The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 278, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 5, 2004 Page: 13 of 20
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■WWW
Lifestyle
iniums
Section B
H
with bullies?
if;--;-. ■
threatening manner toward another
Bullying is something that is
I .
See BULLY on Page 3B
you,” she said, “and a lot of the
nil votes
Concrete behaviors
— National PTA
See CANTU on Page 4B
AP
How can you tell a
child is being bullied?
defend themselves.”
Goose Creek this year added to
its code of conduct an allowance
for self-defense. In regard to
fighting, the handbook now
who said he had
erry twice before,
asked to keep the
ecret.
group of local peo-
vanted to know
j’s concerns and
) minutes about
; health care poli-
jeoples' stories,
a that and offered
said.
seem very tired,”
e has done a lot of
short period of
electoral votes
nee July, when
N.Hr
vr.-i
as the above, as well as “... state-
ments that could disrupt the school
program or incite violence
Bullying, though, is not always
something that’s easy to spot.
“It’s very subtle,” said Nabeel
i
ly, September 5,2004
w*NE
gMASS
pR.I.
lCONN.
-DEL.
—*MD
—DC ■
Joseph
Cantu
By CLARISSA SILVA
The Baytown Sun
,4
, talking about ris-
are costs and
verage.
r stops were in pri-
te J
r
■ 1
FLA
clothing, money or ■
other valuables
• Appears afraid or I
reluctant to go to
school in the morning j
• Repeated headaches
or stomachaches — j
particularly in the
morning
• Chooses a round
about or strange route
to and from school
• Feels lonely
• Sensitive or withdrawn
when asked about
his or her day
• Big appetite after
school (perhaps
because lunch was
stolen
— National PTA
Sunday, September 5, 2004
LET US KNOW
Have questions about today's
stories or a story idea? Call
Lifestyle Editor Meredith Darnell
at 281-425-8017 or e-mail at
meredith.damell@baytownsun.com
or sunnews@baytownsun.com
www.baytownsun.com
RETURN OF THE
systems
inter-productive to
jrowth.
led across northeast
s fourth bus tour of
4th another planned
From Ohio, Bush
Pennsylvania for a
, part of a drive into
ere he performed
JOO.
•aign bus was embla-
a new slogan, echo-
tto of the GOP con-
safer world, a more
lerica.”
rent the night in
convenient to the air-
jve 15 miles south to
rters. His campaign
re suburbs more fer-
for his message.
campaign
, Phil Singer, said
ided stumping in
to avoid having to
w government fig-
how the Lake Erie
he highest poverty
big cities last year.
Improve our
classes, selves
|g;RJ
Zabak, a licensed school-based there- kids picking on
the smaller kids,
whether the relation-
ship is disproportionate 5
in size, age or mental
acuity,” Zabak said.
“Bullies pick on someone
who is weaker than them.”
children being bullied don’t tell.”
Zabak agreed. “Kids are afraid
hard to monitor, Anahuac to tell other people they’ve been
Superintendent Linda Kay bullied. They don’t want to tell
pressure. They’re really trying to find Barnhart said. their parents because they think
“The bullies certainly won’t tell mom and dad will be mad that
they let it happen and didn’t
• Needs to dominate and
subdue others '
• Brags about his or her
superiority over other
students
• Aggressive toward adults
• Good at talking themselves
out of situations
• Little empathy —has
difficulty understanding
others' perspectives and
feelings
• Engages in antisocial
behavior (i.e., stealing,
vandalism, substance use)
• Enjoys putting down others
• Treats animals cruelly
• Disrespects authority
• Enjoys fighting
• Refuses to admit fear
dozen Bush support-
eted Kerry in
He with signs favor-
ond Bush term and
the Catholic Kerry’s
r abortion rights.
Boys tend to bully physically and
use direct threats of violence and
also intimidation to make their tar-
get give in. Girls, on the other
hand, are more verbal and use
gossip or “put-downs” to J
bully others. M
“Girls will bully by
excluding the other girl
from their group or laugh-
ing at her and making
snide comments about her
hair or makeup,” Zabak
added. fl 4-,
Bullies also are typi- fl
How to deal *
"W
ites,
otes
lolid Leaning
can start with a name. Nerd. Freak. It may
I begin with action — the shaking of a fist or
Athreats and intimidation. It may be only
silence — former friends refusing to
speak.
All of the above instances are forms of w
bullying, and each day there are children
who dread going to school and facing the
taunts, jeers and humiliation wrought by bul-
lies. It’s a problem that schools and counselors deal with
and try to combat each day.
ania and West
bprders, Kerry said
cision to remove tar-
teel imports midway
1 three-year program
sxample of the Hip-
Republicans accuse
'ing.
ike his promise to the
>f Ohio and West
and Pennsylvania,”
d at the closing rally
io campaign swing,
so stumped Saturday
He won the state ip
is vulnerable here on
state has lost more
000 since Bush took
Io Republican has
ted president without
Ohio.
ppealed to gun own-
g he’s been a hunter
life.” After leaving
e demonstrated his
skills in Edinburg,
shot four of 10 traps,
so surveyed flood
n Lisbon, and met
up of steelworkers in
1
“Bullying has been, is and will be
a problem,” said Don Hendrix,
superintendent of schools for the
Crosby school district. “I think what
we have to do is make kids alert so
that if they’re getting bullied, they’re
not afraid to tell someone.”
stronger or more
popular than the
victim of the bully-
ing. Their intent is
to exert power over
the child.
