Monday, December 5, 2011

PERIOD 3 - BYSTANDERS

It is often said that many students are witnesses to bullying, but they remain bystanders to the event and do nothing to help the victim.  First, do you agree with that statement?  Second, do you think that students who have taken Facing History and Ourselves, would be more likely or less likely to intervene on behalf of a student being bullied?  Finally, what do you think should be done to stop bullying at Westborough High School?

29 comments:

Heather Mannarino said...

I definitely agree that usually the witnesses are bystanders because typically, they are friends with the bully so they don't want to say anything or they just don't want to get involved and be attacked as well. I think after taking Facing History and Oursleves, student will be more likely to intervene because we see documentaries and movies abou the horrible things that happen when you just stand by and watch and see so many innocent people hurt or killed because of bystanders. I think to stop bullying at WHS, students need to see the films our class has seen, and hear real stories of victims. Just saying "don't bully" won't make an impact but if you put them in the shoes of the victim, it can make a real impact on someone. I'm not saying we should bully the bullies, but help them imagine what the victims are going through.

Andrew Ferreira said...

I believe that the students who have taken the facing history course will act differently towards bullying than someone who hasn't taken the course. I do agree with the statement that the witnesses of bullying remain bystanders, I think that they do this because they just dont want to be involved in a situation, where they may think that it could turn back on them so they remain silent. I believe that to stop bullying at Westborough High, the students have to stop being bystanders and if they see bullying occuring they should say something to the person doing the bullying.

caroline graham said...

I think that the statement has some truth to it but, i feel like the majority of the time, when bullying occurs people either dont think that its bullying and or it isnt th sterotypical "kid pushing another kid into a locker" On the other hand, some people do just watch it happen because of their friends, or social position. I dont think it depends on what classes u take, i believe that its just who u r as a person. Of course, this class talks in more depth and more in detail about these thins such as being a bystander when other teachers may do a single speech about it for the year but it doesnt matter if you take a million classes and it might alter the view on the subject but i think it truly matters only about who u r as a person. i thnk the school does a pretty good job at geting in everyones buisness to help prevent it. it would be extremely stupid to say it doesnt happen but in comparison to other schools who do not have as much resources such as Peer meditation and teacher involvement have a higher bullying problem.

Jenna Kelley said...

I agree with this statement. I think that many students are bystanders to bullying and do nothing to help the victim. I think that many students have the attitude that they are "too cool" to help the victim or don`t want to get in their business. They have the attitude that it is none of their business and just end up walking away. In my opinion, I think bystanders are do the same thing as what the actual bullies are doing by not saying anything to stop it. Students who have taken Facing History and Ourselves have seen the consequences that come from being a bystander and have seen what the affects are. I think these students will be more likely to stand up for the victim being bullied. This class has taught me as well as other students to stand up for what is right and to not be a bystander. I think that students at Westborough High School don`t do the right thing or stand up for what is right because they don`t want to be seen as the odd kid out. They don`t see other people stopping the bullying, so they don`t think it is their business to say anything when they see it. WHS needs to become more aware of the bullying that goes on because it does happen. Teachers need to be more aware of what happens inside and outside of their classrooms. I think if more students start to get in trouble for bullying, it might start to stop. The students at WHS can make the first step to stop bullying by not being bystanders and standing up for what is right.

Anna Petrunich said...

I agree that the majority of people remain bystanders in certain situations. However, there is usually at least one person who steps up to intervene. I think those students who have taken this course would be the ones to stand up for the victim. I know I would not put up with someone being bullied. The movies we have seen and the lessons I have learned from them have inspired me to do the right thing, even if it goes against the majority opinion. To stop bullying at WHS, I think every student should be able to take this class. That is not always possible though, so I think it is up to the students who have taken the class to be role models for the rest of the school. You can never have absolute control over bullying becuase it can occur in so many different ways, so the best way to stop it is through setting a good example so others will eventually follow. If so many people go along with bullying, why should it be so hard to go along with what is right?

Tyler Haberkorn said...

Yes I agree with that statement. I do believe there are many students who see bullying but remain bystanders. I think students who have taken Facing History and Ourselves will be more likely to intervene. They are more likely because they have seen what happens when they don't intervene and it goes to far in the most extreme case. They know that it's the little things like anti-semetic remarks that build up to big things such as the Holocaust. I think that it is the students own responsibility to stop bullying at Westborough High. It helps that the administration is stepping in, but in the end it is our own responsibility to stop it. The students have to be the ones to not be bystanders and stand up for the victim.

Caroline Dennett said...

I agree with that statement, most witnesses are bystanders. I think most of the time they are afraid that they themselves will be bullied if they try to stand up for the victim. However, if it's something like cyberbullying, there aren't always witnesses. I think students who have taken Facing History and Ourselves are more likely to intervene because they have seen the tragic effects of being a bystander and how much pain and hurt it can cause. I think students need to want to stop bullying. In order to achieve this, they need to be exposed to the victims of bullying and how being bullied affected them. The films we have watched this year would also be very effective. A picture really does speak a thousand words.

Evan Rodriguez said...

