No too long ago; I had to go to the Myrtle Beach High School to conduct some business. I had been to the school a few years prior, but had entered through a different route. A route which did not include the sign which, as you'll notice in the picture below, is posted just below the speed limit.
I realize you cannot see the sign in this picture, as it was difficult to capture on my phone while trying to avoid being hit by other cars which were entering and exiting the driveway. As much as I love a great snapshot; I love my life a bit more.
The sign in question looks something like this:
The moment I saw the sign I let out an exaggerated...."oh...my...god"
It was totally involuntary.
Come on now, seriously, does anyone actually drive by and think to themselves..."well, I'm glad to see that Myrtle Beach High School is taking a firm stance on bullying"?
I doubt it.
I think I'm old enough and experienced enough to know that most people think as I do, that this is just a goofy crap way to spend money. A way which has zero effect on whether or not an atmosphere of bullying exists in the High School. I'm sure there is a whole promotional "campaign" which accompanies these signs such as posters, school assemblies, talks by well-meaning Guidance counselors and the like. And in my mind...all still goofy crap.
This "No Bullying Zone" sign reminds me of a time when my daughters were in their first years of elementary school. We lived in the Seattle area at the time and I was one of those parents who helped the teacher in the classroom once or twice a week.
Someone came up with the bright idea to have the whole elementary school sign pledges that they would never use a gun. Posters were put up in the hallways. Assemblies on the subject were conducted to inform the children of the dangers of guns. A little metal sign which read..."Gun Free Zone" was posted next to the front doors.
The whole morning of this one particular school day was spent on detailing the dangers of guns. At the end of the day the children were told to stand and echo a pledge while someone else spoke it over the loudspeaker.
Here's the thing: am I saying it's wrong to inform children about the dangers of guns and bullying, etc? No. And we could debate all day long about the proper venue for dispensing such information. But when it is done as what I'll call an "event" and then forgotten about...I call that nonsense and pointless.
If the point is to promote the idea of the dangers of guns or the awfulness of bullying, then there has to be follow up measures taken. It should actually just be a part of the "culture" or the learning environment and not some dog and pony show during the third week in September of the new school year.
When I see signs like this posted on school grounds, then I don't take that school seriously at all. It makes me wonder what sort of adults sit around coming up with this stuff. It reminds me of our meetings in 8th Grade Student Council back in 1976. We came up with all sorts of goofy crap ideas, but it was up to the adults to lead us and guide us in an appropriate direction.
Whoever came up with this No Bully Zone idea needs some appropriate adult direction and guidance.
This idea is a waste of valuable time and money and the end result...in my humble opinion...is that it has a zero effect on bullying.
Create surroundings where bullying is punished severely and where students know they can talk to someone if they are bullied and being vigilant about it would seem to work better. For those of us who have raised children; we know that signage and all of the other frou frou which accompany the signs...do not work. What works is diligence and quite frankly it's not fun, but there is no lazy way out.
Signs are a lazy way out !
Exhale.
Exhale.
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