Meriwether Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I forgot to mention that school districts get $$$$/each kid who rides the bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 If my kid acted like that I'd make him walk. Rural routes. Some kids live 10-15 miles out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefragile7393 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 From people magazine online "She doesn't want them to be punished. Instead, she hopes that parents see the videos, hear the words, and talk to their kids." "As for those students' parents, she has a message. 'I'm sorry that your sons acted the way they did," she said. "I'm sure they don't act that way at home, but you never know what they're going to do when they're out of the house.'" She has a kind and gentle spirit for sure....and sure assumes a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of those kids act that way at home! They need consequences for their actions however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 The really frustrating thing about it is, the school district said they can't do anything about it until the next school year starts. I think these monsters will get nothing more than a slap on the wrist. :glare: Do you guys think the donation total is accurate? Or is that what people are pledging to donate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Do you guys think the donation total is accurate? Or is that what people are pledging to donate? It is my understanding that the money is taken from the donor's account immediately...but put into an escrow account and held until the determined time is up. It states another 29 days. After that, funds are issued. There was a lot of discussion on there last night because the guy who set it up just used a paypal for people who wanted to do that instead of credit card. People got worried about a scam so he said he made Mrs. Klein's dd a co-admin and is working with her and the site for funds to go directly to *her* and bypass him altogether to be on the *up and up*. It is amazing to me. People are coming out of the woodwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Rural routes. Some kids live 10-15 miles out. Then maybe the parents will wake the he!! up and do something. Like I said early in this post my daughter did a little stupid thing on the bus NO WHERE near what these children did but she was punished for it. In my opinion this right here goes way beyond the normal kid acting stupid thing. There is no way these kids are well behaved model students. This deserves a woodshed approach and some major major discipline. I have also come to realize that most parents are hurt by their wallets. Let them miss work and take their kid to school everyday for a year then maybe they would deal with their kid. That poor woman has all my prayers and I am just heartbroken that another human being could treat someone this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 My dad drives bus. No. It is almost impossible to get a kid kicked off the bus. In twenty years he has had two kids temporarily banned. The school paid the parents to take the kid to school. That is a shame. It must be difficult to be a bus driver in places where the kids cannot be banned. I was suspended from the bus for a week in the second grade for 'excessive talking' (to the people in the seats either in front of or behind me) and standing before the bus had come to a complete halt (at my own stop.) I don't actually have any memory of this, but my mother was so mad she has saved the suspension paper and still has it. I'm certain my father was not paid to drive me to school before work. The bus was always a calm (and quiet :D) place to be. In kindergarten my dd took the bus in the afternoons from school to karate. Two older boys got in a fight and the driver simply turned around and took all of the kids back to the school. We had to come pick our kids up. The boys received lifetime bans from the bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think buses are silly. All kids should walk. It would save a fortune that could buy books for the schools and the kids would be healthier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravinlunachick Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think buses are silly. All kids should walk. It would save a fortune that could buy books for the schools and the kids would be healthier. :001_huh: Yeah, it *would* save a fortune when all those little kids get mowed down by cars because there's no sidewalks on the road. Think of all the books they could add to the library! Even if they walk far enough away from the road to avoid getting hit, what kid wouldn't love 5 miles or more of inhaling exhaust fumes every day? We don't all live in a Utopia where the school is just a few well-paved blocks away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Over $270,000 now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 From the statement:We will continue our ongoing bullying prevention and awareness training to ensure that incidents like this do not occur in the future. How on earth do they think they can "ensure" such a thing? I can't stand educationalese. I agree. I read the whole statement. I have seen more sincerity and commitment to honesty from cow flop. Real cow flop. I just shoveled some this morning, in fact, that I would trust with my child more than the "educrats" who crafted that statement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I'm curious about the Hive's opinion. Did you see the video of the children tormenting the school bus monitor? http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/139319/cruel_kids_make_elderly_school If this was your kid, what would you do? And is this criminal behavior, requiring police involvement? What about the school, should these kids be expelled? I would be truly stunned if my child had participated in such a thing. I don't