A few weeks ago the world was introduced to Karen the bus monitor. I’m going to assume that you’ve heard about her and the case, but if not here is more information for you.
This situation is a terrible depiction of bullying – even more sadly, it depicts bullying of an elderly woman. Some people may argue that Karen didn’t belong as a bus monitor, or that the kids must have awful parents. I however am fascinated by how the parents of these kids will choose to discipline their children.
I understand that at least 3 of the families have apologized to Karen. That is the minimum requirement in my head. However, when I think about how I would choose to discipline my children I fear that I am coming up short.
My first idea was having the children stand on a street corner wearing a sandwich board saying “I bullied an elderly woman”. However, the news revealed that some of the families of the kids have been receiving death threats – so that doesn’t sound like a good idea.
However, punishment/discipline is required in this case. In my opinion these children need to understand that this type of behavior is not acceptable to society at large.
So, what are the options in this case. How do you think the parents in this case can successfully teach their children what they did wrong and help them to correct it and never make this mistake again?
Here are some suggestions made by Tracy A. Stanciel at ChicagoNow.com:
“1) Loss of bus privileges, maybe they should walk to school
2) Expulsion from school
3) Gardening, car washing and snow duty at Mrs. Klein’s house for the next year or two
4) Attend bullying workshops/classes
5) After school janitorial duties at school next year
6) Community service at a nursing home for a year”
What would you do if your child were to have done this?
I think it is critical for kids to learn both compassion and humility. Not only should they be chaperoned doing community service with some folks who are dealing with incredible odds (ie, people with disabilities, individuals who are homeless), but they should hear speeches from folks who have overcome such odds and would challenge these kids’ notion of “normal” and “successful.” It’s not so much punishment as remediation.
You make a really great point. Punishment isn’t the right word…it is definitely remediation. How do you help these kids? How do you help them understand that what they did is so beyond moral boundaries?