Linda says:
March 8, 2007 @ 10:02AM EST
I recently purchased and viewed Silent Witness. It is very well done. I plan to use it in a graduate level course, Managing Challenging and Difficult School Situations, that I teach for the University of Virginia/ Northern Virginia Center. We discuss bullying -- and Silent Witness will enhance student understanding of this very serious problem.
Keep up the good work!
Bud Mayo
David says:
March 10, 2007 @ 7:03PM EST
I recently watched this video on Cox7 Arizona, and it was great except for one small thing. Don't you think that telling bullies your secret plans of stopping them is kind of counterproductive? If you tell them exactly what you're going to do to stop them, won't the bullies know exactly how to get around your attempts of eradication. All I'm saying is, bullies will get smarter and you are just fueling the fire by teaching them how to improve.
Lisa says:
March 24, 2007 @ 1:32PM EST
I very much connected with the victims- I am now 20 but can still vividly recall being teased in middle school- and one particular instance where the teacher not only excused the behavior, but reinforced it by telling me that I brought it on myself by enjoying school. I think this video is something that school districts need to watch and need to take heed of. Bullying is very much a problem in schools today, and victims need to be protected. I never thought about the silent witnesses as such, I just thoguht they were bullies too. Great video, and very important!
Mary Mitchell says:
March 24, 2007 @ 2:05PM EST
I watched the silent witness of ABC, channel 2 in Stone Mountain Ga. I was relieved that such a program exsists. My grandson who was an a-b student told me he wasn't doing his work because he
was confronted by bullies who told him he was a geek. Thanks for addressing this issue.
Susan says:
March 26, 2007 @ 9:03AM EST
I am the social worker at our school systems and feel bullying is a major problem. I thought this video had some great ideas and I plan to try to incorporate some of them and begin a program to protect the victims. I was once a victim myself and know the effects it can have on someone into your adult life.
Ron Bendele says:
March 31, 2007 @ 7:32PM EST
I just watched Silent Witness on TV and I think it is a great show. I am a teacher at Paxon HS here in Jacksonville, FL. Although I rarely witness bullying, I believe it is going on. I think that the program that was illustrated could and should be instituted here in Jacksonville, FL.
Kathy says:
March 31, 2007 @ 7:52PM EST
Watched video this evening. I am glad this issue is being addressed. I was also teased when I was young, but I think it was even more painful to me when my eight year old daughter came home from school and a lady at the school had to weigh each of the children. The only thing was that she was announcing the weight out loud for all to hear. Well my daughter ended up weighing the most. By no means was she obese. She was just a solid girl. Well she was the talk of the class for a few weeks. She was devastated! This was second grade. Later that year she was diagnosed with cancer. I found a book she had journaled in and it had asked what was the worst day of her life? You would think the answer would have been the day she found out she had cancer, but no, she had written the day she was weighed at school. She could handle illness better than the school incident. I could tell her how beautiful she was inside and out and how she meant the world to her Daddy and I, but somehow those childrens opinion of her was more powerful. I believe she found her strength during cancer. She handled it with such might and strength of character. I will always be so proud of her. I'm so sorry to say she is no longer with us in this world but I know she is safe in the kingdom of heaven where I know she will no longer have to suffer from anything.
Kathy Pember says:
March 31, 2007 @ 8:01PM EST
I wish two things this had been in place when I was in school back in the 60's and 70's I might have really liked school. I also wish it was in place when my daughters attended high school they were in to many fights over names and actings by other children.
Ronald Cope says:
April 6, 2007 @ 4:55PM EST
The program was interesting and brought alot of information to us as parents.
My question is, why did you air the program during the after the bell hours rather than after 6PM when the parents that need to learn the facts were still at work?????
