Is Bill 206 the Answer?

I felt inspired after reading a classmate’s blog. She takes the time to comment on current affairs that are relevant to education. I am inspired to follow the news more closely and comment on news that may affect me as a future educator. Not only will I raise my own awareness of current issues in education, hopefully, I will also be able to develop my skills on predicting the effect of the current issues on the future of the education system.

I would like to start by looking a proposed bill that may legally ban bullying.

A recent series of hazing rituals by Alberta students has raised the issue of bullying. Heather Forsyth, MLA for Calgary Fish Creek, has proposed Bill 206, which is intended to enhance student and teacher protection from bullying. One clause in particular, has the potential to legally ban bullying.

Sure passing this bill may put more stress on the teachers and administrators by increasing the amount of paperwork when dealing with bullying. It may tax the police because they will be required to become the new experts on bullying. And, if bullying cases go to the courts, then the courts, and possibly penal institutes, will feel the burden.

My concern on the issuer goes beyond the burden facing the teachers, administrators, and judicial system. Bill 206 may narrow the definition of bullying to acts such as physical and emotional abuse, theft, and so on, and to see bullying only in those terms instead of a symptom of a larger problem. Every action has a reason and the better we can understand that reason the better we can take action to solve that problem. An example came up in class in which older students were stealing lunches, often by force, from younger students. After a little investigation, it was determined that these students were from households that were neglecting to feed them. The school implemented a lunch plan, providing the much needed meals to the older children, and the students no longer stole lunches. Seeing this example of bullying in a larger context allowed the school to take action to solve the problem, instead of trying to remove the problem.

Speaking of narrowing things down, Bill 206 only seems to deal with the bully. From what I understand, bullying involves the bully, the bullied, and the bystander. Bullying is not a cancer that can be cut out. If a bully is removed from somewhere, he or she has to go somewhere and in that new somewhere odds are that he or she will still be a bully, even if that new somewhere is some form of incarceration.

Overall, this narrowing of the definition bullying and shift of focus to only the bully may not be the best solution to the problem.

Is bullying an issue? Absolutely. Do we need to take action? Absolutely? Is Bill 206 the best action? I am not so sure.

Come to think of it, have people under the age of 18 stopped drinking and smoking yet?