The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > Cyberbullying, that schoolyard body slam, and footballers behaving badly > Comments

Cyberbullying, that schoolyard body slam, and footballers behaving badly : Comments

By Peter West, published 18/3/2011

School fights, once confined to the school yard can have an audience of millions, with severe ramifications for those involved.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. ...
  6. 8
  7. 9
  8. 10
  9. Page 11
  10. 12
  11. 13
  12. 14
  13. ...
  14. 17
  15. 18
  16. 19
  17. All
I believe through quite extensive life experience that the best approach to children and young people is the carrot and stick. One sets rules and boundaries then encourages and provides role models for appropriate behaviours. When the subject responds favourably rewards follow. If the opposite occurs then there is an unpleasant consequence.

In both cases communication is paramount as both parties need to understand the process and the other POV. If I have had to discipline anyone the conversation is about what was the problem and what was appropriate response. Sometimes some form of punishment would be called for and that would also be discussed so that the perpetrator understood the consequences but also the fairness of any punishment could be established. I often found it useful to impose a slightly harsh penalty with an offer of early release for 'good behaviour' - in other words a chance to prove they had taken the lesson on board and were prepared to make good on 'mistakes'.

I have had very good results with this approach and it teaches some lessons that are lacking in todays society - a sense of responsibility to self and others and the concept of accountability.

Call me old fashioned but I think we need to re-establish these values BEFORE we preach to the kiddies that they have RIGHTS
Posted by divine_msn, Thursday, 24 March 2011 8:54:17 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Vanna,

If you are in HSEC then you would well know that companies are doing their utmost to divest themselves of their responsibilities to the individual worker.

They are able to do this by the FARCE that is, training, authorisation and ticketing. This style of risk management, which you talk of so admiringly, is an ongoing attempt by business to shed all risk associated with employee injuries. It is purely driven by a desire to maximise profit, not minimise injury.

I worked at a mine site where their HSEC tripled the cost of doing business for contractors. Payouts to employees dropped significantly, but injury rates didn't change much at all.

On startup I was taken aside, after my 2 days training and asked to complete 75 SOP's and another 25 standards and hazard plans. They gave me the answers to these questions to help facilitate the process. Then they gave me all the authoristations they needed me to have. I have no problem with that, except they would undoubtedly have claimed that they had given me the necessary training to safely carry out all the aspects of my job. Its called blame shifting. HSEC are masters at it.

Industry don't manage risk that much better, they just do it far more profitably. I've got no qualms about not compensating idiots who behave fooloishly. But this goes far beyond that. It is the pursuit of no financial risk of personal injury. Not no risk of injury.

The empire building that is the HSEC of most major industries reminds me of the 70's show 'Yes Minister'. These departments have become pathways to upper managment and are often entirely removed from the business process. Beyond ther essential role in shedding risk (read responsibility) they seem to produce enough work(almost always misguided ) to justify their existence. There's a term for HSEC departments, its called ' a self licking ice-cream cone'.

Industry HSEC is NOT a model for how we should protect our children at school.
Posted by PaulL, Thursday, 24 March 2011 9:14:52 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Divine_msn,

I'll put it to you another way.

In many companies, if the supervisor cannot handle potential bullying in the workforce, the supervisor is removed.

Why?

Because there are many other risks besides bullying that the supervisor is unlikely to cope with also.

Compare this to the schools, where basically the teachers cannot handle bullying, so they want thye students removed. Eventually all students will have to be removed, because they will all try bullying at sometime.

This is a typical example of teachers showing no innovation or responsibility, but continually attempting to blame parents, while continually asking the taxpayer (which includes parents) to give them more and more and more and more money.

That is now teaching.

Paul L.
I currently do at least one risk assessment each day, and as a supervisor, I did up to about 20 per day, plus confined space entry forms and filled out numerous isolation tags.

I signed my name to the bottom of each, and took responsibility for something that could happen if I got it wrong.

I was just one out of 1000's of supervisors throughout the country doing similar.

Are teachers so cowardly they want to take no responsibility and continuously blame parents.

As for their attitudes regards safety, what a joke.

The greatest risk for the students is not when they are in the classroom, but when when they are on the playgrounds, and I have seen so many schools with no teacher supervision at all on the playgrounds.

The teachers are too busy gossiping in their air-conditioned staff rooms while having their cake and cups of coffee.
Posted by vanna, Friday, 25 March 2011 4:39:20 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
What is a joke, vanna, is not teachers' attitudes regarding safety. As you continue to post, it becomes clearer and clearer that the joke is you believing that you know what you are talking about.

Why not stop talking in vague terms. Try naming ONE of the many schools with no teacher supervision on the playgrounds. You and I both know that you can't and won't, because you would make yourself guilty of slander.

Then perhaps you can go back and substantiate some of your other ludicrous accusations against teachers.
Posted by Otokonoko, Friday, 25 March 2011 8:57:31 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Yes vanna, your consistent attacks on teachers are ludicrous.

I'm a homeschooler, but I don't blame the teachers for the situation in schools - I blame the system....which is one of segregating children away from the wider community...and then looking around in dismay and wondering why the "normal" checks and balances don't kick in.
Posted by Poirot, Friday, 25 March 2011 9:28:30 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Vanna - are you claiming that in your workplace/s ALL problems of bullying (and that has to include incidents of physical intimidation and acts of violence) have been dealt with by you asking the offender a series of loaded questions, with the matter considered 'solved' once the person can't answer the last question?

Can you be serious? I can't think of any workplace where an assault on a co-worker, supervisor, visitor or customer (unless committed in some act of self defense) is likely to NOT result in instant suspension with dismissal likely to follow. Not to mention Police involvement....

Please enlighten all of us who are surely wondering what type of industry you work in?

As have others, I will ask you what you believe is the appropriate action to take against perpetrators of violence within the School environment, taking into account the duty of care the School has to protect students, staff and visitors on site?

What is your duty of care to the victim of workplace bullying when an assault occurs? Where does accountability lay if the 'questioning' fails to prevent a change in behaviour and offences escalate?

Please make an effort to answer these questions instead of sprouting the same anti-school/teacher/discipline rethoric that is coming across as capital B Bogus
Posted by divine_msn, Friday, 25 March 2011 9:34:47 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. ...
  6. 8
  7. 9
  8. 10
  9. Page 11
  10. 12
  11. 13
  12. 14
  13. ...
  14. 17
  15. 18
  16. 19
  17. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy