Changing faces.

• Author: Mildon, Marsha

Bullying -- and its variations teasing, ostracizing, intimidating, assaulting -- is a problem that has come out of its closet and into the courtrooms in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. But it isn't new. Bullying is a time-honoured approach to life acted out everywhere from schoolyards to the killing fields of war, from business offices to governments.

I remember a six-year-old, Grade One student, smart, somewhat uncoordinated, and wearing glasses. A group of her fellow students decided that she was the perfect victim. They would swoop down upon her in a long line, holding hands, form a ring around and chant "Pinch or punch or join the bunch". But the "join the bunch option" wasn't allowed: that child always had to choose a pinch or a punch. The physical hurt was a problem, but the deeper problem was the confusion, the wondering "why?" The deeper problem was that the bullies couldn't see the pain and confusion behind her "I don't care" face and she couldn't see the pain and confusion behind their "we're going to get you" faces.

This issue of School's In will suggest a variety of techniques that may help students experience "Changing Faces" in controlled situations as a way to learn more about what others experience and also about ways to act positively to end bullying.

The activities suggested as possibilities here are based around the facts and decision of a British Columbia case, R. v. D. W., heard in Youth Court in March 2002. Today's Trial (p. 8) discusses some of the larger issues that are raised by this case. In School's In, we are presenting the case in a form that could be used as a case study, a mock trial, or a starting point for role plays. Student learning logs are also used.

In all the exercises, it is suggested that students be directed in ways that will help them change faces; i.e., help them examine the issues from both the bully and the victim point of view. For example, after the case study, it is suggested that students be asked to write two letters to the judge, one from the bully D, one from the victim M. Any discussions of bullying and victimization must, of course, take into account the dynamics of any particular group of students. In particular, if there are potential bullies and victims in a class, they should perhaps be assigned different roles in any mock trial or role play than they are playing in `real life'.

Learning Log

Ask students to draw a spider-web starting from a word such as bullying, threat, violence. Then ask students to write a statement about how they feel about bullying and what they think students and teachers should do about bullying incidents.

"You're Dead" --Case Study(1) Exercise

Facts

Several young people became friends when they first met at school in September, having sleepovers and in some cases even spending Hallowe'en together. However, in November, D heard that M was calling D names and spreading rumours. D first confronted M at their lockers and warned M to stop talking about D or risk getting beaten up. Several times that week, D told M's best friend that D did not like M and would like to get other people to beat M up. M was frightened, went to the school counsellor every day, and tried to make sure not to walk home alone. Another student, K sometimes went with M to the counsellor.

On November 9, there was a confrontation between several young people at lunch time. X began yelling at M, threatening to beat M up. Other people stopped M's best friend from intervening. D told M, "Stop talking about me. If you say anything else, I will beat you up."

M was crying when the others left. Later when M ran into D and X, M turned around to walk away. D and X laughed and taunted M about being afraid and running away.

The next day, D met M in the library and asked to borrow some shoes. M lent the shoes but looked as if she had a fake smile on her face, as if she was not happy. After school, D, K, and X met at the PetroCan and talked about how mad they all were at M because they'd heard rumours about what M did and said. They said they wanted to beat M up and that one of them would befriend M, lure M out of the house, then beat M up.

Later that evening M talked to D and K on the telephone. There was a new rumour that K said M was spreading. K decided that M or D or X was lying. K was talking on the phone with M while D and X were listening. K said "Whoever is lying, I'm going to beat them up." At first, K was angry, but then K calmed down and tried to calm down M as well. K spoke to M in a soft, gentle tone, telling M to stop crying and that everything would be okay. K agreed to meet M to talk. Everyone thought everything was fine until D yelled into the phone "You are f-- dead."

Later that evening M...