Do Teachers Ever Encourage Bullying? Part VI- He Was Weird and The Box

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Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, bullying, D.A.M.P., He Was Weird, Michael D LeFevre, presentations, schools, teachers

It is now obvious that my series on teachers encouraging bullying hasn’t quite run its course. Recently, another aspect of this series arose when I held a book presentation at a school. Two pupils, the librarian and her assistant had read “He Was Weird” and their general observation on it was that it was well written but disturbing in some places. While they weren’t in complete agreement as who was responsible for Mark’s rampage, as they all cited a series of different people and each list had someone different to the others. However, there was universal agreement on the responsibility of the teachers in the book having had an influence on the bullying that Mark suffers and they all cited his fifth grade teacher Miss Erichetti.

From their very first meeting, it is clear that Miss Erichetti has a dislike for Mark. If you read the post about teachers encouraging bullying in regards to the story, it is clear that her treatment of him only encourages the bullies. What I didn’t mention was the box. The teacher reasons with his mother that it might help Mark if he is desk his put in a large cardboard box on the grounds that it might help him to pay attention. Of course, she rejects any notion that he may suffer from Asperger’s Syndrome or D.A.M.P. Thinking it would be best for him, his mother agrees to this. Therefore, he is placed inside a large cardboard booth, desk and all. It is a few weeks later that we learn of Miss Erichetti’s true intentions for putting Mark in such a contraption when she threatens another student by saying, “I put him in the box so I couldn’t see him,” pointing at the box.

Naturally, the rest of the class pick up on the fact that Mark is now in the box and it intensifies the bullying. Furthermore, the class enjoy telling others in the school about him being in the box. They also use it to get him in trouble by telling the teacher on him whenever he pokes his head outside. Then there is the Valentine’s Day party when the children are passing out the candy and snacks to the rest of the class and Mark getting left out. One student apologises by saying he forgot about him because of his being in the box but the apology somehow seems hollow. The ordeal only ends when Mark is beaten up by two boys and his bicycle destroyed. It is then that his mother insists that he is to be taken out of the box but the damage is already done.

I’m not even going to ask the question as to whether Mark being put inside the box encouraged bullying. Of course it did. The fact that he was isolated not only ate away at him but the pupils use it as yet another tool in their bullying arsenal. Another reason why I know is because it actually happened to me. That part of the story is directly drawn from that experience. Those younger than me may be asking why didn’t my mother sue. The reason was that at first, she bought the myth that it would help me. Furthermore, it was 1972 and suing schools was something that wasn’t done.

Next post: If Jesus Met Mohammed

To buy He Was Weird, go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/He-Was-Weird-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1909740942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422303710&sr=8-1&keywords=he+was+weird

 

 

 

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You Should Take Karate

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anxiety, Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, bullying, He Was Weird, judo, karate, martial arts, schools

Something I heard said to many a bullying victim over the years has been, “You should take karate.” True, there have been many a case where a victim of bullying starts training in the martial arts and then the bullying stops. However, my question here is how long is the period of time between the moment the victim begins his very first lesson til when the bullying actually stops.  There probably have been many instances where the victim goes to school after his first karate lesson, tells the bullies he is now learning karate and the bullies use that against him. Some, undoubtedly, now believe that learning karate isn’t going to save them from the bullying and give up.

I have a experience similar to what I just mentioned. When I was eleven, I started taking judo and I thought that it was going to deliver me from the bullies. Like the above scenario, I “bragged” that I was taking judo. This led to some of my bullies and there were many, wanting me to try to flip them or show them some judo move. A few weeks later, after being shown a few throws, I got into a fight with a boy who was much bigger and stronger and though I scored some initial success, in the end I still got my ass kicked. After the fight, I had to endure taunts about my judo not helping me. Unlike the above, I didn’t quit but continued for a few more months. There were a couple of things that eventually made me quit. One of those was that I didn’t seem to be doing the moves right and soon began to reach the conclusion that judo was just another thing I “stunk at.” The other was something the sensei said. He would often inform the class that if he caught any of us using our techniques in the street, he would kick us out of the club but not after teaching us some judo we’ve never seen before. With my Asperger’s, I had this huge anxiety that my sensei was lurking behind every corner and would come down on me if I used anything I learned. Even if I was justified in using it against a bully.

Now this is the part where I draw a parallel to “He Was Weird” and I did think about using it in the story. Especially since it would have been another way Mark tried to end the bullying which backfired. For some reason unknown to myself, I decided not to.

My conclusion here is there is no quick solution to problems. Training in the martial arts may be a great way to eventually overcome a bullying problem but it’s not going to happen with the very first lesson. Like all things, it takes time and it may be a very long time before the bullying victim has the skills and confidence to eventually strike back at the tormentors. I believe that if learning the martial arts, it might be a good idea if the victim or the parents explain to the sensei exactly why that child wants to undergo training. This way he or she can give assistance to their new student in helping them understand that the might not be able to deal with the problem after a couple of lessons and concentrate on the self confidence so they will be less of a victim.

Next post: An Addition to Do Teachers Encourage Bullying

To buy He Was Weird, go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/He-Was-Weird-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1909740942/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421960090&sr=1-1&keywords=he+was+weird

Could Religion in Schools Prevent Shootings?

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Americans, bullying, Colorado, Columbine, He Was Weird, Jello Biafra, labels, Marilyn Manson, Michael D LeFevre, presentations, religion, school shootings, speeches

Before I answer the above question, I must share my latest book presentation at a local school. Due to the weather, I arrived late but I was still welcomed by the Year 10 class. Normally, I would have done a longer introduction but fearing about time, I read the part of “He Was Weird” that I always read and the class wrote what they think would happen next. In most cases, many pupils write that Mark starts shooting although the degree of his spree always varies. However, this one boy wrote that instead of shooting people, Mark throws down his guns and rushes over to one of his bullies and they end up in a homo-erotic fashion. I praise this young lad for his great imagination and I managed to sell a book as well as have great feedback from the librarian, her assistant and two girls who had already read it.

