Have you met a violent teenager? |
The target should be given the option to say whether they’re willing to have that conversation. Maybe they will later but not now, maybe they will never be ready to talk to the person targeting them, but it should be their choice. That’s how we handle it at the school where I teach. ( not mcps.) Sometimes the abusive student wants to apologize and they can’t, and that’s ok, because it’s not just about them. My school suspends and gives detentions and there are fewer repeat bullying situations as a result. I’m not opposed to RJ when done right, but not if it means revictimizing a kid or making them accept an inauthentic apology, and not if it means the perpetrator avoids a real consequence. We need to prepare kids for the real world. If they assault someone they could go to jail as an adult. |
Damn you, Poe's Law! |
Many. Either parents and others failed them when they were young or they have serious mental health issues. Either way they need to be in specialized programs. They don’t care and will go through the motion of apologizing and do it again. |
Is this mcps? They rarely suspend. |
So, we have a discussion that gives the misbehaving child the attention they want and just accept a meaningless apology and child does it again. How many times do other kids need to put up with it? |
3) they have some kind of secondary gain or 4) their kids are mean and bullies and they don’t care. |
Not sure what you're talking about. RJ is amazing! |
How is it amazing? |
What drama. Suspension or expulsion does not mean beating kids into submission. |
This is not how I've seen it done at our school and when they do suspend- the bully is back 2-3 days later. From personal experience, I've seen firsthand where the victim was basically forced to have an RJ session with their bully. Victim told the counselor that she wanted nothing to do with the bully, didn't want to talk to her. Counselor said she didn't have a choice. Victim was forced to have the meeting and bully acted apologetic and blamed her behavior on her upbringing, broken family. Victim is now supposed to feel sad for the bully. Afterwards, bully went around and told everyone that she would beat the hell out of the victim and anyone else who snitched. Victim was so distraught that her parents found a way to use another address to transfer to a different school. This my friends, is how it works. MCPS will protect bullies over victims. Many times, its the victims who are compelled/forced to leave the school because the bully gets to stay and gets away with their despicable behavior with little to no consequence. What kind of lesson does that teach all students? |
What's ridiculous is this behavior would never be acceptable at most of our workplaces, but yet it's okay for our kids. |
As in Gaithersburg locker room sexual assault. The perpetrator apologized 5 times because he was told he had to. He denied any assault ever happened. |
I don't know about this SRO thinge. It really didn't do much good at Parkland or Uvalde. |
RJ done right works. A right jab in the gut. |