Elaine says:
April 8, 2007 @ 10:10PM EST
Thank you! Please air this program again. My eight year old son has not only been bullied but physically assaulted at school. I believe that most parents and teachers don't believe this can happen in grammer school. It happens everyday at one level or another. These children are scared. My son is now seeing a therapist because he was too afraid to go out to recess and he could no longer concentrate on school work. Parents, please pay attention to the "little things" your children say. Harmful actions start with words and taunts. Again, thank you for airing this very important subject matter. Northern California
FELICIA BLOUNT says:
April 9, 2007 @ 12:03AM EST
My son has been bullied at Sandtown Middle school on Nov 28, 2006 asssulted by 4 boys. One got expelled one got 2 days Indoors suspension, nothing happen to the other boys. Then a counselor by the name of Mr. Holley came and told my son that he knows that boy Debraee and if he was to get him expelled then his boys was going to attack him. On Dec 12, 2006 a boy named Kareem Howard attacked my son by slapping him in the gym then five time in the hall way. My son has a disability he has ADHD and other health impairments I need an advocate who is strong in the special education feild to help me get my child back in school. there is so many errors in his IEP. Then on Jan 23 a boy name Davin attempt to fight him got up in his face and mad threats then one of the 4 boys who assaulted Joshua on Nov 28, attempted to fight him on Jan 25, 2007. Joshua did not say or do any thing to him. On Feb 17 my son had a seizure. Me and him was in the bath room talking and he was trying to tell me something and all of a sudden his leg gave out on him, I then caught him in my arm and we both came down on the carpet. I laid him on my right thigh and he just stared at me for about 3 seconds and then rolled over and said moma my head hurt. Please some body help me get my son back in school. a change of placement. Thank you for your support
christina Apostolos says:
April 9, 2007 @ 10:48PM EST
From what i have seen in this video, it bothered me that all these kids are being bullied and teased. i have got to say that im one of those kids. i have been bullied from kidnergarden all the way through highschool and i got to tell you it was not pretty. when i was much younger, i had developed a learning disability to where sometimes i know things and other times i do not know much of anything. when it comes to a certain situation, my mind goes blank. when alot of kids had found out about this, i was an easy target for bullys to get me. around elemetry and junior high i was teased and sometimes threatened by other kids that i dont even know. they had threatened to hurt me number of times and i was scared. my family have protected me from bullys because they fear that someone may want to hurt or worse.......kill me! i never had many friends because of this. i am all like,"hey what did i ever do to you?!" they never gave me any reasons why, they just like that fact that they can bully me and get away with it. some of them said to my face that i was hidiously ugly and a fat piece of c**p. in highschool it got bad enough for me. alot of boys never liked me for the way i look. some of them never toke me to the winter formal dance. there was this girl named Ashlee Rose who was in the same p.e. class with me. she found out that i was into the music of such stars like Nsync and Ozzy Osbourne. she would constently insult me in the face that nsync was gay and ozzy was an old fart. i could not take it anymore! i was on the verge of just punching her where it hurts but i did not want to cause any violence. it was my senior year thats why. i was scared of being exspelled. all i ever did was go to both the teacher and the school princible and she got suspension for almost a week. i felt bad but in the end, i did the right thing of telling someone about it. now since im in college, i have not had any bully problems. i want to tell other kids out there,"Don't let any bully controll you. don't let them push you around. Stick up for yourself and be the winner in the fight!" and most importantly,"BE YOURSELF!"
Pamela Apostolos says:
April 10, 2007 @ 12:20AM EST
Alot of you might have read my daughter's comment about the program that was aired. I guess grammar school is not like it use to be in my day, but all I have to say to all schools across the country or for that matter across the nation is "Shame on you for not sticking up for the kids when there is any situation that comes up like bullying.... etc." . And from experience with the bullying that my daughter had to go through, I think it is appalling that there are some parents out there just turn the other way and not do a thing; or say a lame excuse that kids will be kids. Look what happen at Colimbine, and other shootings across the country!. And I take my hat off to the parents and the youth of this country who stick up for what is right at any cost. All I can say in closing is .. " Parents don't give up in fighting for the rights of your children or other peoples children! ". One person can make a difference, but just imagine what a whole group of parents, priciples, school board officials can do together!.
Muriel Strand says:
April 10, 2007 @ 12:07PM EST
Bullying among kids & youth will probably continue as long as we live in a bullying society.
Adults must set a better example by getting serious about forms of bullying such as racism, classism, our adversarial criminal justice system, our violent prison system, our war on drug users, and of course our imperialist military adventures abroad, including our abundance of nuclear weapons and national goal of militarizing and dominating space.
You may think I am exaggerating, but start paying attention and see.
Until we truly start acting like the kind of Christian country that Jesus might recognize, I don't see how we can expect kids to act better than we do.
Lisa Knight says:
April 10, 2007 @ 5:10PM EST
I am an elementary school teacher and found this program to be so moving that I showed it to our school principal, who then had the entire staff watch it. We were all so touched by the program that we began a schoolwide anti-bullying program at our school (lead by our school counselor). There seems to be a definite change for the better in our school climate, just through having a different focus on our silent witnesses. The power is amazing! I highly recommend this DVD for all school personnel.
Mary Troup says:
April 11, 2007 @ 2:21PM EST
The Silent Witness video provoked much discussion in my Star Cluster group of sixth graders. It is one of the few anti-bullying videos I have seen that really gets to the heart of the matter. I highly recommend this for all educators and students in Middle through High School.
Debra DeYoung says:
April 21, 2007 @ 7:11PM EST
I just watched this program today and it prompted me to your website and program. What a wonderful tool for parents and educators. I am going to find out what our private school is doing about this probem and encourage them to look into this program. Thank you and look forward to making a difference in the lives of others.
LDV says:
April 21, 2007 @ 8:17PM EST
I'm glad more focus is being placed on bullying and verbal abuse. My brother, sister & I all still bare the emotional scars from it beginning in the 5th grade for me. It's been over 20 years & I still remember all the kids names, what they said & did - even the teachers' reactions, including being called a tattle tale, a baby.. basically, saying it's our fault & shut up. Our parents blew it up as all kids get bullied. That may be but it shouldn't be. You grow up very angry & with a feeling of helplessness - not a good way to start out in the business and social world. If you or a group of you see someone getting verbally abused or bullied, you should all put your arms around that person and each other & walk away from the bully, if you can't think of anything to say. At least they - and the bully - will see that person isn't on their own.
daniel says:
April 22, 2007 @ 11:31AM EST
why not just fight back. throw a punch or two thats really stops bullies
dana vesprey says:
April 22, 2007 @ 12:22PM EST
I was very pleased to see TV time given to discuss the problem of BULLYING in school.
This is a major problem in almost all schools.
I believe that parents and teachers can do very little to stop such negative bullying unless it becomes part of the curriculum.
The climate of intolerance for this behavior, must come from top administrators and trickle down.
If only we would keep in mind that victims are "silent suffers" and that one day, we can ourselves be victimized by both the "suffers" and the "bullies". We have all seen the results of what bullying has done in our society.
I know, as a parent, whenever my son comes home and talks about a kid that was made fun of at school, I tell him to think about how he would feel, if he were the one being rediculed. I let him know that, I don't see the fun in what was done to that child. I even ask him to remember the time when he was bullied, by a boy in our neighborhood and reflect on how he felt.
He actually stops and thinks about it and get the point.
I don't think school should be about learning to endure pain, rather, it should teach kids how to avoid inflicting such pain in others, especially other children.
I applaud your effort to make our world safer.
DANA
Randy Willingham says:
April 24, 2007 @ 8:33PM EST
I'm grateful for this focus. I am a small, collegiate All-American in wrestling. A large part of what drove me was the bullying experience. I appreciate your emphasis on courage and the responsibility of bystanders. This is a long overdue focus, and a long overdue call to higher responsibilty. God bless your efforts.
