I was driving to the School Transportation Association of Indiana state conference in French Lick, IN when I heard of the story of an elderly bus monitor being bullied by students on the radio. As soon as I had a few moments, I watched the video, which can be found HERE. I watched for two minutes, and then had to stop, because my blood pressure spiked.
This video angers me because of the example of sheer callousness on the part of the students who were bullying the elderly bus monitor. It angers me at the pain exhibited by this woman, being subjected to the verbal abuse being heaped upon her, and the obvious powerlessness she felt. It angers me because the monitor didn't feel empowered to either handle it on her own, or to notify the driver for assistance.
It would be easy to say this is endemic to society based on the few instances of this happening. It would also be easy to wonder why there is concern for this, rather than anger when this happens to children. I will address the second.
The elderly bus monitor represents authority. Peers do not. It is bad when peers bully each other, but it is a sign of a larger problem when people in positions of authority are bullied. If these students feel they can treat authority figures with such blatant disrespect, what will prevent them from bullying their peers?
I would be interested in seeing how the district handles this. Will they send the right message?
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