One of my teen students goes to a rough school. His history with bullying includes a fight in middle school where he was attacked pretty brutally. He fought to defend himself and was hence suspended on the zero-tolerance policy rule (he was not in my class at the time).
Last week, he emailed me asking what he could do about another teen who was trying to intimidate him and take his money. He taunted my student talking smack about his mother and then demanded money, slapping him in the face. My student - not wanting to hurt the other kid and not wanting to get suspended again - simply said "no." The attacker threatened to bust his face open and slapped him again. At that point my student reports his arms were shaking and he was shaking, angry as hell and ready to put the kid on the ground and started to stand up when the teacher finally intervened, sending the kid to ISS for the rest of the period. We assume he has been suspended, as he hasn't been back to school since.
I was amazed he didn't do something at the first slap. Eventually, this kid will have to come back to school and my student has some clarification now as to what to do and say. I recommended that if this kid start threatening him again to inform him that he got away with it once and that it wouldn't happen again.
What bothers me more about the situation is that my student's parents are willing to let their son get suspended if necessary and likely won't fight for him if he has to defend himself.
The second case of school bullying occurred at my daughter's high school where an Asperger's boy was bullied so much he was about to attempt suicide and is now in the mental hospital. Quite sad.
Last week, he emailed me asking what he could do about another teen who was trying to intimidate him and take his money. He taunted my student talking smack about his mother and then demanded money, slapping him in the face. My student - not wanting to hurt the other kid and not wanting to get suspended again - simply said "no." The attacker threatened to bust his face open and slapped him again. At that point my student reports his arms were shaking and he was shaking, angry as hell and ready to put the kid on the ground and started to stand up when the teacher finally intervened, sending the kid to ISS for the rest of the period. We assume he has been suspended, as he hasn't been back to school since.
I was amazed he didn't do something at the first slap. Eventually, this kid will have to come back to school and my student has some clarification now as to what to do and say. I recommended that if this kid start threatening him again to inform him that he got away with it once and that it wouldn't happen again.
What bothers me more about the situation is that my student's parents are willing to let their son get suspended if necessary and likely won't fight for him if he has to defend himself.
The second case of school bullying occurred at my daughter's high school where an Asperger's boy was bullied so much he was about to attempt suicide and is now in the mental hospital. Quite sad.