Yes I agree with the statement because the bystanders don't want their reputation to tarnish or looked down upon. If that bystander intervened the others would look down on that, laugh and tease the indidvidual. Students in the Facing History & Ourselves class would have no problem in helping someone getting bullied. Its just not right to let something like that to happen. At westborough we should have assemblies and guest speakers to adress the issues of bullying.

Jesse Blackwell said...

I do agree with this statement because it is a lot easier for people to say that they will stand up to bullies than it is for them to actually do something about it when faced with a bad situation.I do not think that all students who take this course would intervene but I do beleive that most students would be more likely to intervene after taking this course. I am not sure exactly how to stop bullying all together but having more students take this course may help to stop bullying.

Brian Doran said...

I do agree that many students are bystanders. Taking Facing History has defineitly influenced my perspective on bullying. I feel like bullying is such a common thing at WHS but to be honest I never see myself witnessing it. If i saw someone being bullied i now feel obligated to stand up and say something as should everyone else taking the class. The truth is bullying is something that cannot be be stoped and this is very upsetting. I just feel that there are so many immature kids in every highschool who cannot help but bully kids because of there insecuritys. If a student wants bullying to be stopped they need to let someone know so the situation can be addressed.

DavidRos123 said...

I beleive that the statement is true to a certain extent. I do know that there are people who will intervene to stop bullying, however, there are also some that do not. I feel that the reason why some people won't interevene is because they don't want to put themselves in that situation. They also do not want to go against what everybody else is saying and in result will get made fun of also.
For the students' taking the "Facing History and Ourselves" class, I think they would be more likely to intervene. The reason why is that they are more aware that they are being bystanders and now would be more likely to speak out.
I feel that it is more effective if kids in school would speak out for one another. The reason why is that there are more kids than adults, and kids can relate to the problem more. Also, I feel that students would be more comfortable with each other to talk about what happened and therefore the problem would be settled more comfortably.

Andrew MacElhaney said...

Yes I do agree that many people do witness bullying and do nothing about it because they feel that it is not their business and don't want to pay attention to it. Second when kids take Facing History and Ourselves will not be bystanders anymore and will feel the need to do something and stop bullying people. They wouldn't just watch and think it was nobody's business. They would make it their businees and hopefully step in and say something. While taking this course I feel like I would step in and try to stop the bullying because I don't feel it is right for people to be bullying others. Peopple who have seen been bullying others should maybe seen someone once a week and ask why do they bully people and try to help them to stop with their bullying problem.

Marina Lucas- Santos said...

Yes I agree with this statement and yes I think that students taking facing history would be more likely to interviene on a student being bullied because we learn what people wen trhough such a jews and how they suffered and we learn that if you stick up and say something it can make a big difference. I think Westborough high should have assemblies talking about bullying so people know it is an issue.

Marina Lucas- Santos said...

Yes I agree with this statement and yes I think that students taking facing history would be more likely to interviene on a student being bullied because we learn what people wen trhough such a jews and how they suffered and we learn that if you stick up and say something it can make a big difference. I think Westborough high should have assemblies talking about bullying so people know it is an issue.

DavidRos123 said...

I agree with Andrew Ferreira. Most kids would not want to be involved in the situation and wouldn't want the problem on their shoulders.

Tom Rafferty said...

I agree that most people will do nothing to help someone who is getting bullied. I have been a witness to bullying and did nothing to stop it. Its easy to think you will stop someone but in the moment it is a lot harder to act. I think a student who has taken facing history in ourselves are more likely to step in but most people will still do nothing. The social pressure to fit in is to great. The only way to stop bullying is to teach people the effects of bullying.

Laura Hetherman said...

I agree with the statement that many students are witnesses to bullying but do not say anything and remain bystanders. Students who remain bystanders then become bullies themselves, in a way, because they do not say anything, inferring that they agree with what the initial bully said. I do believe that students who have taken Facing History and Ourselves would be more likely to intervene on behalf of a student being bullied because these students are no longer naive in what is happening around them. Mr. Gallagher, on a daily basis, makes his students, including myself, really think about the decisions we make and how they reflect who we are. There may have been instances in the past where I may have been a bystander but because of this class and because of the ideas that Mr. Gallagher has projected, I will now always be part of the resistance. Lastly, I believe that if this course was open to the entire school, it would open students eyes’ to what is going on in this school and that they need to stand up to bullying. Bullying is not a subject that should be taken lightly and is only getting worse now that cyber-bullying has come into the picture. Bullying needs to be stopped and WHS needs to do whatever is necessary to eliminate it.

Tom Rafferty said...

Anna, I agree that the best way to stop bullying is to set an example

Kate O'Donoghue said...

I agree that when most students witness bullying they do not do anything about it because they just want to take the easy way out and not get involved. I think students taking Facing History and Ourselves would be more likely to intervene because we have seen first hand incidents when people do not stand up forthemselves which causes people to die. The movies that we watch have a strong impact on the way we should view bullying overall and should impact your decision on what you do when you see someone being bullied. I think that bullying is a big issue and should not go un-noticed. I think schools should try to look for bullying more and have the punshiment be very strict if they find it.

