When teachers get bullied, too

STEVE SMITH

In the five years and four months I’ve been writing this column, I’ve

had teachers disagree with me in a big way only two times. One time

was when I wrote about the deterioration of the teachers’ dress code.

The other time was when I wrote that I supported a state or

federal school voucher program. Here, I’m of the opinion that we need

to look at such a program from a broader perspective, that is, from

the eyes of students in areas of the state where schools are failing

miserably and give them some alternatives, some way out of the trap

they’re in. With vouchers, there is some room to negotiate, but I’m

holding firm on the dress code.

This column is not about vouchers or the dress code.

About a week ago, the Daily Pilot published a letter written by

someone who claimed to be an “educator for 20 years.” (I’m not quite

sure if “educator” is a synonym for “teacher,” and if so, why she

doesn’t just call herself a teacher.)

The writer was upset about a column I wrote about teasing and

bullying. In a nutshell, I wrote that teasing is just that and should

be ignored but that kids who bully should have the book thrown at

them. I wrote that the use of profanity and the threat of physical

violence are bullying. Carrying out the threats is also bullying, and

I’m a little concerned that I have to spell out that last one to the

author of the letter.

The author wrote that I “bragged about how he survived the jeers

of his peers.” She also wrote, “Smith obviously has not read the

documentation on ‘threat assessment’ done by the Secret Service, that

studies teenagers who have brought weapons to school ... .”

A bit later, there is some discussion of “everyday humiliation”

and “constant teasing” and the effect on kids of this relentless

behavior. At the end, there’s that “brag” word again and a “Shame on

you, Steve Smith.”

At that point, I was agreeing with her. Whomever this evil Steve

Smith person is, he should be tarred and feathered for writing that

kids who engage in “everyday humiliation” should be let off the hook.

Except that I never wrote that. I also never “bragged” about

surviving the jeers of my peers.

What I wrote was that the best offense against teasing is to

ignore it. It’s what I teach my own kids, even though I have a

feeling that they may have trouble getting used to the concept, as

most kids will at first. That “everyday humiliation” is not teasing,

it is bullying. And my “bragging?” I wrote that I was not teased very

much and when I was, I ignored it. And that part about the Secret

Service and weapons, well, I’m still trying to figure out where that

came from.

Since I wrote that column, I’ve heard directly from four teachers.

All of them have said or written that I was right on the money with

my comments. But they called themselves teachers, not educators, so

perhaps their opinion is not as informed.

I also heard some feedback from teachers on last week’s column

about having to teach too much in too little time. What they wanted

me to understand was that the nightmare didn’t end there. For

teachers and administrators, there are also mountains of paperwork to

complete. It’s the usual stuff, a form for this and a certification

for that, except that it’s out of control.

Then there was the chance encounter with a teacher last Sunday

during which the picture that was painted of life as a teacher in

2003 was not very pretty. This teacher asked me not to use his or her

name, a common request from teachers. When I asked why teachers

wanted to remain anonymous, this one told me they were afraid of

retaliation.

So it seems as though we’re all in the same boat. Someone bullies

me in a letter about bullying and teachers don’t speak up because

they’re afraid of getting bullied. I’m not ignoring my bullying

incident because there is a larger issue here, one that involves

students and teachers and includes the main points of the column on

bullying and curriculum.

The issue is the school experience. School was never designed to

be all fun and games, but it seems now to have deteriorated to the

point where students and teachers under way too much stress, much of

it caused by external forces.

The letter writer and I agree on at least one point. “Teasing will

probably never go away,” she wrote. But the insane rules and

regulations with which teachers are now burdened can be changed. Not

overnight, perhaps, but they can be changed.

So, do we have to start bullying our school board to try?

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(949) 642-6086.