think I'd ever recover from the shame and disappointment. I do know, though, that that boy would not have a single moment that was not consumed by either schoolwork, sleep or very, very hard physical labour until I was convinced there wasn't an ounce of wicked little blankety-blank left in him. I don't spank, although I was spanked as a kid. I don't think spanking would even begin to address the level of egregiousness in that bullying that took place. My parents dished out incredibly creative "hard-work" punishments. Let me tell you... I would have taken a spanking over the work punishments any day. Spankings were quick. The labour, though.... holy crispness! That was brutal and endless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 1. We need corporal punishment back.2. There has always been scum in schools but when I went through there were also large numbers of good kids. We would have stepped in (after we recovered from the shock, such a thing was inconceivable back then). Of course today smacking one of those punks around would get the good student in trouble. ....of course we (the taxpayer) will be keeping them in welfare or prison for years to come. Yet another PS success story!!! I am going to guess that you and I are probably within 10 years or so of each other, so, in general, contemporaries. I agree that kids would have been shocked to hear another kid bully an adult when we were young, but I'm not so sure someone would have stepped in. Bullies were rotten buggers back then, too, and standing up to them just made you a target. Sometimes, when you were lucky, a decent kid (usually a guy) would stand up to them, but that person was almost always someone who didn't need to worry about being bullied anyway. I think it's sad that a school has a "district bullying and violence prevention response team." That sounds like a huge joke to me. And, a huge waste of breath and time. It's smacks of a "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I know children of un-parents . I like your word "un-parents." I know exactly what kind of parents you mean, too, but I've never had a really good word for them (that you could use in polite conversation. I'm going to borrow your term from now on. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 The truth is that your children would not behave like this. What was seen on the bus was the result of decades of coddling, of telling children "You are special", of refusal to adhere to basic standards of morality, of abandoning any standards of behavior, of removing all threat of punishment, of psychobabble rather than parenting, of screeching every time a parent spanks his child, of condemning the good kids when they stand up to the bad ones. This is the world that the "experts" demanded when they decided that they knew better than a parent how to raise children, when psychobabble became the norm. These kids do not need a counselor, they will never understand why they were wrong, all that we can hope for is that when they leave school fear of real punishment will keep them from straying....but that is, alas, a forlorn hope. Of course this is a wider problem, it is not just the way we raise children but society as a whole that faces enormous problems. A society that also refuses to maintain standards, that expects someone else to take responsibility for one's every need, that has discarded personal responsibility and accountability, that makes excuses for outrageous behavior.....well what did we really expect? Please sit down for a minute, pqr. The apocalypse must be nigh. I agree with every word you've said above. Absolutely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I am appalled at what the kids did. There is no excuse, but I do have to wonder why the school district would put an elderly woman in the bus monitor position to begin with. She does not command authority and is ineffective. Could she have stood up to the bullies if they were bullying another kid? Why is she on the bus at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdalley Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I would be truly stunned if my child had participated in such a thing. I don't think I'd ever recover from the shame and disappointment. I do know, though, that that boy would not have a single moment that was not consumed by either schoolwork, sleep or very, very hard physical labour until I was convinced there wasn't an ounce of wicked little blankety-blank left in him. I don't spank, although I was spanked as a kid. I don't think spanking would even begin to address the level of egregiousness in that bullying that took place. My parents dished out incredibly creative "hard-work" punishments. Let me tell you... I would have taken a spanking over the work punishments any day. Spankings were quick. The labour, though.... holy crispness! That was brutal and endless. :iagree: Lots of hard work. No time for anything but eat, sleep, work. And I'd wonder just what the heck I didn't do that made my kid think he could do such a thing or that he'd want to do such a thing. ETA: I think the reason there is an elderly woman on the bus is that it pays little and the hours would be good for a retiree perhaps. I remember our bus driver not putting up with any carp. One wrong thing and we were sitting by the road until we calmed down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Well for starters my kids would no longer be riding the bus, in fact I feel that I would have to be sure that i could trust they could conduct themselves properly and likely not only take them to and from school but stay in class with them to ensure tehy were showing proper respect to other authority figures in their life. :iagree: My kids wouldn't be going anywhere by themselves for a long, long time. I think that would be the ultimate consequence for a teen -- to have behaved so poorly (and I didn't watch the video) that the teen had to have Mommy accompany him/her to school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateReignRemix Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I had the same thought. I say they need to hire someone who looks more like a night club bouncer or a drill sergeant. Some big burly mean dude. My guess is they are hard pressed to find people to do that job for such little pay. Exactly. Anyone "intimidating" likely makes more working elsewhere. And for younger ages, she would probably be just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Welcome to "Camp Work to Death" where we will work you harder than a rented mule! We hope you enjoy your stay here which begins with 4:30 a.m. calisthetics and should you be unable to rise so punctually, our handy dandy drill sergeant will beat the inside of a metal trash can next to your ear to assist you in rising promptly. 