I can give many examples of very obvious harassment of all types, that went on for a long time because teacher did nothing, and that the teachers almost certainly knew about. That was years before Columbine, though.
And it sounds like one of the teachers, the lesbian, encouraged the other boy.
You are correct, too — boys, even young boys, are aware of their masculinity. However, they are very shy and innocent. It would be embarrassing to talk about something like this.
Agreed about the bullying. My wife is a teacher's aid for a public school. Sometimes we think they go a little over board with the anti-bullying.
Yes, it’s something that many (most?) schools try to address, but bullying is a tough nut. It’s not always easy to get to the bottom of things and even the accused bully has rights. And, amazingly—kids sometimes lie!
If I ever saw bullying of any sort, I would put a stop to it right away. On the other hand, some kids provoke things from their classmates and can be quite sly in making sure no adult ever sees what actually happened. Then, you have a he said/she said scenario that can be difficult to untangle. Kinda glad I’m not teaching anymore!
susie