Comments on: Stealing From Children: A Great Injustice Of Workplace Bullying In America's Schools http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/ Work Shouldn't Hurt! Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:10:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mass law and responsibility for bullying in schools http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/#comment-7646 Mass law and responsibility for bullying in schools Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:52:01 +0000 http://www.workplacebullying.org/?p=2345#comment-7646 [...] For an enlightened view of how adult bullying affects student safety, read Dr. Spencer’s essay written exclusively for WBI — Stealing From Children. [...] [...] For an enlightened view of how adult bullying affects student safety, read Dr. Spencer’s essay written exclusively for WBI — Stealing From Children. [...]

]]> By: Sally http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/#comment-1970 Sally Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:37:58 +0000 http://www.workplacebullying.org/?p=2345#comment-1970 I was bullied out of my career after 13 years of succussful teaching. I sought help through my union, school board, the DPI, the EEOC, and finally hired my own lawyer. I was forced into resigning to keep insurance for my daughter until I can find another job (outside of the the career I worked so hard to build.) The sad fact? People don't care. This admin assaulted me in my classroom, and it was witnessed by many. The police came and issued him a disorderly conduct citation for his conduct. When the admin continued to harass me later that day, I threatened a restraining order. The response? Admin leave for me. When the Union rep finally met with all involved, he told me that I would be terminated if I followed through with criminal charges. If I didn't, then I would only receive a letter in my file....really. How can this be? The harassment continued, and now I am searching for a new career as I battle severe depression. No one in power in Wisconsin cares-sad, but true. I was bullied out of my career after 13 years of succussful teaching. I sought help through my union, school board, the DPI, the EEOC, and finally hired my own lawyer. I was forced into resigning to keep insurance for my daughter until I can find another job (outside of the the career I worked so hard to build.)
The sad fact? People don’t care. This admin assaulted me in my classroom, and it was witnessed by many. The police came and issued him a disorderly conduct citation for his conduct. When the admin continued to harass me later that day, I threatened a restraining order. The response? Admin leave for me.
When the Union rep finally met with all involved, he told me that I would be terminated if I followed through with criminal charges. If I didn’t, then I would only receive a letter in my file….really. How can this be? The harassment continued, and now I am searching for a new career as I battle severe depression.
No one in power in Wisconsin cares-sad, but true.

]]> By: Joe http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/#comment-1891 Joe Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:40:07 +0000 http://www.workplacebullying.org/?p=2345#comment-1891 This is an exraordinarily important issue, and many school employees will no doubt be grateful to find that it is more pervasive than personal. Just that alone should bring comfort to targets of bullying. I echo those respondents' comments that related to some or all of the causes and effects of being the target. The losses experienced by all concerned are devastating and inexcusable. Once joyful, passionate people become quite depleted, and the fear instilled in them robs them of very basic belief in their strengths, gifts, and dreams held for their professionalism and impact on students' futures. This does result in loss of productivity, creativity, zeal, and self-esteem in the professional, which translates to maximum losses in student progress and sense of being in a safe, nurturing learing environment. Students and their parents question whether or not this professional is the same enthusiastic person they met in the recent past. Those professionals are scrutinized and marginalized to such a degree that their ability to just "cope" is shattered. Their reports of abuse are shrugged off as so much noise from an incompetent, lazy, whining, needs-to-leave-the-profession-anyway individual. Keep up the good work. Many thanks for broaching a topic that has been ignored for far too long! This is an exraordinarily important issue, and many school employees will no doubt be grateful to find that it is more pervasive than personal. Just that alone should bring comfort to targets of bullying. I echo those respondents’ comments that related to some or all of the causes and effects of being the target. The losses experienced by all concerned are devastating and inexcusable. Once joyful, passionate people become quite depleted, and the fear instilled in them robs them of very basic belief in their strengths, gifts, and dreams held for their professionalism and impact on students’ futures. This does result in loss of productivity, creativity, zeal, and self-esteem in the professional, which translates to maximum losses in student progress and sense of being in a safe, nurturing learing environment. Students and their parents question whether or not this professional is the same enthusiastic person they met in the recent past. Those professionals are scrutinized and marginalized to such a degree that their ability to just “cope” is shattered. Their reports of abuse are shrugged off as so much noise from an incompetent, lazy, whining, needs-to-leave-the-profession-anyway individual. Keep up the good work. Many thanks for broaching a topic that has been ignored for far too long!

]]> By: Dorothy http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/#comment-1869 Dorothy Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:36:08 +0000 http://www.workplacebullying.org/?p=2345#comment-1869 I too was a target of bullying, but it took place in a community college setting. After many years in administration, I moved into the college’s development office with hopes of making a difference for students struggling to make it through college. The better I got at my job, the worse I was treated by my supervisors and colleagues. I eventually lost that job. Ultimately, it is the students and faculty I so passionately worked to serve who suffered. I am now working for a local school district and doing what I love most—nurturing student success. Ditto "I find peace in knowing that you are out there trying to do something to help." I too was a target of bullying, but it took place in a community college setting. After many years in administration, I moved into the college’s development office with hopes of making a difference for students struggling to make it through college. The better I got at my job, the worse I was treated by my supervisors and colleagues. I eventually lost that job. Ultimately, it is the students and faculty I so passionately worked to serve who suffered. I am now working for a local school district and doing what I love most—nurturing student success. Ditto “I find peace in knowing that you are out there trying to do something to help.”