5:30 a.m., a wonderful zero star breakfast of powdered, runny eggs, and oatmeal cooked to a fine gruel will be provided for you each and every morning. You have 5 minutes to eat. Bon Appetite! 5:35. a.m. hard, demoralizing labor. Can you say, dig holes and fill them up? The lawn also needs mowing and here are your scissors, get at it. These weeds need to be uprooted...here is your teaspoon. The floors of this building need to be cleaned and here is your toothbrush...they'll be white glove tested at the end of the day. At some point, you will also be indentured to a local farmer and it will be your job to move manure piles from location to new location and back again. Did we mention that it is entirely possible to muck out a horse stall with tweezers and fondue forks? Oh yes, you should learn a great deal about yourself from the experience. Warm water breaks at 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Potty breaks - well, find a tree or a bush or something...don't use the poison ivy for toilet paper...inmates here have made that mistake before and it isn't pretty. Lunch - in line with our full health program, we'll be surving you a choice of more gruel or an unsweetened peanut butter sandwich/ no jelly. Also, carrot sticks, raisins, and more warm water or if you prefer, prune juice. 3:00 p.m. - 5:00p.m. every.single.day, because we like you so much, you get a break from your physical labor. You have 5 minutes to shower and then it's off to the nursing home where you get to spend the rest of the two hours reading aloud to the elderly. Upon return from the nursing home, supper - a lovely concoction of powdered, runny scrambled eggs, stale bread crumbs, spinach, and chopped bologna browned in tomato juice and served over dried out tortilla. You have 10 minutes to eat it. Warm, powdered milk or prune juice upon request. 5:45 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. do your laundry, clean the kitchen, scoop dog doo from each of the neighbors lawns since it is good for your character development to help beautify the neighborhood. 7:45 p.m. - lights out. Should it not be summer break, then you will be given the opportunity to attend school and you will ride the bus. Here is your outfit for every.single.day of school. One pair pink sweatpants, one orange western shirt with pearl snaps, one pair plaid suspenders, one pair old wingtip shoes from the 70's era and look, they are burgundy so they'll be GREAT with your pink sweatpants. We hope you enjoy your ride to school. Wash, rinse, repeat as often as is necessary to create illumination upon the soul! Faith - I'd like to get my hands on the hoodlums, but I'd just end up in jail probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 (edited) They should have to all walk or (if they are more than say 6-8 miles away) ride their bikes to school. No rides from mom and dad. If they are truly too far for that, then they should have to do all their school work at home for a year or earn the money to pay for the gas to get a ride to school. Walking and riding in the rain to and from school for 30-90 minutes a day would chill them out a bit. The bus is a luxury they DO NOT deserve. And it goes without saying that they need to be doing a lot of extra stuff at home and some sort of volunteer work to boot. Edited June 21, 2012 by kijipt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I had the same thought. I say they need to hire someone who looks more like a night club bouncer or a drill sergeant. Some big burly mean dude. My guess is they are hard pressed to find people to do that job for such little pay. This reminded me of the movie on Netflix- war on kids. In part they were comparing a jail to a school. But...is this why? Incidences like the one here? I do not like the jail comparison, but you can't have the kids acting like this (and apparently PROUD of it!?????) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kissy Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 When I was in school we would have been expelled from the bus. It is not a requirement for kids to ride a bus it is a privilege for the family. If they take the bus away from the kids the parents will care more to discipline them because it will inconvenience the kids. At our school any misbehavior on the bus was grounds for suspension or being expelled whatever deemed appropriate. In addition I think they should have to do community service and prove they will be better people on the bus before they are ever allowed to ride again. Also because their misbehavior was disrespect towards a staff member at the church they should get suspended from school and have to read an apology letter to the whole staff with the monitor front and center. The apology should be heartfelt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I have to agree with the author. I think the behavior of teens has gotten much worse now that they now longer fear someone beating the crap out of them. Some people just need a good butt-kicking. But, that is not the world we live in. So... The bus driver should have taken the kids back to the school, made their parents pick them up and banned them from riding the bus for at least a calendar year. Riding the bus should be a privilege. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I don't know why it crossed my mind when I first read it, but...I tried to imagine what the NA tribal council would hand down as punishment for these kids. In most Native American cultures (and several others) - there are pretty high stakes when it comes to the care of the elders. They are completely revered. I'm thinking it would be a little more severe than shunning and would be permanent. I can't imagine the shame this would bring to a family line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I saw that. It was so beyond reprehensible I have no words. Frankly, I think I'd be too mad at my kid to even talk to them for a few years. At the least, they'd be home schooled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I am appalled at what the kids did. There is no excuse, but I do have to wonder why the school district would put an elderly woman in the bus monitor position to begin with. She does not command authority and is ineffective. Could she have stood up to the bullies if they were bullying another kid? Why is she on the bus at all? I agree there is no point in having a monitor at all if the monitor does not have the authority to stop the bus so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I keep reading that the kids must come from "bad families." I don't agree that it is clear these kids parents don't care/taught them to do this necessarily. One thing I have learned about bullying is that many kids will participate, even if it goes against what they learned at home. The environment is a contributing factor to the bullying. There are kids in my son's scout troop who bullied him at school but never ever at scouts. These are kids from nice families and from parents who were appalled at their kids' actions. School is too often an environment that breeds and supports bullying of all forms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I am appalled at what the kids did. There is no excuse, but I do have to wonder why the school district would put an elderly woman in the bus monitor position to begin with. She does not command authority and is ineffective. Could she have stood up to the bullies if they were bullying another kid? Why is she on the bus at all? I truly think the age of the monitor doesn't count-otherwise the only course is putting armed cops on the busses. There should be respect for anyone who is a position of authority like that-regardless of their age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 My heart aches for her, and I'm sickened by those kids' behaviour. However, I do wonder what were her duties as a bus monitor? What if the assault was directed towards another child? Would she be able to step in and stop an assault or is she too meek? (Though I understand reacting differently if assault were directed towards another child.) Also, why the bus driver didn't step in? What would it take for another adult to step in? A physical assault? A murder? Sure, his / her job was to drive the bus, but seriously? How could the driver be so oblivious to what's happening on his bus? A horrible situation, and I don't think any amount of physical punishment would make any difference to those children. If it were my child, I'd be ashamed, humiliated, betrayed, but I still wouldn't spank. I'd start intensive tomato staking, and would focus on reestablishing my connection with the child. A useful book is "Hold on to your Kids" by Gordon Neufeld. But that's an ideal. I can't guarantee I'd behave in a mature, ideal way if I found out my child did something like this. I'd probably yell and scream like a banshee. I'd be hurting to much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I keep reading that the kids must come from "bad families." I don't agree that it is clear these kids parents don't care/taught them to do this necessarily. One thing I have learned about bullying is that many kids will participate, even if it goes against what they learned at home. The environment is a contributing factor to the bullying. There are kids in my son's scout troop who bullied him at school but never ever at scouts. These are kids from nice families and from parents who were appalled at their kids' actions. School is too often an environment that breeds and supports bullying of all forms. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think a trip to the woodshed would be appropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Yeah I wonder what their families are like. Might not be anything like we imagine. I think everyone imagines differently, based on their personal experience. There's no "we" here. I'm sure some would think that these are the permissive un-parents, and the others would think that they are the punitive spankers. The thing is, it would take an exceptionally strong personality to go against the group and speak up, even for an adult, in a close environment like a school bus. Even those who knew in their hearts that what they were doing wasn't right, were probably scared to death, literally. The attackers could've turned against some one else within seconds, and the elderly monitor would be able to help them. They had to survive in the best way they knew how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I couldn't watch it beyond a minute or two. I hope the school does something, but I won't be surprised if they don't. If my kid was one of those bullies, they would have NO SUMMER. Not one single day with their PUNK friends. They would be too busy doing yard work and anything else that lady wants them to do for her ALL SUMMER. If one of my kids were the ones wanting to pee on her house or poo in her mouth, I would personally escort them to make sure they clean her toilet all summer long. That would also have my kid