"Not Here, Not Now, Not Ever"

Have you ever heard of someone having an out-of-body experience? Or maybe, even had one yourself? I've never had one, but I always imagined that it would be a very profitable experience. Being able to view a situation from another perspective beyond your own would be a useful tool for realizing things that might have been neglected or avoided in your mind before, and for realizing your own biases.

Well, this week we had an out-of-classroom experience.

Or, rather, the majority of my class had an out-of-classroom experience; I begrudgingly admit that I had to miss it for another commitment.  But regardless of my regretful absence, today I'll speak about my views on the topic, and my reactions to the feedback I heard about the presentation given.

Barbara Coloroso, well-respected author of The Bullied and the Bystander, came to Queen's and gave a presentation on bullying, an issue I believe is crucial to address in every classroom.

I refer to the learning experience this week as an "out of classroom" experience because the class was able to have a learning experience outside of our usual "body", or classroom, environment. I think it's important to have classes like this, to alter the learning environment and give the students another perspective on a topic specific. I'm not suggesting that the usual prof class design isn't effective or that the usual teaching style isn't profitable for the students, but I do believe in the benefits of providing students with varying teaching methods. By listening to a specialist on the subject of bullying, I think that students were able to really grasp some concepts surrounding the issue more fully. This presentation, in particular, had a fantastic speaker, and every classmate I've talked to who attended the presentation said that they were extremely engaged. I think it's necessary for teachers to advocate understanding of these crucial topics by presenting opportunities to attend specialized talks by professionals who are able to open the minds of students.  Bullying is, unfortunately, something that I believe is under-studied and badly understood in many classrooms. Bringing it to light this week got me thinking about how much I really know about the subject, and has re-lit my interest.

I, personally, was never the victim of any kind of violent bullying, but I have friends who have been victims (emotionally and physically), and I have become aware of a few cases that have occurred in schools I have attended, and let me tell you, I consider myself very lucky to have pretty much avoided it. 

Bullying tends to be one of those things that is poorly explained to children, in my opinion. Growing up, I can remember thinking that "bullying" meant one big, mean-looking kid pushing a smaller kid on the playground. As teachers, we need to draw attention to the fact that bullying is not always physical, and that often the emotional bullying hurts even more.  Bullying can occur in many more ways than on the schoolyard - it can happen in the classroom, at home, on the way to/home from school, in the halls, after school....the list goes on. Not only that but what also scares me is learning about all the new mediums for bullying. With the internet, particularly social networking sites like twitter and facebook, being readily available to youth, cyberbullying is on the rise as well. I thought of the Internet mainly because there was a specific case at my high school, in which a cyberbullying attack from students on a teacher escalated to the point of professional intervention. I'll never forget sitting in that gymnasium and truly learning what bullying is and the effects it can have on people.   It was also an eye-opening case because it was not the usual big-kid-beats-up-the-little-kid scenario. It was a bullying attack from a younger generation onto an older generation; a challenge to authority. The case proved that bullying defies age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion. No one is safe and everyone needs to be aware of the signs. It's just a shame that I had to have that realization so late. 

I must admit, though, that although I'm disappointed in the way that I was taught about bullying as a young child, I'm glad to see the improving quality of information regarding bullying that is being implemented in schools.  I haven't done much recent research in the field, admittedly, but it seems as though professionals are taking a stand and teachers are understanding the consequences of avoiding or ignoring this subject. I only hope that when I'm a teacher, I'll be able to help my students become aware of the negative consequences of bullying and to take steps to resolve any conflicts in a healthy way.