Terrill Filmore said...

Yes i agree that a lot of people are bystanders to bullying. And i think that students who take the Facing History And Ourselves class would be more likely and willing to intervene for the person being bullied because we learn all the events that took place during the Holocaust so the student would know exactly how the person being bullied would feel. Also i think that people need to realize that bullying IS NOT COOL AT ALL. It does not make people cool but it does make people less cool if your the one thats ended up being bullied.Or if your the bully and everyone else thinks you have went past the limit. So i think we can stop the bullying at Westborough High School by standing up for your friends even if its just joking around.even if you see someone thats not your friend, step up and take action and be more aware of whats going on in your surroundings. Thats how we can stop bullying at Westborough High School.

Seungju Chung said...

I agree with that statement. Because that is the true statement most of people remain as bystanders. I think that the students who have taken Facing History and Ourselves, will be more likely to intervene. Because, we studied victims' feeling with many documents and videos and what are we going to do from that situation during whole course of Facing History and Ourselves. Students who taken Facing history and Ourselves will know victims' mind and feeling well. I think to stop bullying in WHS, the students have to know victims' feeling with example bullying story based on true events. And make students feel directly by listening the true story.

Erica Price said...

I agree that many students witness several acts of bullying, yet they contnue to remain bystanders to the event. I think that many students do not want to get involved in acts of bullying because they are scared of getting hurt themselves. This is why many people decide to remain bystanders. I defintely think after taking Facing History and Ourselves, many students would be more likely to intervene during a bullying situation. This is because we have talked about situations like these more often and have watched several movies that have made an impact on us about bullying. I think bullying at Westborough High School is not as prevalent as it may be other schools, but I do think there are ways to sotp it. With more advocaters and people standing up to bullying, bullies will not be able to get away with their harmful ways.

Jim Gross said...

I do not 100% agree with this statement. I like to believe that although in some situations people will allow themselves to be bystanders, if the situation was really serious that they step in an attempt to stop it. When the situation changes from just light-hearted tomfoolery to no one laughing and everyone feeling uncomfortable, most people will feel the need to step in and at least let the other person know that they’re not alright with what went on.
I definitely feel that after taking Facing History and Ourselves that people will be more prone to intervene because the majority of the course is spent looking at yourself and what you would do in these situations, and after being exposed to the true atrocities of what really happens when you’re a bystander, it makes it that much harder to stand by and watch people be mistreated.
There is nothing that you really can do to stop bullying because no matter what you do there are still going to be people who want to make themselves feel better by putting others down. One way to decrease the amount of bullying in the school is to make Facing History part of the curriculum. I feel like if everyone went through this class and learned the lessons that it has to teach, many people would not hesitate to intervene if they saw somebody getting bullied, and less people would want to bully others.

Aidan Dolan said...

I think that many people witness bullying and they do not stand up to it. I also think that students who take Facing History and Ourselves would be more likely to intervene than someone who did not take the course. I think that a person who bullies another should be immediately thrown out of school before they harm other people and get away with it.

Brendan Dolan said...

I agree with this statement. I think that when most students witness bullying, they remain bystanders. I think that few students help the victim when they see this happening. I think that students who have taken Facing History and Ourselves would be more likely to intervene on behalf of the students being bullied. After watching films about the Holocaust that showed how millions of Jewish people were murdered, I understand that the only way the Nazis could have killed that many people is by letting them. The majority of people that did not feel that Jewish people were bad let this horrific event happen. Seeing the effects of what bystanders could have done makes people more likely to intervene. I think everyone should take this course at Westborough High School. This will not decrease the bullies in this school directly. It will make the bystanders stand up to rescue the victim.

Dan Terry said...

I agree that many students are bystanders to bullying. And I do think that students who have taken this course will be more likely to intervene on behalf of the student because they are trained, almost brainwashed, although that is a harsh term, to understand the severe consequences of a witness's silence. And I think there should just be more students willing to grow a pair if you will and stand up for some one. Because that's what it really boils down to.

Ryan Sciba said...

Unfortunately I agree with this statement for the most part. In most cases, when people witness bullying, they remain bystanders. Either people are worried that they may end up getting in trouble, or they don’t want to choose sides because they are just afraid of conflict. Yet, in some cases they aren’t always bystanders. Just because it is who I am, I wouldn’t remain a bystander. I can’t sit by and watch people be offended and hurt. Just last night I saw a segment on the news about kids and how some commit suicide due to bullying. Yet I’m also not perfect. I have done my share of bullying just as everyone else has and I have even been a victim. But as I learned and grew, I determined I wouldn’t allow myself to be a victim, bystander or perpetrator. After taking this course I’m sure that my Morales will only increase, just as other students who have taken the course. My sister is a perfect example of one who would intervene at the first sight of bullying. Unfortunately there is no true way to stop bullying. All people are different and all people have different views. Although they may not be good, they are still views, and no one can help that. We can only rely on each other and others to hope that people will be the bigger man and not be a bully.

Nicolas Ferretti said...

Absent Monday and Tuesday

Max Bloch said...

I was not here for this post. I was in Poland.