walking to school until winter. If I lived in a nicer climate, they woukd walk to and from school indefinitely. Then I would make them volunteer at a nursing home What kind of PUNK picks on an elderly lady? I don't want to turn this into a hot topic thread so I won't go into details but lets just say that I believe the way kids were raised in my parent't time did a far better job at raising respectful kids. I can't believe the trash that is out there these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think if my child was involved, I'd be pulling him or her out of school to homeschool. The rest would depend a lot on the kid. Were they ring-leaders? Did they get caught up with the crowd? What kind of character do they have otherwise? I would expect some sort of restitution at the least. I don't know that it is totally surprising to me that this happened. It is exactly the kind of thing that kids see every day on television - even pretty widely accepted things like American Idol get a lot of their laughs from humiliating people. And when kids or people are in groups they will behave in ways they would never consider in other circumstances - that kind of group behavior is really powerful and dangerous. I think getting the child out of that kind of environment and able to look at it clearly would be what I was especially concerned about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Is there not a policy that misbehaving on the bus will get a child banned from the bus? I don't understand why no one in authority heard about this until it was put on the internet by one of the bullies. The bus driver and monitor should have reported it and the kids no longer on the bus. Not dealing with it just makes the rotten kids more rotten since there is no accountability. Grrr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Welcome to "Camp Work to Death" where we will work you harder than a rented mule! We hope you enjoy your stay here which begins with 4:30 a.m. calisthetics and should you be unable to rise so punctually, our handy dandy drill sergeant will beat the inside of a metal trash can next to your ear to assist you in rising promptly. 5:30 a.m., a wonderful zero star breakfast of powdered, runny eggs, and oatmeal cooked to a fine gruel will be provided for you each and every morning. You have 5 minutes to eat. Bon Appetite! 5:35. a.m. hard, demoralizing labor. Can you say, dig holes and fill them up? The lawn also needs mowing and here are your scissors, get at it. These weeds need to be uprooted...here is your teaspoon. The floors of this building need to be cleaned and here is your toothbrush...they'll be white glove tested at the end of the day. At some point, you will also be indentured to a local farmer and it will be your job to move manure piles from location to new location and back again. Did we mention that it is entirely possible to muck out a horse stall with tweezers and fondue forks? Oh yes, you should learn a great deal about yourself from the experience. Warm water breaks at 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Potty breaks - well, find a tree or a bush or something...don't use the poison ivy for toilet paper...inmates here have made that mistake before and it isn't pretty. Lunch - in line with our full health program, we'll be surving you a choice of more gruel or an unsweetened peanut butter sandwich/ no jelly. Also, carrot sticks, raisins, and more warm water or if you prefer, prune juice. 3:00 p.m. - 5:00p.m. every.single.day, because we like you so much, you get a break from your physical labor. You have 5 minutes to shower and then it's off to the nursing home where you get to spend the rest of the two hours reading aloud to the elderly. Upon return from the nursing home, supper - a lovely concoction of powdered, runny scrambled eggs, stale bread crumbs, spinach, and chopped bologna browned in tomato juice and served over dried out tortilla. You have 10 minutes to eat it. Warm, powdered milk or prune juice upon request. 5:45 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. do your laundry, clean the kitchen, scoop dog doo from each of the neighbors lawns since it is good for your character development to help beautify the neighborhood. 7:45 p.m. - lights out. Should it not be summer break, then you will be given the opportunity to attend school and you will ride the bus. Here is your outfit for every.single.day of school. One pair pink sweatpants, one orange western shirt with pearl snaps, one pair plaid suspenders, one pair old wingtip shoes from the 70's era and look, they are burgundy so they'll be GREAT with your pink sweatpants. We hope you enjoy your ride to school. Wash, rinse, repeat as often as is necessary to create illumination upon the soul! Faith - I'd like to get my hands on the hoodlums, but I'd just end up in jail probably. I love this post. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 The thing is, it would take an exceptionally strong personality to go against the group and speak up, even for an adult, in a close environment like a school bus. Even those who knew in their hearts that what they were doing wasn't right, were probably scared to death, literally. The attackers could've turned against some one else within seconds, and the elderly monitor would be able to help them. They had to survive in the best way they knew how. I don't think so. I think it's so rare now, that people do the right thing in situations like that, that we think it would take a strong personality. Rosa Parks wasn't a strong personality. It takes people having moral fibre, which as a society, we appallingly lack. Granted, those were kids, and kids don't always make the right decisions, but that one was so, so wrong, there's really no excuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Dd came walking by and saw the thread. I let her read the article, but recommended she not watch the video. She read it, and I asked her, "What do you think we would respond with if you were one of those kids taunting and bullying?" "Mom, I'm pretty sure you'd put me in a mental hospital." