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To: Sub-Driver
Unless things have changed in the 20 years since I was in high school, most of the use of anti-gay terms was directed against kids who were not gay.

The problem is the majority of teachers, in my wife's and my experience ignored, condoned, encouraged, and/or partook of bullying, particularly in K-6, only doing anything about it, when a victim of bullying fought back -- and then to punish the one who fought back. This, above all, is the reason our children have gone to a private school, at least through 8th grade.

In that light, having a "No Name-calling week" is going to do absolutely nothing.
9 posted on 01/23/2005 11:16:32 AM PST by Celtjew Libertarian (Shake Hands with the Serpent: Poetry by Charles Lipsig aka Celtjew http://books.lulu.com/lipsig)
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To: Celtjew Libertarian

that was my experience too. I was bullied constantly while in a public school district from 2-6 grades. Most of the bullying was verbal, but sometimes it got physical (I'm female). The teachers were horribly unresponsive, especially at the large middle school where I spent 6th grade. My homeroom teacher would literally move and turn her back to me when she saw me coming in after lunch to report what had happened. I wasn't just being a tattle-tale; the bullying was affecting my ability to concentrate in class and people occasionally threatened to beat me up because they thought I was ugly. It got so bad that my parents moved me to Catholic schools for the rest of my education. Unfortunately there was bullying there too, but I wasn't a target. I don't think most teachers are aware of just how damaging bullying can be to children. They brush it off as part of growing up and character building. Otherwise they would do more to stop it.

So I do think the intention behind this "no name calling" thing is good. I think it's unfortunate that it's getting hijacked by the gay agenda, as if only gay kids are bullied. On the other hand, even gay kids don't deserve to be bullied. Homosexual behavior is wrong, but it's also wrong to insult people, call them "faggot" and physically threaten or harm them. No one deserves to go through that.

The best solution is to pressure schools and teachers to enforce their already existing anti-bullying policies. If the school won't do that, then parents need to do what mine did - get their kids out of that environment.


28 posted on 01/23/2005 12:36:12 PM PST by sassbox
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