Christian Stanfield is a good student. He prides himself on working hard and getting good grades. He was a having a tough time in his mathematics class. He was being bullied by a group of boys while the class was going on. He had complained to the teacher and his mother has complained to the school administration. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, so during class he took out his IPAD mini and secretly recorded 7 minutes of the bullying. This is how his mother describes the recording:
The next day his mother called the administration and told them what she heard in the recording. What happens next speaks to the values and culture of the school. The administration immediately called the police stating that they had a student who made a recording which was a possible violation of wiretapping laws. Christian was called into the office and was forced to erase the recording. The police arrived and since they could not listen to the recording, gave him a citation charging him with summary disorderly conduct. A judge found Christian guilty and fined him $25 plus court costs."At first, she said, Christian's teacher is trying to instruct him. The other boys in the background can be heard making vulgar comments, including one suggesting another pull down Christian's pants. Although the teacher corrects them, the abuse doesn't stop. Then, Ms. Love said, there's a loud slam. And they all burst out laughing, and one says, 'What? I was just trying to scare him.' The teacher is never heard asking Christian if he is OK, if he needs to leave the room, or to ask the other boys to leave, Ms. Love said."
What is going on here? Who is the victim? Here are a couple of conclusions I draw from the article.
- This is a classic example of boys-will-be-boys bullying.
- The teacher is having a difficult time controlling the class and managing the misbehaving students.
- The victim took matters into his own hands and recorded the behaviors on an IPAD.
- The administration is not happy with the victim or his mother.
This is a classic example of High School as a FILTER. Life is hard. You, as a student, need to learn how to handle these situations. It's high school. Your mother needs to back off and you need to concentrate on your work. And never step out of line and take things into your own hands. If you do, the system will punish you. If you can't figure that out on your own, you just won't make it.
What is the appropriate way to handle this situation? What would it look like if the High School acted as a PUMP? I will use City Charter High School's student support system as an example. The student support system is predicated on the belief that a student cannot learn if they are under any form of psychological, emotional or physical stress. Teenagers, by simply being adolescents, are going through a very difficult time in their lives. Whether it is problems with peers, family problems, depression, substance abuse or deeper issues of depression or wellness, students need a safe and private place to turn for help. City Charter High School has four levels of student support that would come into play in the situation described above.
- Every student has a faculty advisor that he/she works with for all four years of high school. The advisor builds a close relationship with both the student and his/her parent. The advisor acts as an advocate for the student as he/she grapples with difficult problems that arise.
- The school has two social workers whose sole responsibility is to provide drop-in services for students who are working through stressful situations. Both social workers are experienced at working with adolescents in therapeutic settings.
- The school has a full time nurse whose sole responsibility is the physical wellness of the students. This includes nutrition, dispensing doctor prescribed medications, managing existing conditions such as diabetes, asthma, obesity, helping with obtaining eyeglasses, yearly physicals, answering questions pertaining to adolescent needs including sexual issues.
- The school has four administrators who view disciplinary issues in a broader context of learning, maturity and indications of underlying problems. Student discipline becomes an opportunity to teach coping skills, get at underlying problems and nurture growth from a maturity perspective.
The next day as the student entered the school, one of the administrators, who has a relationship with the student, would pull him aside. They would talk about what has been going on in the mathematics class. The administrator would say something like, "these bullying situations can be very difficult. How about we visit the counselor's office and give you a chance to talk this out?"
Talking with the counselor (social worker) is completely confidential. However, the counselor will let the student know that if there appears to be any possibility of anyone being harmed, then the counselor must report it to the administration. The counselor will assess the situation by listening to the student. The counselor might reach out to the mathematics teacher for more information. If the counselor sees a way to help the student manage and diffuse the situation, they will do so. Helping the student develop coping skills is certainly appropriate. If the counselor believes the situation needs to be addressed by an administrator, they will share information accordingly.
The administrator has a number of avenues at this point. They can observe the class, they can confer with the mathematics teacher, they can find out who is doing the bullying and bring the students into the office for a conference or they can facilitate a meeting between the bullies and the victim. This is a judgement call. However, bullying is unacceptable under any conditions. The victim needs to be supported in every aspect in order to create a safe, supportive and positive learning environment. If the bullies do not understand or are not willing to comply with proper norms of behavior, they will be dealt with to the fullest extent of both the school's policy on bullying and the law.
So what would happen if Christian did not avail himself of these interventions and just got angry and taped the 7 minutes of class. Once again this should become a learning experience. Students need the benefit of adult guidance as to how to self-advocate and manage difficult situations in life. This is both a personal and job skill which will be invaluable in the future. The student should be made aware of both the legalities regarding tape recording and the more important issue of how to resolve the problem without confrontation. The ultimate test of the school's culture of support is if the situation is resolved with all parties learning and growing in the process.
Finally, the administrator would work with the mathematics teacher to develop better classroom/behavior management skills. A quality teacher could handle this situation with an immediate response to the bullying that left no question that it is completely inappropriate. Starting with a phone call home, working through a one-to-one meeting with the students and a referral to the administration with the details of bullying would stifle this problem in it's early stages.
The point is simply this, part of high school is helping to teach adolescents how to grow up, manage conflict and respect boundaries. If your high school is a FILTER, these problems tumble out of control until there is a serious event - a school shooting, violence or possibly even suicide. And of course it makes front page news. If your high school is a PUMP, the situation become a learning experience for the victim, the bullies and the mathematics teacher. Either way, a message is sent to the school community about its values.
"Since the story started making its rounds in the media, Ms. Love said she and her son have been overwhelmed by the amount of support they've received. 'The children in the school have been shockingly supportive,' she said. 'It's almost like these people are giving Christian a voice'."A PUMP raises the level of all students and staff. People will surprise you once they are given a chance.
