“As a parent, I would take the problem to the school and say, ‘What can we do about this?’” “Parents need to watch what their kids are saying,” she says. Polacco includes parents in her discussion as well. This technique establishes a level of empathy within her audience, allowing students to come forward and admit their own experiences. “I tell students how brutally teased I was,” says Polacco about these in-school discussions. Polacco tackles these issues outside of her book, often visiting schools to openly discuss the cyber bullying dilemma- a practice she finds to be greatly effective. But Lyla refuses to be part of the bullying, a decision the book follows closely. Set outside of San Francisco in the Bay Area, Lyla experiences the cliques and drama that accompany junior high life.
The effects of cyber bullying are seen firsthand in Bully, as Lyla’s older brother becomes a victim of intense online attacks. Now with computers, they reach you at home,” says Polacco.īrowsing one’s Facebook newsfeed can be a demoralizing discovery for those being preyed upon.Īs Polacco notes, “Children use electronic devices to victimize people.” Social networking sites allow the victimizers to spread hurtful messages to a wider, more expansive audience than that of a classroom.
But at least you had the safety of your own home.
“Before, it was bad enough that you had to go to school and be teased.
Told through the eyes of Lyla Dean, Polacco’s new book Bully investigates the contemporary world of cliques and online bullying.īecause of social networking sites like Facebook, children are no longer able to evade bullying outside of school. Bullying, according to Michigan author Patricia Polacco, now follows children home.
0 kommentar(er)
