Bullying

1. Growing up, we are told never to bully because it is not right; we will be given consequences. After looking closely at bullying, I am most appalled by the story of Jamie Nabozny. It concerns me that most of the administrators did not do their job in protecting the welfare of Jamie. Up until the court case, the reactions of the majority of the administrators went against everything that we have learned. There was no consequences for the students as they said "boys will be boys." When Jamie's case was brought to court, he won the case; he won a lot of money. However, was justice really served? Although his bruises have healed from the bullies, I cannot even imagine the mental damage that he is still going through. While he may feel some emotional pain, his perseverance sticks out to me them most. Despite his mistreatment, he never gave up on his life. He continues to talk to students about his story in an effort to prevent bullying in schools. This demonstrates his character; he is someone who cares about the future of students who may face bullying.
2. Case: United States v. Lori Drew.
   In class, we read an article about United States v. Lori Drew. Drew created a fake online profile and used it to constantly harass Megan Meier; as a result of the bullying, Meier committed suicide. Initially Drew was charged of conspiracy, fraudulent use of the Internet, and providing face facts to MySpace. However, she was released and charged were dropped. I learned that after this incident, the state of Missouri quickly changed its harassment law to also include bullying through the Internet; it was approved on May 16, 2008. I feel that the change of the law is significant because it makes harassment cover not only text or phone calls, but also computers, text messages, and other electronic devices.  Missouri has even helped alter Califronia’s code which now encourages schools to develop potential solutions, activities, and problems that will decrease bullying.  This is important as it helps to alleviate bullying everywhere. In addition, the federal Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act was introduced to Congress on April 2, 2009.  It has not been passed yet, but it is designed to set a federal standard for the definition of cyberbullying. While this may be general, it can help to minimize more harmful language and behavior through the use of the web. Although bullying cases still occur all around the world, the laws help spread the message that bullying in unacceptable. By not creating any laws to help decrease bullying, we are condoning bullying; we are not doing anything to help it.
3. I feel that bullying is not a problem at DHS because when I walk through the halls of the school, I rarely see bullying. On the other hand, it is not like I am looking for it either.  When I learned that 160,000 United States students skip school to avoid being bullied, I feel that the chances are high that it is occurring at our school. I feel that many people do not recognize certain behaviors as bullying and therefore, continue the same behaviors through high school. 
4. From a legal standpoint, many of the laws created do help prevent bullying to a certain degree. However, I feel that the laws are only half of it. Spreading awareness and showing that we are all connected through a bond helps to unite students. I feel that from "Challenge Day," the activities planned to do this. I feel that it is successful because it shows students first hand the causes of their actions, while also offering a solution to bring us all together. I have seen the "Challenge Day" on Oprah several years ago and I feel that it is successful. While some may argue that students will only behave in a certain way when there are cameras around, I feel that the emotions, apologies, and unity is all authentic.  These types of workshops help to get all the students involved in a different way than the laws and other presentations do.  The "Challenge Day" is something that all schools should consider because there are several benefits. In fact, after Oprah showed the "Challenge Day" years ago, they did another show in which they talked to the students. They were genuine and the program really did impact the students positively.  In peer helping a few years ago, we did one of the same activities as "Challenge Day"; we did the one where if the statement was applicable to us, to cross the line. It helped to show how many similarities we have among one another and it brought our groups even closer.