It might come as a
surprise to you but bullying is not simply the act of big kids who
take the little kids lunch money. In fact, bullying can be defined as
any behavior that belittles or is aggressive towards another person.
Bullying may be verbal, like derogatory comments, calling names, or
telling lies about somebody, or physical, like kicking, hitting,
shoving. Other forms of bullying include social exclusion, cyber
bullying, racial slurs, stealing, and any other type of threatening
behavior.
Although some people
may consider bullying to be just “normal kid stuff,” it can
severely damage the emotional health of the victim. In addition, the
bully him/herself is often the victim of bullying from someone else –
it is usually a vicious cycle.
While we do not seem
to have a major problem at Logos with physical bullying, it has come
to my attention (and has been on the radar of some teachers for quite
some time now) that we do have an excess of what may be considered
the more subtle forms of bullying. Things like social exclusion,
gossiping, belittling comments, etc. Of course, you may ask, “What
do you consider excessive?” The answer is: ANY BULLYING AT ALL IS
TOO MUCH! We are a school that seeks to glorify God, and God has set
the bar high. He has revealed to us that we are to love each other in
the same way that He has loved us (John 15:12). I do understand that
not all students at Logos are followers of Jesus. However, regardless
of your Christian or non-Christian status, the standard set for us by
Jesus is the standard that we want to strive for here at Logos. It is
the culture that we want to breed and will go out of our way to
protect.
Although there is a
fine line between real bullying and some behaviors, like bantering,
joking, and innocent wrestling around, we are responsible to make
sure we do NOT cross the line. And what if we do cross the line?
Well, we make amends and face the consequences. What we do not want
to do is return the bullying (in whatever form it takes: calling
names, put-downs, ignoring, exclusion from a groups, etc) and
perpetuate the problem. Yes, we realize that doing the right thing is
not easy, but you are Logos students. We not only hold you to
a higher academic standard than many other schools but we hold you to
a higher moral and interpersonal standard than other schools may
expect. We do this because right relationships please the Lord (John
15:13; Heb. 10:24-25) and our number one goal, as Logos teachers and
administrators, is to please the Lord. In pleasing the Lord through
cultivating a school environment that is bully-free and safe, we all
benefit.
So, how can you be a
part of creating and maintaining a bully-free, safe school
environment? First and foremost, you can make sure you are
not currently involved in a situation that may be construed as
bullying. For example, if you know that you and a friend have been
purposely leaving out somebody from your conversations, lunch
gatherings, or after school outings, it is time to STOP. Put yourself
in their place, connect, even for just a moment, with the pain they
must feel in being excluded. Use that empathy to motivate you to
make amends. Secondly, make sure that you do not participate
in any future bullying, and be willing to stand up for someone who
may be bullied. Thirdly, get proactive. That just means don't
wait for a bullying situation to happen before you step in and help.
Instead, do things to ensure that people do not get bullied. If you
are a junior who sees a seventh grader sitting in a corner alone,
approach them and ask them how their day is going. You may discover
that they are just fine and happily reading a good book, but you may
also discover that you just stepped into a very dark moment and
now have the opportunity to bring a bit of light and perspective to a hurting soul.
Bottom line: Let's
work together to create a bully-free, safe school environment that
ultimately brings glory and praise to God and in the process creates
a place where you, me, and every soul that encounters Logos knows
that they are loved, respected, and valued.
My door is open to
you if you want to keep this conversation going in person. Otherwise,
post a comment or two and let me know what you think. I am excited
for the solutions that you brilliant students may come up with.