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I think buses are silly. All kids should walk. It would save a fortune that could buy books for the schools and the kids would be healthier. :lol: We are "close" to our zoned school and it is still 8 miles away! Where we lived before was .75 miles from school, but there were no sidewalks for a big chunk of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemaker Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I saw this this morning and was horrified, but sadly not super shocked. School buses are terrible. Here are my ideas for punishment: The school should ban them from ever riding on the school's transportation as long as they are students there. And I mean until they graduate, so riding on the school buses to and from school, on field trips and sporting events as well. Also, I believe they should require a parent be in attendance with them for the whole next school year. Everyday for the whole next year the parent will have to attend the classes with them and they are unable to be by themselves. I think that would send a clear message to all other students that that sort or behavior is not tolerated. Now, I believe the parent should take away everything of value. Seriously strip their bedroom down to a mattress, sheet pillow and like 3 outfits. And I would require a huge amount of hours of service in elder care centers, nursing homes, any place where they could hopefully learn a little compassion. And they have like zero free time. Also they would have to sincerely apologize to her face to face as well as to everyone on the bus and the principal. Most likely I would homeschool them as well. I would be devasted if one of those were my kids... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Oh yeah I totally get that. I've stuck up for people, but I'm pretty much ok with being alone. It's extremely difficult though. Growing up in my neighborhood I was friends with several girls for years. We had slumber parties. We played together everyday for entire summers. We walked to school everyday together for several years. As the girls got older they got meaner. One girl had a sister who was disabled. They started picking on her and told her they didn't want to walk with her. So she would walk alone. One day I couldn't take it anymore and I went and walked with her. I walked with her for the rest of the year. And that was the last time my "friends" wanted to talk to me. That's hard. But really, I wouldn't have changed it. I'd rather be alone than be friends with jerks. I aslo stood up for "outcasts" and I too didn't mind that I wasn't in the in-crowd or alone. It is hard, but not exactly the same what happened on that bus. I was never in a situation with no exit (literally), where I couldn't expect to get help from the adults who were there, and the crowd was getting crazzier and more empowered by the minute. It wasn't just they chose to be friends with the jerks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 You know, I don't usually like to directly connect biblical teachings with punishments for kids, but in this case I would have to. Not just because of my own Christian faith, but because what these young people did was in violation of the values of practically every culture and ideology: They preyed upon an elderly, weak person. By anyone's standard, that is wrong. And it's fitting that it was an apostle of the church belonging to Christ who spelled it out: "Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27 They did the opposite of that which is real religion. They lived out the antithesis of any kind of a faith larger than one's own impulses! They did the opposite of 'visiting' (or comforting or providing for) a widow, and actually became the source of her affliction!!! That's why it's shocking. Now that I've heard of the fund set up in her name, I know what my consequence for these young people would be. Having done the opposite of supporting a widow, they would make reparations by supporting her. Having deprived her of her livelihood by making her workplace a living hell, they would have to work to support her. Reparations. Making it right. They wouldn't set up a car wash, bake sale, or fund where generous people would donate while they mostly sat on their behinds collecting. No. They would work to support her with money earned by the sweat of their brow. I don't know how long I'd make them work. I'm feeling high on anger and short on wisdom, and I just can't judge what would be appropriate. Would be too much to require a certain amount of support every month for the rest of her life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Here's the school's statement. I don't know what I would do, honestly. I watched the entire video. It was more or less the same cr@p that I listened to directed at me and other fat kids every single school day on the bus when I was in school. It wasn't surprising. Just another reason I don't want my children going to public school. ETA: Actually, it isn't so much that I don't know what I'd do, but that I can't imagine my kids acting that way. That, and every time I think about what I'd do, I'm pretty sure none of it is legal. It sounds like they are taking this seriously. I am so glad to hear they got the police involved. One can only hooe their will be strong disciplinary action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 It sounds like they are taking this seriously. I am so glad to hear they got the police involved. One can only hooe their will be strong disciplinary action. At this point I don't think the police are involved anymore. The monitor, Karen, declined to press charges. She thinks the school should handle the punishment. The police have talked to all 4 students involved and their parents and they are apparently taking responsibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 On the beautiful side of the internet, people have donated 39,000 to give Karen Klein a vacation. Hope it actually makes it to her. http://www.indiegogo.com/loveforkarenhklein Onto the heartbreaking, one kid told her she was so ugly her kids should kill themselves. Reality? She lost a child to suicide 10 years ago. BEAUTIFUL about the vacation. Really? Her kid? I am so sick. My stomach hurts!