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Anchorage Students Call Bullying Widespread ProblemSolutions include family involvement, peer-to-peer workRelated Content
ANCHORAGE - Bullying has been called a growing problem in Alaska, and its devastating effects have made headlines nationwide. Kids across Anchorage said it’s an all-too-common situation, and now Alaskans are stepping up and teaming up to combat the problem head on. “This person slapped someone’s books on the floor and I helped them pick them up and he still slapped it down,” said 12-year-old Manase Asi. Taylor Haines, 14, told a similar story. “It happens to some of my friends, and they just send ugly messages to each other,” she said. “They call them bad names.” It's a disturbing trend: acts intended to cause physical and emotional harm that can have a silencing effect. “They always say you should talk to people but it’s not like that because people are ashamed,” said 14-year-old Sam Bernitz. Haines said fear of retribution also played a role. “Sometimes, if you tell an adult and then they go and confront the bully, the bully will get more angry and take it out on you so I don't always think that's always the best option,” she said. But it has also turned others into protectors. “I bully bullies because they make you mad, because it’s not good when people be picking on other people,” said 14-year-old Kolah Mataafa. Wednesday, Alaska's community and youth leaders banded together to find solutions during a round table discussion in East Anchorage. Real action, they said, began with teaching kids about respect. “In the community, you’re going to see more perpetrators, but within the schools you are going to see more victims,” said Brandi Kriger of the Alaska Youth and Parent Foundation’s Power Teen Clinic. “I've seen mostly bullying amongst gays and transgenders,“ said Kriger, a recent Bartlett High School graduate. “There was a page last year called Burning Bartlett and they would upload pictures of different students and would tell people to put rude comments.” It became a problem most kids shied away from, and Kriger said many students didn’t begin to fight the problem until they themselves became victims. Jan Davis, a social-emotional learning support teacher for the Anchorage School District, said the challenge lay in making the community more aware of and involved in the conversation. “They (students) usually know between right and wrong, but they just don't always do what is right,” she said. “They don't do it around the teachers, they're doing it when they're not being seen, so we can't investigate anything, we can't look into anything, we can't help to solve the problem if we are not aware of it.” Kids said the bullying isn't even always visible. “Sometimes words hurt, too,” Asi said. “It’s like throwing stuff, like stones being thrown at you.” For more anti-bullying resources, click here. |
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Gerard Hamel said on Sunday, Jun 3 at 6:06 AM
People should be allowed to defend themselves. Most bullies are nothing more than insecure people and usually the first ones to back down when confronted back. Sometimes all the bully needs is a good beating. Unfortunately, when that happens the other person gets in more trouble and that is the main problem right there. If unchecked, many bullies go on to be abusive adults.
92646756Anonymous said on Saturday, Jun 2 at 4:14 PM
Report this to the Department of Education in Seattle they are already looking into MSBSD for staff bullying in the Special Education Dept... Clanish out there compared to Anchorage...and if the staff doesn't like a kid - they crucify them...
92608664Fairygirl7321 said on Friday, Jun 1 at 11:31 AM
I am not saying that children should be "charged" with any crimes, especially when they are in the beginning of their school years. Through my experience I have discovered the problem lies with the parents who "don't have time to address their children's behavioral problems" and also with the principal at the school, their attitude is just that "kids will be kids" but there is a BIG difference from kids will be kids and daily torment! My sons teacher did do everything she could to prevent these daily problems, but with the principal and the parents of the problem child being unwilling to address the issue, there is only so little the teacher can do besides keep sending the problem child to the principal...which did nothing to stop the behavior. I even had contacted the school district and they didnt do anything that was obvious to me. Infact I never heard from the director of elementary again after I had made my complaint. So no matter how high you go, nothing gets handled..
92499193Charge them said on Thursday, May 31 at 6:50 PM
With assult or terrorism. We need more kindergarten kids in the prison we just built.
92419975Alaskan_AJ said on Thursday, May 31 at 3:21 PM
Fairygirl, I had that exact problem. My son (a kindergartner) being bullied everyday on the bus, the school said it was the bus safeties problem, and the bus depot said it was a school problem..nothing was every accomplished. I had to personally confront the bus driver and let him know I wanted my son sitting right behind him everyday. The school would come across as irritated every time I called to report issues. So not only was I being bullied, but the school was trying to bully me into being quite about it "saying kids will be kids" and that my son was not innocent... HELLO he is in kindergarten being picked on by 5th graders!!! Granted my son did start getting mouthy with the older kids, but only in response to being pushed and punched in the back of the head DAILY. Needless my son will go to a charter school this coming school year.
92398886a parent said on Thursday, May 31 at 2:10 PM
@ fairygirl yes that sounds like the anchorage school district where they could care less about the students and only worry about covering their own behinds
92392645David said on Thursday, May 31 at 1:48 PM
@fairygirl. Document the situations and have your lawyer talk to the school. Then they will listen : )
92390746Anonymous said on Thursday, May 31 at 12:55 PM
What do you do when the teacher is the bully and they have tenure?
92384125fairygirl7321 said on Thursday, May 31 at 11:35 AM
I have a son who was in kindergarten here in Anchorage and he was tormented daily by one boy in his class. My son would tell his teaher and she would send the kid to the office and the principal would talk to the trouble maker and send him back to class. I feel the real problem lies within the staff and how they perceive the situations with the kids. The principal never did anything more than encourage my son to keep telling on the trouble maker, but what's the point if there ar never any consequences for the child who is bullying? I had even warned the principal that my son had been given permission to hit the trouble making kid back everytime he was hit. I was told that if my son hits back the trouble making kid that my son would be automatically suspended for 3 days! This trouble making kids hit or harmed my son almost daily and never did he get suspended...wheres the logic? The adults in the schools need be consistant and take immediate action when there are obvious problems..
92374796Anonymous said on Thursday, May 31 at 11:24 AM
Shinedown - Bully
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