Kathleen Sullivan says:
April 25, 2007 @ 10:53AM EST
It is uncanny how timely this program is for my family. My older son is in the 4th grade and we have been going through the issues of bullying. He goes to a neighborhood school. The staff are very good teachers and talk constantly about bullying, however it does not stop it. Mark is teased almost every day because he is the smallest kid in his grade. He won't cry at school but comes home sad, mad and upset. We have struggled how to teach him the skills for coping. This week he was physically bullied and had some minor injuries. I watched your program and cried because I finally felt like..okay I am not alone, something can be done. I am recommending this program to my child's school. Although the skits were for older kids, it is relivant to the younger group. If we can stop or at minimum give our elementary kids the tools to positively respond to bullying then maybe it won't be so previlant in middle and high school. Thank you for your program..it has helped open new communication for me and my family!
whitney shavers says:
May 2, 2007 @ 10:28AM EST
what's wrong
WHITNEY SHAVERS says:
May 2, 2007 @ 10:38AM EST
GIRL DON'T THINK U IS BY UR SELF BECAUSE THEY HAVE A LOT OF GIRLS OUT THERE DOIN THE SAME THING YA'LL WAS DOIN SO I'M TELLIN U DON'T FELL BAD LOVE YA
LaToya browner says:
May 12, 2007 @ 1:10PM EST
many people do get bully.i just want them to know that your not alone.to me it feels like if your not mean to other people that it just makes you target.Even though some might try to ignore it, and act like it doesn't hurt when people that you thought were your freinds stand around and see it happening but don't say anything.you might feel alone or like it's no end to it.but it's not only your friends that do nothing it's also the teachers and staff members who do nothing.I am a 9'th grade student,and i sit in my third period every day.I am constantly called out of my name and picked on.i feel alone becausemy teacher hears it and sees it but still does nothing.My mother has been up to the school multiple times to try to do something about it.the administrators have constantly said that they would handle it but nothing has yet been done.i feel that the administrators show favortism,or are starting to think that maybe i'm the problem.I HOPE THAT MANY PEOPLE WATCH THIS.
Raul Arbiso (Coach Raul) says:
June 17, 2007 @ 12:09AM EST
Hello folks, I saw some of the "Silent Witness" this Saturday Morning and I'm glad to see that someone is bringing this situation to light in most, if not all, schools. The kids called me Coach Raul. I was the school's PE Instructor for 8 years, K-6. Teachers have their classroom, I had the whole school. I had the love and the knack (abillity) to work, help, teach, guide, and communicate with the kids. After a short period of time you get to know their names, how they act, how they react, how they respond to problems and situations, and how to handle their emotions. And yes, there were bullies....but not for long. Bullies have an underlying problem, once you find out what their problem is, for the most part, you can correct it. I had no problem with bullies. I was able to reach them all. For me teaching kids was easy, I was able to demonstrate how I loved, cared, and told them how each and every boy and girl was special......and though every one of them are different, they are special in their own different way. When I left the school, every child knew what it was to "Treat others as they themselves would like to be Treated". Now, as for other schools and the upper grades, there does have to be money, teaching, time, role playing, and ALL the tool needed to reach all the students to make them feel safe on the school grounds AND for teachers, and administrators not to turn a blind eye to the students that are being picked on. Also, to encourage the students who witness a bully to come forth and notify someone. There is a big satisfaction and gratification of the heart when someone steps out to help. Most do not know this. As I see it, Silent Witness is a good start to this......Coach Raul
Dorothy Stahlnecker says:
August 5, 2007 @ 5:03PM EST
I'm going to try to get myself to purchase and watch the video. When I was growing up I had to stick up for my cousin who had one leg shorter than the other. They called her gimpy. Of course, it's much worse today as there is violence, besides the verbal and emotional abuse. Thank you for taking a stand and asking us all to be aware of the problem.
My 12 year old grandson recently had kids throw a knife at him.
While we are constantly looking at action shows, DVD's, videos, etc. I wonder if we can ever be bully free? However, trying is our job, and I'm on the team as well.
Dorothy from grammology a 61 year old grandmother
http://grammology.com