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateReignRemix Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I agree. I read the whole statement. I have seen more sincerity and commitment to honesty from cow flop. Real cow flop. I just shoveled some this morning, in fact, that I would trust with my child more than the "educrats" who crafted that statement. Exactly what is wrong with this statement:eThis morning we were made aware of a troubling video that was posted to YouTube depicting students ridiculing a bus monitor. We were able to confirm that the woman in the video is a Greece Central School District employee. We immediately activated our district bullying and violence prevention response team to investigate and contacted the Greece Police Department to conduct their own investigation. We have discovered other similar videos on YouTube and are working to identify all of the students involved. Links to the YouTube posts were also forwarded to members of the media, some of whom have reported inaccurate and concerning information including names and addresses of students alleged to be involved in the incidents. The bus involved in this incident was carrying middle school students – all of whom are juveniles. Although their behavior was inexcusable, we also have concern for the safety of all involved. We urge patience to allow us to investigate and determine the appropriate discipline. Currently, our district security staff and Greece Police are interviewing all of those involved. The Greece Police Department has assigned an investigator to partner with us. The Greece Central School District is committed to providing students and staff with a safe environment that respects the dignity of all. We do not tolerate harassment of staff or students. While we cannot comment on specific student discipline, we can say that students found to be involved will face strong disciplinary action. We will continue our ongoing bullying prevention and awareness training to ensure that incidents like this do not occur in the future. Specifically, the Greece Central School District has recently adopted the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, a systemic approach involving all community stakeholders to reduce bullying and other anti-social behaviors. The Greece Central School District has a clear Code of Conduct and all staff and students have been fully trained. This behavior is a clear violation and will not be tolerated. The district will also ensure that reporting procedures are reviewed and response procedures are systemically in place. --They state in the first paragraph what they did when learning about the video. (Notified the district team that addresses bullying complaints AND the police.) --They ask the media to please remember the suspects are juveniles, and request that their information not be published for their safety. --They state how the investigation is proceeding. --They state strong disciplinary action will be taken, and reiterate that there is a district policy against bullying. Well written response, and appropriate for the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I would be sick if my child did such a thing. I would really have to work on myself so I handled the situation in an appropriate way. I like the idea of the children working to donate to her fund. I like the idea as well of them doing some volunteer time as well. I would really want to be working on empathy for others and putting others before yourself. . I would want to stress as well what a privileged life they are leading and those privileges would be gone for a certain amount of time. They would not be hanging out with those kids unless it was a group effort, highly supervised, to work for the woman, and that would be iffy. We would be spending alot of family time focused on building relationships and character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 So I just shared this with my dh, who teaches in a ps, and he said that it really wasn't that shocking to him. :001_huh: Disturbing, disgusting, horrible--yes. Shocking or surprising--no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 I don't think spanking would even begin to address the level of egregiousness in that bullying that took place. My parents dished out incredibly creative "hard-work" punishments. Let me tell you... I would have taken a spanking over the work punishments any day. Spankings were quick. The labour, though.... holy crispness! That was brutal and endless. Well Audrey, I can't imagine spanking a teen. My lucky children don't get spanked, although it wasn't always like that for them. I would probably beat my child (belt them) and then have them take up the labour... which would be brutal and endless. I would want them to realize that being uncivilized brings the wrath of God down on them... I would do this because I DO love them enough for them to be wickedly scared of me and want to never think about being so cruel and heartless again. I seriously think it's the mob mentality. If ONE of those kids knew they'd be beat and put to work for endless hours, they might have had enough brain focus to say, "NO" this isn't right... or worth it!!!! With all the cells, they could have called someone or something. This is just ONE of the reasons I'm glad to have a better system where I live. It wouldn't be put up with here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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