Everything Under The Sun: Bullying Prevention; Everyone Is Important And Valuable

Presentation at Capital Christian Schools.

Let's take some time to discuss bullying, or peer abuse. Lisa Ford Berry knows the devastating impact of peer abuse on a family member. On his 17th birthday, Michael Berry, her son, committed suicide, a result of the peer abuse that he was experiencing. He had even reported the abuse to school officials, who ended up failing him.

Lisa Ford Berry broke her silence two years after she and her husband lost their precious son by establishing B.R.A.V.E.SOCIETY. which stands for Bullies Really Are Violating Everyone. This nonprofit organization is dedicated to raising awareness about peer abuse, supporting change in school systems, reducing the number of silent observers and raising the numbers of those who act. There are a number of resources that this organization has posted online, as well, including the phone number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

There is a wonderful English teacher, Brittni Darras, at Rampart High School, who shared a story of caring about all of her students. Her mind was opened during a parent-teacher conference about two months ago. A mother of a student in her classes for the past two years, showed up holding a note. On it, were the names of her teachers, followed by a "yes" or "no". Ms. Darras spotted her name on the sheet of paper, with the "yes" written next to it.

Now, this student, who was a friendly and intelligent student, was planning to commit suicide, and was actually interrupted in the act by police response to a SAFE2TELL tip from someone who reported that this student had deleted her Facebook account and posted goodbye letters. That student was receiving treatment at the time on an inpatient psychiatric unit.

Ms. Darras explained, "She had asked her daughter if she felt comfortable sharing the story and sharing why she'd been absent. That was the 'yes' and the 'no'. Teachers that you can tell, and teachers that you probably shouldn't say something to. My name had a 'yes' next to it, so she proceeded to explain to me the reason for her daughter's extended absence."

Both parent and teacher were in tears. Ms. Darras then asked for permission to write a letter to the student, who was then in the hospital. When the teen received the letter, her response to mom was, "How could somebody say such nice things about me? I didn't think anybody would miss me if I was gone."

That response prompted some deep thinking by Ms. Darras, who realized that she had come close to losing one of her students to suicide. So, she decided to write a note to every single student she was teaching, a total of 130. One of the recipients was Bree Worthier, who found this in her note, "Bree, you are the student I brag about to all my friends." Bree discussed how the note affected her, "It was just incredible. She has an eye, like to see things and to actually listen to her students."

If you have any questions about what bullying is, this is the explanation. We all need to be better to each other. Lives depend upon it.

In this way, Ms. Darras touched her students and showed them how important each and every one truly is. With all of the pressures that young people have to perform, to do their best, and the disappointment at letting others down, it's important that each teen, child knows that they are supported and loved. Those are qualities that help a child be more resilient in the face of disparagement by peers. It may also be the ingredient that helps a child, who sees abuses towards a fellow student, to have the strength to report it to someone trusted. It is also teachers like Ms. Darras, who values her students, to provide support and to act when evidence of peer abuse is presented. It's vital to saving lives; the lives of our children depend on it.