]]> By: Matt Spencer http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/#comment-1866 Matt Spencer Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:34:02 +0000 http://www.workplacebullying.org/?p=2345#comment-1866 Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am so sorry that you ran into a bully who took away your opportunity to touch the lives of so many students. I fully understand the pain you endured of being a bully victim and also know how your heart aches for the students who were robbed of such a caring educational profession to care, nurture, and teach them each day. Those wonderful experiences you and your student enjoyed together have been stolen from all of you by a workplace bully. I understand what you mean by “coming to terms with what happened to you.” It is really hard to understand “why” it happened to you…and to me…and to so many others. We just were victims of a random act of emotional and mental violence so to speak. It is hard to understand how bad things happen to good people…but bad things sometimes do happen to good people. I tend to look at these bad times that happen in our lives as “tests of our character”. We get knocked down…beat down sometimes….but because we are strong and committed, we vow to get up and be better, smarter, and stronger and to return to a place of wholeness where we can honor our heart’s desire to help others. I hope that you are safe and are getting some answers to the many questions that go through our minds as workplace bully victims. I hope that you are still in education somewhere, and have the opportunity to give of your care, concern, and talents to children. If not, maybe you are working in another helping profession or soon will be! As you can tell from my thoughts expressed in the essay, I am passionate about schools being safe places for kids to learn and adults to work. Let’s do what we can to spread the word that “everyone should learn to play nice at school….the adults too!” Take care. Again, thanks for your kind words…I am so glad they were comforting and helpful to you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am so sorry that you ran into a bully who took away your opportunity to touch the lives of so many students. I fully understand the pain you endured of being a bully victim and also know how your heart aches for the students who were robbed of such a caring educational profession to care, nurture, and teach them each day. Those wonderful experiences you and your student enjoyed together have been stolen from all of you by a workplace bully.

I understand what you mean by “coming to terms with what happened to you.” It is really hard to understand “why” it happened to you…and to me…and to so many others. We just were victims of a random act of emotional and mental violence so to speak. It is hard to understand how bad things happen to good people…but bad things sometimes do happen to good people. I tend to look at these bad times that happen in our lives as “tests of our character”. We get knocked down…beat down sometimes….but because we are strong and committed, we vow to get up and be better, smarter, and stronger and to return to a place of wholeness where we can honor our heart’s desire to help others.

I hope that you are safe and are getting some answers to the many questions that go through our minds as workplace bully victims. I hope that you are still in education somewhere, and have the opportunity to give of your care, concern, and talents to children. If not, maybe you are working in another helping profession or soon will be!

As you can tell from my thoughts expressed in the essay, I am passionate about schools being safe places for kids to learn and adults to work. Let’s do what we can to spread the word that “everyone should learn to play nice at school….the adults too!”

Take care. Again, thanks for your kind words…I am so glad they were comforting and helpful to you.

]]> By: Dr. Gary Namie http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/#comment-1856 Dr. Gary Namie Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:40:59 +0000 http://www.workplacebullying.org/?p=2345#comment-1856 Mary Lou, Get involved in your state to enact our anti-bullying law that would have given you and your supportive principal justification for dismissing the teacher. We have Coordinators in 29 states. Visit <a href="http://healthyworkplacebill.org" rel="nofollow">the Healthy Workplace Bill website</a>. GN Mary Lou, Get involved in your state to enact our anti-bullying law that would have given you and your supportive principal justification for dismissing the teacher. We have Coordinators in 29 states. Visit the Healthy Workplace Bill website. GN

]]> By: Mary Lou http://www.workplacebullying.org/2010/03/25/mattspencer/#comment-1855 Mary Lou Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:36:46 +0000 http://www.workplacebullying.org/?p=2345#comment-1855 I was the target of workplace bullying where I was assistant to the special education teacher in an elementary school. I had worked at this position, quite successfully, for five years and brought 4 years experience from working in this field in other schools in the district. I experienced every 'side effect' you mention in this article from avoidance to nausea to using all my sick, and vacation days. The principal saw it was so bad that he put me on medical leave after I passed out one day from sheer exhaustion from sleepless nights and anxiety over what my supervising teacher might pull on me next. I wound up in the emergency room for over 7 hours. I still struggle to come to to terms over just what happened to me there. I grieve for my loss, the students in my care, the papers I graded and the books we read. The times we shared discovering just how multiplication works and just what a right angle is! These days and times were stolen from me--and this article brings to light how they were stolen from the students I worked with as well. I can only hope this woman does not continue on a path destroying the life of someone she must have perceived as a threat to her own position. I'd like to join a campaign to address this very real issue in America's schools if ever there was to be one. Thank you, Matt Spencer, for writing this. I find peace in knowing that you are out there trying to do something to help. I was the target of workplace bullying where I was assistant to the special education teacher in an elementary school. I had worked at this position, quite successfully, for five years and brought 4 years experience from working in this field in other schools in the district.
I experienced every ‘side effect’ you mention in this article from avoidance to nausea to using all my sick, and vacation days. The principal saw it was so bad that he put me on medical leave after I passed out one day from sheer exhaustion from sleepless nights and anxiety over what my supervising teacher might pull on me next. I wound up in the emergency room for over 7 hours.
I still struggle to come to to terms over just what happened to me there. I grieve for my loss, the students in my care, the papers I graded and the books we read. The times we shared discovering just how multiplication works and just what a right angle is! These days and times were stolen from me–and this article brings to light how they were stolen from the students I worked with as well. I can only hope this woman does not continue on a path destroying the life of someone she must have perceived as a threat to her own position. I’d like to join a campaign to address this very real issue in America’s schools if ever there was to be one. Thank you, Matt Spencer, for writing this. I find peace in knowing that you are out there trying to do something to help.

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