“It is almost
always the bigger
the same definition in their codes of
conduct, although each district has
put their own stamp on it with addi-
tional-terms and explanations.
Barbers Hill, for instance adds to the ___________________
definition that bullying is “acting in a jcaiiy js bigger, older,
student.” Goose Creek terms bullying
pist with the DePelchin Children’s
Center. “It’s not always the overt
picking on that people imagine.”
Bullying generally begins around
fourth grade and peaks about ninth or
10th grade, Zabak said — a state-
ment that most school administrators
agree with.
“I think bullying is probably at its
worst in junior high and middle
school,” said Barbers Hill
Superintendent Wayne Rotan. “It’s
just that age of kids. They’re growing
up and going through a lot of
changes and undergoing a lot of peer
j_________ tt___> 11 . • . . r- 1
their niche, and all of those things
together contribute to the bullying.”
5
Ba/
One of the most pressing concerns
for parents is the safety of their chil-
dren during school. Mostly, all parents
desire for their children to do well and
be confident in school.
While many of today’s school dis-
tricts are enforcing their codes of con-
duct as best they can, it is certainly
true that our schools can become
potentially dangerous or harmful to a
child’s self esteem. Violence in our
schools has grown into a legitimate
issue in Texas, and some experts say it
is a national epidemic.
Recent statistics from a sample
national survey by SSOCS (School
Survey On Crime and Safety) indicate
that 29 percent of public schools
report bullying as their leading violent
statistic. Add to that the number of
incidents not reported or the number
of students who may feel emotionally
threatened, and the effects of bullying
are compounded.
Bullying is generally defined as the
persistent ill treatment of a child by
another child or children. It can be
physical or verbal in nature and
thrives on dominance or control.
Bullies will tease, name call, take
money, hit or even ignore other chil-
dren to the point of disruption.
Incidences of violence in Texas
schools are alarmingly high. Whether
this is true or merely a perception of
increased violence in our society,
teachers, students and parents have
more fear and concern about their
safety in public schools now than
ever. Bullying is certainly a negative ■
factor in regards to providing a quali-
ty education.
How can school children be helped
to cope, with this prominent issue?
The answer lies with the students,
teachers and administrators, parents
and perhaps even the general public.
The students themselves are a prod-
uct of today’s society. It’s not just the
urban schools plagued with violence
and bullying. Suburbia and yes, even
Baytown, is riddled with school vio-
lence and disruption.
Our technological advances have
reached exponential proportions that
have no doubt solved medical mira-
cles and improved some aspects of
modern life. But the educational sys-
tem has remained relatively the same
in regards to its daily presentation and
positive efforts of its teachers. Our
youth are an electronic, media driven,
“Fear Factor” influenced, entertain-
ment machine-like miniature society.
It is no wonder why children are
bored with their education. How can
our teachers compete with the modern
marvel of cell phones, Palm Pilots
and video game watches in schools?
Bullying can be addressed on the
student, parent and teacher and
administrator level to produce the
desired result — an optimal learning
environment. In regards to school
administrative practices, it is only fair
to state that teachers and administra-
tors cannot be expected to address
behavior 100 percent of the school
day. Many good procedures are in ,
effect in our local schools to improve ,
behavior and encourage good charac-
ter, including walking quietly in
groups to enforcing disciplinary
actions.
Simply peruse the Goose Creek
Code of Conduct to find behaviors
considered to be student misconduct,
and you’ll find anything from chew-
ing gum, pushing in line, unwanted
touching and throwing objects to
fighting and possession of weapons.
Multiply one of these incidents to the
number of students in a particular
school, and then multiply that-fry the
number of potential opportune occur-
rences such as going to the restroom.
• Name calling
• Rumor spreading
• Making up stories to get
other children in trouble
• Telling other children not
to be friends with a target
child ,
• Hitting, kicking, tripping or
pushing another child
• Teasing other children
and making remarks
ethnicity, weight, physical
appearance, disabilities
or medical conditions
• Intimidating others
• Taking other children’s
possessions or demanding
money from them
• Damaging other children's
property
Identifying bullying
• Bossiness
• Hiding other children’s
books, bags or other
property
• Picking on other children,
even when they're upset
• ’ Making threats to other
children
• Manipulating others,
getting them to do things
that they may not want
to do
about their culture, religion, Attitudinal signs
• Hot-tempered and quick to
anger
• Impulsive — acts without
t thinking or considering the
; consequences of his or
her behavior ’
• Low tolerance for frustration
• Difficulty conforming to rules
Identifying a victim
| Be aware of the
following signs of
victimization:
! • Subtle changes in »
I behavior (with drawn,
’ anxious,preoccupied,
demonstrates loss
of interest in school
and favorite activities
• Comes home from
school with bruises
and scratches, tom
or dirtied clothing, or
with missing or
damaged books or
property
• Loss of appetite
• Excessive trips to
the school nurse
I • Inability to sleep,
bad dreams, crying
in sleep
I • Repeatedly loses
What is bullying?
Bullying is defined in the Texas
Association of School Board’s model
student code of conduct as “intimida-
tion by name calling, using ethnic or
racial slurs, or making derogatory _______________
statements.” Area school districts use cany Aggressive kids, he
said, the buiiy jng
relationship is charac-
terized by an imbal-
ance of power. The
child who bullies typ-
M
—
” ciil
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Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 278, Ed. 1 Sunday, September 5, 2004, newspaper, September 5, 2004; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1185502/m1/13/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.