All About Bullying

“We’re empowering our schools and principals with new funding so we can deliver the best anti-bullying programs in the country.  Bullying has no place in our schools and we’re giving teachers the back-up they need.  We promised before the election to lead the nation in anti-bullying - and we are delivering.” - Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli

Such a powerful statement, “We’re empowering our schools and principals” but no mention of the deep reason in the words of ex-Police Commissioner Katarina Carrol when she was asked what was the root cause of the Youth Crime Crisis: “Their failed educational opportunity, and from an early age.”

 Ms Carolyn Blandon, principal of Warakirri College* puts it even more succinctly; “Kids from disadvantaged families, whose parents left school illiterate, don’t get to go to pre-school and learn their alphabet.  They learn they are “stupid” on day 1 of Kindy and school becomes a nasty, disempowering place from that day onwards… they muck up, get suspended, and then expelled and end up at schools like mine, if they are lucky.”

Bullying is a symptom of a much greater problem where the meaninglessness of school for so many children backs them into a corner and they rebel. They find their power in other ways rather than finding success with NAPLAN and tireless practice sessions, or special “Student of the Week” awards. One little chap I know was kicked out of Prep 27 times in his first schooling experience.  Thank goodness he has a wonderful grandmother.  Thank you Anna Bligh for such an ill-conceived model as Prep to kick start a child’s educational journey.  Devoid of the fun of learning through play Is “Fonix for Kindy Kids” the answer?

Our education system was designed for the Industrial Revolution and was generally fairly successful for the majority. However many very successful people also say that school was a waste of their time.   Today’s system is completely inadequate in preparing our children for the Info/Technological Revolution in which we all now live, with far fewer of us truly prospering.  Our families have been battered into submission and sold a model that has exploited their children for the sake of political gain.  Home schooling, Flexi-schooling (for those suspended or excluded) and No-schooling or now labelled as “detached” for those who have given it away, are all rapidly rising as our society continues to fracture and sub-groups proliferate with their own cultural norms and aspirations to fulfill, urged on by “Parent Choice” with segregated private and faith based school systems. 

The Premier may have the best of intentions of fulfilling his election promises but all the extra funding, withheld from public education by education ministers Pyne, Birmingham, Teehan, Tudge and Robert, together with their three PMs Abbot, Turnbull

and Morrison for political and religious purposes, (remember Gonski 2011?) will have little positive impact.  Minister Langbroek’s announcements to lessen the workload of our teachers is as hollow as a kettle drum, for the overall model remains intact.

 Whilst ever we have a bureaucratic top down politically driven and outdated education system, all basically in the hands of a Federal Education Minister, there can be no change.  ACARA ensures that the National Curriculum is well covered with the NAPLAN hammer to provide the endless teacher time-wasting Data gathering for the MySchool website so Parent Choice ensures parents can find the best school for their child’s future.  It seems to work well for those with means as the rush to the private school sector continues to accelerate.  Our “Bridges from Bribie National Review of the Australian Education System” for Minister Clare is in his hands and we await his rresponse. 

Whilst we dither and stammer and stumble about worrying how to end bullying, which is a symptom of a far deeper malady, we might consider the implementation of strategies and practices that would bring the secret of success to the fore.   A proper model for training teachers would be a good place to start as our university model has failed dismally.  School based Mentors from birth for every child would guarantee all kids got off to a good start, followed by two non-graded learning continuums in thousand day chunks through primary school to ensure almost everyone success.  A three year “Set for Life” real life based curriculum for our adolescent youth is essential to overcome the stresses and strains that school now imposes on so many where “Mental Health” concerns abound, then followed by three to four years of final academic and vocational preparation for life ahead, heavily supported with whole of community structures

It is only the groundswell of community after community that will ever bring about real change for our schools, our children and their teachers.  Our politicians and religious leaders have their own agendas, far from the needs of our children who have smart phones and know how to use and misuse them.

Bruce L Jones.  

bljones @bigpond.com 

Past Education Queensland primary school teacher and principal for 38 years.

Independent Education Research Professional - IERP

National Education Review Facilitator.

“Ancora imparo”

*Warakirri College in Sydney has four campuses with five hundred students aged fifteen to twenty four.  Its aim is to rescue young people who have been failed by the mainstream system. No fees, no uniforms, and a creche for student mothers.