Student protests after kid's death

[Dogwatcher]

Anyone else find it strange that this lad's death is being blamed on the principal and the school...when bullying behaviour generally starts with the lessons learnt at home?
People are lobbying for change at this school, rather than looking in their own backyard.

It's always the schools' fault, of course.



http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/856 ... eged-brawl

Hundreds of students, parents and teachers are blaming a culture of bullying for the bashing death of a schoolboy.

Jai Morcom, 15, died at Gold Coast Hospital on Saturday morning after suffering head injuries allegedly during a fight at Mullumbimby High School, on the NSW north coast, on Friday.

About 600 people marched from the school and through the town on Monday morning, despite pleas from the boy's father, Steven Morcom, to call off the protest.

"You should all be over there near that shrine just paying your respects to my son in a heartfelt way, that's what you should be doing now, not marching up the street," Mr Morcom said to the students at the school's entrance where flags were at half- mast.

"You fight and you bicker all the time and have your petty stupid little fights.

"The issue here is to change something within the school and find a bit of peace."

Students say a culture of violence and bullying has been allowed to fester at the school.

Concerned parent Sue-Anne Arthur said a small group of heavyweight students were the culprits responsible for the bullying at the school.

"It's just a small group of bullies but they are strong," she told reporters.

"They're bigger than most boys and they have control over them.

"They run the football every lunch time and it just seems to be this thuggery by the footy heads.

"They're a powerful group here. The most powerful."

Another parent, Carole Sapeer, said the blame should lay with the education department and not the principal.

"It's easier to blame him simply because he is here but it's not his fault, it's a problem in all schools," she told reporters.

A team of 10 counsellors from the education department are talking to Mullumbimby High students.

One of Jai's classmates, known only as Jess, described him as "the nicest guy I have ever met in my life".

"Why does it always have to happen to the good people?

"He did nothing wrong. He wasn't violent."

The trouble had been going on for a long time at the school, she said.

Jai will be buried after a public funeral in a Mullumbimby park on Saturday.

"On Saturday at 11 o'clock I want all of you children to come down and celebrate my son leaving this world in a peaceful and beautiful way," Mr Morcom said.

Police are continuing their investigations and interviews at the school while other police have asked media to leave those gathered at the park.

[Wedgie]

Another report I read said it was Year 11 nerds bullying Year 9 footy heads, this report above says the bullies were footy heads.

I think the main issue Ive heard is that the supervision is poor at the school which helps bullies prosper and its been an issue with complaints for quite a while.

[Ronnie]

Certainly behaviour starts at home but the school has a responsibility to its students and it has to fulfill those and not just let it all slide by or pretend there is no problem. It should be a case of parents and school working because even the most responsible parent will not know what is going on in a school yard sometimes. Similarly the school obviously has a responsibilty to uphold behavioural standards when the students are entrusted to them. But i know certain teachers who are absolutely stunned at the sheer arrogance and stupidity of some parents who think their children can do no wrong.
But yeah, home is where it starts. The popular term these days is 'dysfunctional' when referring to certain 'family' structures, and there are more and more of them.

[Dogwatcher]

Fair post Ronnie. You speak a lot of sense.

[Dogwatcher]

I'm betting that the kids that are doing the protesting and calling for the principal's head aren't the 'meek and the mild' who traditionally get bullied.

[Pag]

But i know certain teachers who are absolutely stunned at the sheer arrogance and stupidity of some parents who think their children can do no wrong.

After being involved in some parent/teacher interviews last week, I can vouch for this. And I'll bet that a fair percentage of kids that marched in protest are involved in the bullying, and are marching so that their parents think their angels.

Schools and teachers do all they can to prevent bullying, after all, the more bullying going on within the school, the harder the job of teaching becomes. Bullying happens at home with siblings, online, during structured sport and in plenty of other social situations, even as adults in workplaces, it's very harsh to blame the teachers. Trying to talk sense to some teenagers is about as easy as trying to drive from Australia to another country, ie impossible.

[redden whites]

Why didn't they protest before the death? Lights...camera....please give us some action, perfect!

[Dogwatcher]

Agreed.

I note they're not protesting against violence.

[Psyber]

But i know certain teachers who are absolutely stunned at the sheer arrogance and stupidity of some parents who think their children can do no wrong.

After being involved in some parent/teacher interviews last week, I can vouch for this. And I'll bet that a fair percentage of kids that marched in protest are involved in the bullying, and are marching so that their parents think their angels.

Schools and teachers do all they can to prevent bullying, after all, the more bullying going on within the school, the harder the job of teaching becomes. Bullying happens at home with siblings, on line, during structured sport and in plenty of other social situations, even as adults in workplaces, it's very harsh to blame the teachers. Trying to talk sense to some teenagers is about as easy as trying to drive from Australia to another country, ie impossible.

So, there is a need to call the police in from time to time and charge the bullies, if the Police will act.
It was OK for me as a kid, although I seemed quiet and mild-mannered - I'd learned Judo so they never tried it on me twice.

[JK]

It was OK for me as a kid, although I seemed quiet and mild-mannered - I'd learned Judo so they never tried it on me twice.

Yes, but where does that end Psyb? As Mahatma Ghandi said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Self defence (imho) is very healthy for kids, but I wouldn't think all kids (not limited to just kids either) have the discipline to keep it as just that, defence.

If most kids were to develop combat ability of some sort, it leaves those that don't even more vulnerable (potentially).

[Wedgie]

It was OK for me as a kid, although I seemed quiet and mild-mannered - I'd learned Judo so they never tried it on me twice.

Yes, but where does that end Psyb? As Mahatma Ghandi said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Self defence (imho) is very healthy for kids, but I wouldn't think all kids (not limited to just kids either) have the discipline to keep it as just that, defence.

If most kids were to develop combat ability of some sort, it leaves those that don't even more vulnerable (potentially).

I disagree as most martial arts teach people how to avoid using violence and to only use it to avoid or defend one's self and they teach discipline and I think Judo is one of those . (Its the boxers and kick boxers who usually just use violence)
Talk to Pseudo and you'll understand.

[JK]

It was OK for me as a kid, although I seemed quiet and mild-mannered - I'd learned Judo so they never tried it on me twice.

Yes, but where does that end Psyb? As Mahatma Ghandi said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Self defence (imho) is very healthy for kids, but I wouldn't think all kids (not limited to just kids either) have the discipline to keep it as just that, defence.

If most kids were to develop combat ability of some sort, it leaves those that don't even more vulnerable (potentially).

I disagree as most martial arts teach people how to avoid using violence and to only use it to avoid or defend one's self and they teach discipline and I think Judo is one of those . (Its the boxers and kick boxers who usually just use violence)
Talk to Pseudo and you'll understand.

I understand that perfectly ... Do you think all people who learn these disciplines, especially as kids, exercise the discipline to use them only in self defence situations?

I'll admit I don't know if the times have changed, but I've known people as both adolescents and adults that went readily looking for trouble.

[Gingernuts]

It was OK for me as a kid, although I seemed quiet and mild-mannered - I'd learned Judo so they never tried it on me twice.

Yes, but where does that end Psyb? As Mahatma Ghandi said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Self defence (imho) is very healthy for kids, but I wouldn't think all kids (not limited to just kids either) have the discipline to keep it as just that, defence.

If most kids were to develop combat ability of some sort, it leaves those that don't even more vulnerable (potentially).

I disagree as most martial arts teach people how to avoid using violence and to only use it to avoid or defend one's self and they teach discipline and I think Judo is one of those . (Its the boxers and kick boxers who usually just use violence)
Talk to Pseudo and you'll understand.

That's not what the dude from the Cobra Kai Dojo said.

[Dogwatcher]

You're a cheeky little bast*ard ain't ya! But I like it.

[therisingblues]

It was OK for me as a kid, although I seemed quiet and mild-mannered - I'd learned Judo so they never tried it on me twice.

Yes, but where does that end Psyb? As Mahatma Ghandi said "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Self defence (imho) is very healthy for kids, but I wouldn't think all kids (not limited to just kids either) have the discipline to keep it as just that, defence.

If most kids were to develop combat ability of some sort, it leaves those that don't even more vulnerable (potentially).

I disagree as most martial arts teach people how to avoid using violence and to only use it to avoid or defend one's self and they teach discipline and I think Judo is one of those . (Its the boxers and kick boxers who usually just use violence)
Talk to Pseudo and you'll understand.

I agree with Wedgie. Judo can only be used at close range obviously and is used generally as a response to somebody else being thick headed enough to engage in the first place. Everyone I have known who has done Judo has never used it aggressively. Kick boxing and boxing is a different story, even though most instructors will teach restraint and responsibility, but the basic fact is that in those arts the students learn how best to launch their fists and feet at an opponent. It is a very different philosophy and much more aggressive.
Then there is Aikido, which is similar to Judo except that it only teaches how to fight after someone has laid a hand on you. In Aikido you learn how to mess up the owner of that hand before giving it back to him. There are no moves in Aikido where the student initiates any hold, unlike Judo.

As for the above story, it is hard to make a judgment without knowing the full facts. But from here it looks as though there needs to be a system for dealing with the bullies. There is only so much a school can do if no one outside is co-operating with it. I think one of the questions here is exactly what has the school done thus far to prevent violence.

[MightyEagles]

Teachers are in a no-win situation in cases like these. If they do nothing, people ask 'what were the teachers doing, they should have stepped in'. If they do step in, they are in danger of being sewed by the parents who said that the teachers should step in.

[Pag]

Teachers are in a no-win situation in cases like these. If they do nothing, people ask 'what were the teachers doing, they should have stepped in'. If they do step in, they are in danger of being sewed by the parents who said that the teachers should step in.

That's another point. With the amount of restrictions in place regarding the physical contact between students and teachers, in episodes such as fights like this teachers really only have the option of putting their bodies in between the fight and just standing there, leaving themselves open to injury. Any physical contact initiated with students leaves the teacher in a bad spot.

Every school, as well as the Education Department, has a bullying policy. I had three kids in my class suspended today because of it. There is only so much teachers can do.

The Jonah character from Summer Heights High is a perfect example of what happens, as funny as it was to watch. Teachers do what they can, but ultimately, the behaviour is determined by the students themselves.

[Psyber]

Judo is primarily a defensive skill. It depends on using an attackers momentum against them. They have to instigate the attack before you can do that.
So, if someone lunged at me I'd just deflect and flip them, then wait smiling sweetly to see whether they thought once was enough.
I did once retain a hold and march a known bully around the yard to apologise to other kids he had attacked.
[The teacher in the area looked the other way since I wasn't hitting him like he had the others.]