reporting is important when our friends are hurt. It’s important to find a grown-up to report it so our friends can stay safe.”

Ostrov’s research centers around understanding the development of types of aggression in children ages 3 to 5.  One of those subtypes of aggressive behavior is bullying. All bullying is aggressive behavior, Ostrov explains, but not all aggressive behavior is bullying.

His research addresses what Ostrov calls “forms and functions” of aggressive behavior. “Forms” of aggression are ways aggression is displayed. “Functions” are the reasons why children behave in aggressive ways.

“Distinguishing between the various forms and functions of aggression has important implications  [pullquote]All bullying is aggressive behavior, Ostrov explains, but not all aggressive behavior is bullying. [/pullquote]for understanding the development of aggression and bullying in children,” Ostrov says.

Previous studies in the social development laboratory, which Ostrov directs at Buffalo, have shown that children who are victimized by their peers become the aggressors over time, and that the type of victimization that they experience predicts the type of aggression that they display with their peers over time.

“Thus, children are likely learning from peer victimization experiences how to become an aggressor,” says Ostrov.

Parents of Troubled Teens — Start Your Search Here

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Parents of troubled teens, and their teachers and counselors, live with the likelihood that their rapidly maturing children might soon face the court system.  Suddenly the child who seemed so full of promise might face the very real prospect of facing a juvenile court referral.  From that point, the probability of having a child in the justice system is a nagging threat.  The fear is always lurking that their “golden child”, their beloved son or daughter,  might soon face expulsion for bullying, or become a defendant in a bullying case.  Some, who fear that the taunts of their children’s classmates may be true, and that their child might really be gay, lesbian, or transgendered, worry that their kids might be bullied and suffer lifelong scars, or even death.

[amazon_enhanced asin="0979841127" /]In 21st Century America, the threat of violence is always a possibility.  Even middle-class, peaceful families know that they are not immune.  Not only in America, but in Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand…in any so-called developed nation around the world, parents walk a thin line between responding to classroom discipline and facing an escalation in the system’s treatment of their child.

At fairnessworks.p1r8.net, we are looking for ways of bringing concerned parents into constructive contact — early in the process, before “juvie” or jail  — with methods of intervention and conflict resolution which can save the future of their troubled teens.  The goal of this blog is to link parents like these with well-established methods of responding to youth crises, such as Restorative Justice and peacemaking circles.  Creating a Culture of Care in the schools is a possible solution, with practitioners who know how to implement these programs.  Hope for restoration is not a false hope, and the possibility of linking to alternatives to punitive and retributive justice is a viable option.

We include a wealth of links to alternative methods at fairnessworks.  Look at the categories and tags in the column at right, click on them, read and follow up on them, if you are the parent (or concerned adult) in the life of a troubled teenager.  Post your comments here and reach out for help.  If you have read this far, you are a “seat-of-the-pants peacemaker,” and you are NOT alone.  You are the person we want to reach at fairnessworks.p1r8.net.

As the editor and publisher of this blog, I am not the counselor you might need.  But I will do my best to link you to the help you are seeking.  Remember, you are not alone.
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Tomorrow’s National Day of Silence Highlights Bullying of LGBT People

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On Friday, April 15, students across the U.S. will engage in a nonviolent, peaceful protest against the daily abuse LGBT people endure year-round in silence.

On the National Day of Silence hundreds of thousands of students nationwide take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in their schools.

Teachers Step Up: ‘See a Bully, Stop a Bully’

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"When students see their teachers or anyone wearing the blue wristband, it will serve as a signal to students that they are not alone, that school is a safe haven, and that they can turn to and depend on their educators to deal with bullying or harassment..." - American Federation of Teachers

 

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced the launch of a multifaceted campaign to provide resources to help communities and individuals respond to bullying or harassment.

In addition to distributing blue wristbands with the message, “See a Bully, Stop a Bully,” (pictured at left), the campaign will include a series of webinars and regional conferences on bullying in the upcoming months.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a conference on bullying and have given the issue a top priority, emphasizing that everyone must be involved in resolving the problem.