Now onto the question.  This was something that I first heard brought up in a speech by former Dead Kennedys lead singer, songwriter and now political spokesman Jello Biafra. In that speech, he points out that when the Columbine shooting occurred, Littleton Colorado was considered a deeply religious community with 60% professing to be fundamentalist, evangelical Christian. While the law may have prevented religion being forced into the school, most of the student body had a moral Christian upbringing and therefore, should have been able to recite “Thou shalt not kill” by heart. However, there were two young boys who didn’t get that message or possibly, being teenagers, got fed up of having mom and dad’s religious views being forced down their throats. Either way, religion was no more influential in stopping the tragedy than Marilyn Manson was in causing it. I sincerely believe that hanging up the ten commandments in every classroom would not have prevented what happened.

Jello Biafra

If Mr Biafra was to read “He Was Weird” (and one day I hope he does) I think he would agree with some of the points I try to make in the book. Apart from the bullying and feeling a total failure in the eyes of everybody, the other contributing factor to his rampage is Mark feels that God has let him down. His prayers to have the bullying stop go unanswered and he truly feels that no one is listening to him or that God is actually giving him the courage to go through with it when he sites the verses in Deuteronomy Chapter 20. The result is the same. In his speech, Jello Biafra sums up perfectly how Mark is feeling that day. He feels that life is so bad and though he particularly doesn’t want to die, sees no point in living and knows who’s responsible for his rotten life. Therefore, if he’s got to die, he’s taking them with him.

There is also another aspect of religion following school shootings and is highlighted in the same speech and brought to life in my book. During the Columbine shooting, one girl was asked if she believed in Jesus and confirmed she did just before she was shot. The girl survived but two other sets of parents whose daughters didn’t went around huge religious revivals saying it was their daughter who said she believed in Jesus just before she was shot. The girl who it actually happened to decided not to use her story as a cash cow for God Incorporated.

That’s where the Cherisso family comes in on “He Was Weird.” A set of rosary beads are found by their daughter’s body and it is assumed they belong to her. Even when it is realised they don’t, it doesn’t stop the family going to similar revivals with those same beads and pimping their daughter’s tragic story. Readers have simply branded that family attention seekers who didn’t really care about their daughter.

I am not knocking religion here and I sincerely welcome anyone who professes to have genuine spiritual beliefs. My point here is that forcing religion in schools will not stop a school shooting. What might is keeping vigilant to young people who are alienated, harassed and bullied and then actually doing something to address those issues.

Next post: Take Karate

To buy He Was Weird, go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/He-Was-Weird-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1909740942/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421353173&sr=1-1&keywords=he+was+weird

 

Religion and School Shootings- He Was Weird

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Americans, bullying, guns, He Was Weird, islam, Michael D LeFevre, Pakistan, religion, school shootings, schools

My final post of 2014 had me thinking about school shootings and religion. I still can’t fathom why those extremists went into a school and shot a bunch of children and I probably never will. While I don’t accept it as any sort of excuse, I understand that the men who carried out this atrocity were doing so in accordance to their own religious understanding. This got me thinking about “He Was Weird” and Mark’s own religious views and the events that led him to shoot up his school.

Religion doesn’t get that much stage time outside Mark’s own personal convictions. We see him, convert to Jesus, go to church and bible school, have his only good experiences in the story at the bible camp and then undergo confirmation classes. From this, it would be easy to simply write off religion as having nothing to do with the shooting. After all, he suffers so much bullying and the powers that be do little or nothing  to prevent it that it leads some readers to conclude that it isn’t any wonder he carries out the shooting but hold that thought for a minute.

Mark believes that his prayers to God to deliver him from the bullies have gone unanswered. No matter how hard he prays, the grief he gets only seems to get worse. While I don’t actually go out and say it in the story, while he is riding his bike to school in order to carry out his extravaganza, we then learn that he has found a verse in Deuteronomy that seems to be spurring him on. I won’t quote the entire verse but the main part is “Leave none alive that breatheth.” It is this passage that gives him the courage he needs to go into the school and shoot up so many people. Note: for official casualty stats, you’ll have to buy the book.

In no way am I trying to say that I think that God or the bible caused Mark to shoot up the school. I think the real answer here is the fact that Mark was going through so much shit and nothing else was solving the problem that in desperation, he looked to anything that could save him from it. Therefore, he turned to God, praying and  searching the scriptures to find the answer. By the time he found the verse he needed, his mind was so badly effected by what he was going through that it gave him the courage he needed.

Drawing a link to what happened in Peshwar, those who carried out a far worse atrocity in real life were also influenced by their own understanding of their faith. They feared the teaching of “Western ways” in their country so they thought they were acting according to God’s command when they killed all of those children. Yes, their minds were warped by religion but to a lesser degree so was Mark’s. The big difference is that in the story we see all that transpires for him and feel a little sympathy even afterwards. The other noticeable difference is that he is the same age as those he shot while the terrorists were adults who should have known better. That makes them the more dangerous.

My point here is my belief that all religions have meant the best for the people who choose the follow them. However, no matter who noble a belief may seem, there is always the danger that it will be corrupted by men, especially those who use it for their own agendas and that is true with all faiths.

Next post: Could God Prevent School Shootings?

To buy He Was Weird, go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/He-Was-Weird-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1909740942/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420574388&sr=1-1&keywords=he+was+weird