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Your son Ryan was a victim of bullying. Did he seek help from anyone because of this?
He did from us in the 5th grade and then again in the 7th grade as I described at the website.
Did anyone notice he was being bullied in the halls?
A teacher witnessed him running out of her classroom in tears because boys in the back of the room were calling him gay. Unfortunately that teacher never told us or reported it to the administration.
What did the teachers say to Ryan?
I don’t know. They never told us more than what we learned above. In that case the teacher asked him if he would come back into the classroom. She claimed he said he was OK.
If you were a principal of a school, how would you work to prevent bullying?
I would employ a researched based program like Olweus and make sure the entire school staff was trained in how to deal with bullying. The program also educates children how not to be a bystander.
Why do you think bullying most likely takes place in schools?
I don’t think it does anymore. I think it mostly takes place on-line because it is very easy to be mean there when you don’t have to be face to face.
Why do you think the teen suicidal rates are going up?
Kids are under a lot more social and emotional stress because of the internet creating so much pressure to “social network.” Middle schoolers in general are immature and can often be mean. The law (COPPA) states you must be 13 or older to use websites like Facebook. If parents would do their job as parents and keep minors off of websites like Facebook until they are at least of proper age and maturity, we would not have this cyberbullying problem … or at least it would be delayed into HS and hopefully less since we expect them to be more mature.
You have dedicated your life to sharing Ryan’s stories with schools. Why do you feel this is important to do?
I do it because I always hear back that someone asked for help for being bullied and feeling suicidal after I left. I also hear bullies apologized to their victims.
What are your future plans with regard to anti-bullying, your son Ryan’s story, and your presentations?
I plan to spend the next 8 years trying to visit as many schools as I can to share my son’s story and hopefully reach a lot of hearts and minds.
Your son Ryan was a victim of bullying. Did he seek help from anyone because of this?
He did from us in the 5th grade and then again in the 7th grade as I described at the website.
Did anyone notice he was being bullied in the halls?
A teacher witnessed him running out of her classroom in tears because boys in the back of the room were calling him gay. Unfortunately that teacher never told us or reported it to the administration.
What did the teachers say to Ryan?
I don’t know. They never told us more than what we learned above. In that case the teacher asked him if he would come back into the classroom. She claimed he said he was OK.
If you were a principal of a school, how would you work to prevent bullying?
I would employ a researched based program like Olweus and make sure the entire school staff was trained in how to deal with bullying. The program also educates children how not to be a bystander.
Why do you think bullying most likely takes place in schools?
I don’t think it does anymore. I think it mostly takes place on-line because it is very easy to be mean there when you don’t have to be face to face.
Why do you think the teen suicidal rates are going up?
Kids are under a lot more social and emotional stress because of the internet creating so much pressure to “social network.” Middle schoolers in general are immature and can often be mean. The law (COPPA) states you must be 13 or older to use websites like Facebook. If parents would do their job as parents and keep minors off of websites like Facebook until they are at least of proper age and maturity, we would not have this cyberbullying problem … or at least it would be delayed into HS and hopefully less since we expect them to be more mature.
You have dedicated your life to sharing Ryan’s stories with schools. Why do you feel this is important to do?
I do it because I always hear back that someone asked for help for being bullied and feeling suicidal after I left. I also hear bullies apologized to their victims.
What are your future plans with regard to anti-bullying, your son Ryan’s story, and your presentations?
I plan to spend the next 8 years trying to visit as many schools as I can to share my son’s story and hopefully reach a lot of hearts and minds.