Talk about a colossal teachable moment.
There is national disgust over the bullying of 68-year-old Karen Klein, a New York school bus monitor, by four teenage boys.
It was sickening to listen to the videotaped attack. The 13-year-olds called Mrs. Klein “troll” and “fat-ass,” and other vicious comments too graphic to print. One student told the woman she doesn’t have a family because no one wants to be around her. Her oldest son died by suicide 10 years ago.
As I watched the video, I wondered, who raises kids this to be this cruel?
Robert Helm, the father of one of the boys told ABC News, “He’s a 13-year-old kid. It was a stupid mistake and he’s paying for it … “
That sounds like an excuse to me. The behavior demonstrated on the bus isn’t something kids grow out of. These kids lack respect and empathy.
How many other kids on the bus overheard the merciless tormenting of Mrs. Klein and didn’t try to stop it? Someone could have told the boys to knock it off. It takes courage to do the right thing.
Children who see bullying behavior give lots of reasons for staying silent. They worry they’ll be next. They don’t want to get involved. They want to fit in – not stick out. The list goes on.
Mrs. Klein is headed to Disney World. She has received enough donations to make a comfortable retirement. She deserves this and more.
But remember: Hundreds of thousands of children endure bullying and no one finds out.
This horrible incident gives us another chance to teach our kids to respect others and to help prevent what may be life-altering bullying.
Talk with your children. Ask them:
- “How do you think Mrs. Klein felt when the boys attacked her with mean words?”
- “If it were Grandma or me on the bus, how would you feel?”
- “How do you think the boys feel now that everyone sees and hears what they did?” “If you hear or see someone being bullied, what will you do?”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says bullying is a significant public health problem. If we remain silent, we’re part of the problem. Let’s all commit to being part of the solution.
Copyright © 2012 Blake Works Inc. All rights reserved.
Thank you for this article.
Thank you for this article. As a former teacher, I agree that we adults need to hold ourselves accountable for teaching children the harmful effects of bullying. I also think parents need to be held accountable by schools. The father's explanation was an excuse. I knew plenty of 13-year old boys who would never have said the things those boys did. In my opinion, those children should not be allowed to ride the bus for a year. They violated the school's/bus' rules of conduct and need a consequence, one that their parents feel as well. When parents feel the impact of their children's awful behavior, they are more likely to change it and not excuse it.