Yuting
is now 13 years old and is in Jr. High school. She does well academically and especially
enjoys English because of her love of reading, and has been put in advanced
classes because of her high aptitude.
Yuting is very involved in extra-curricular activities and really enjoys playing
on the softball team after school and being a part of the yearbook club. However, some girls in school have recently
been picking on Yuting because she has two dads; they make fun of her for being
different. Because of the bullying
Yuting has become depressed and is missing school frequently claiming to be
sick. This has not helped her math grade, and, in spite of time with a special education resource teacher, she seems to be falling further behind the other students.
* How
should Yuting deal with be bullied?
* What is the parents' responsibility in this situation? Both the parents of the student(s) being bullied and the parents of the bully? Evaluate the extent to which Yuting's problem with bullies is an "inside of school" problem versus an "outside of the school" problem.
* How common is depression common
in adolescents?
* What steps should be taken to support Yuting regarding her difficulties in math?
* How should Yuting deal with being bullied?
ReplyDeleteBeing bullied is a problem many children and teens face when they are considered “different” to their peers. As much as Yuting tries to fit in in a social environment, the fact that she has two dad’s will always be something that targets her to get bullied by her classmates. In a situation like this, there are ways to help Yuting with her struggle with being bullied so that she can continue to enjoy her life free of harassment and stress and feel comfortable in her surroundings. It is important for Yuting to speak out and do something about the situation early on before the bullying escalates to more than just the other girls picking on her.
The school environment is probably where Yuting feels bullied the most. More often than not, a lot of bullying takes part in school so that other people can witness and feel a part of it too. A bully wants to be recognized and feel powerful so having an audience or group helps fuel a bully’s fire. Lucky for Yuting, she is very involved in extra-curriculars which allows her to have a good group of friends she can depend on and go to when the bullying gets her upset. It is important for Yuting to try and tune out the bullying as much as she can and keep focused on the things that make her happy. She needs to try and ignore it as much as she can because what a bully wants most is to see her upset but if she doesn’t give them that satisfaction most likely the bullying will subside. If Yuting keeps a positive outlook on her life and practicing building her confidence it will be easier for her to stand up to the bullying.
She can also try to talking to the girls that are bullying her. If she doesn’t feel comfortable in a face-to-face situation, she can always have her group of friends come with her for support. Sometimes talking to a bully and explaining how much they are affecting you is the first step in understanding why they are so mean in the first place. If Yuting can figure out what it is that these girls don’t like about her, or if it is just that they are naïve about her family situation, Yuting can help explain it to them. This can be a powerful step in showing that Yuting is a confident girl that can defend herself and this may show her bullies a side of her they did not expect. Most people hesitate to speak out because it can be hard and they don’t want to dig themselves any deeper than they already are. It takes confidence to stand up to a bully, especially if they are someone who can influence a lot of other people. If Yuting can be the first to step up to this bully, it may lead others to follow and help her in the long run.
If Yuting is not comfortable speaking out or finds the situation getting more severe, this is when she should involve her parents or another adult figure. If she believes she can’t help herself anymore or realizes that this is greatly affecting her life she really should consider talking to someone. Staying quiet is the most common mistake that kids getting harassed and bullied make because they believe this will just make the situation worse. No matter the circumstances, Yuting should never be afraid to go to her family and friends when she needs help. Sometimes another individual will come up with an easier way to fix her problems.
* What is the parents' responsibility in this situation? Both the parents of the student(s) being bullied and the parents of the bully?
ReplyDeleteEvaluate the extent to which Yuting's problem with bullies is an "inside of school" problem versus an "outside of the school" problem.
Ron and Tom are very fortunate to have such a close and open relationship with Yuting, especially for a girl her age. It is difficult for most girls’ her age because a lot of the time they will not want to communicate with their parents or any adult really, about what is actually going on. Kids are often hesitate to tell adults about bullying because they are embarrassed and ashamed of what is happening and they worry that their parents will be mad. They also fear that this will just lead to further problems, for example, people calling them a “tattle-tail.” Rob and Tom know that Yuting has been bullied and although they allowed her to take a few “mental” days to get things together, they realize they cannot let her run away or hide from her problems forever. They also realize that every time they let her stay home, they are hindering her learning, especially in math.
The first thing Ron and Tom should do to help their daughter is to commend her on coming to them for help in the first place. Although finding out your child is being bullied must be hard on any parents, they must focus on comforting and supporting her and making sure she realizes this is not her fault. Yuting may want to blame herself for why she is being made fun of but Rob and Tom will need to reassure her that she has done nothing wrong. After doing so, Rob and Tom must assess how serious the situation really is. The best step to take from here is to notify Yuting’s teacher or a counselor. Most likely, they may not even know the bullying is happening and will hopefully know of a way to help stop the bullying at school. In this kind of situation, the teacher can do one of two things; either find a way to speak to the other girl’s directly that doesn’t involve them finding out that Yuting was the one who got her teacher involved, or if it is very serious, get a meeting together with all parties involved. If Yuting’s teacher believes that the other girls mean no harm, just need a little stern talking to, she will take initiative in handling the situation and punishing them according. If, however, she feels as though Yuting is being threatened or seriously picked on, she can schedule a meeting with Rob and Tom, and the parents of the others involved and talk one on one to get the side of every story. Most likely, the other parents will have no idea that their child is a bully and at times this is a hard thing to have to hear. From here, Yuting’s teacher can either leave it to the families to deal with themselves, or she can make suggestions on how to end the bullying. Yuting’s teacher and counselors will most likely keep a closer on bullying from now on and if it happens again will take harsher measures in hopes to maintain a bully-free atmosphere.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf Ron and Tom choose to approach the bullies’ parents directly they must be careful not to offend them. Finding out their child is a bully is probably not something a parent wants to hear but a step that has to be taken in order to stop bullying and harassment. The parents of the girls’ first step should be to find out where the bullying started and how long it has been going on. There may be underlying reasons as to why these girls are acting the way they are and the sooner they are figured out, the sooner an end to the bullying can be achieved. The parents need to have a talk about why bullying is bad and how it affects other people. They then are encouraged to set up some sort of system or rules that will help their children stop bullying and make sure they enforce consequences to any further acts of misbehavior. Most of the time, girls who are bullies at this age are just going through a stage, whether it be for attention or something going on in their environment, but usually it is not a serious matter. As long as their parents stay involved, the girls will usually grow out of this stage if the right steps are taken.
ReplyDeleteYuting found herself in the best case scenario when it comes to bullying. Although it is never a pleasant experience, the situations vary in degrees of severity. In Yuting’s case she was being picked on and made fun of during school, but nothing outside of that. There are cases where bullying becomes physical and the earlier someone is notified the less chance there is of it getting that severe. Another form of bullying includes “cyber-bullying” where children are getting bullied over text or computer on top of at school. This form of bullying is most often seen because it is where most bullies feel the most comfortable when they don’t have to be face-to-face. Yuting was smart in letting her parents know early on before it got to any other form of bullying because in her case the situation can still easily be figured out.
For now, it is just important to Yuting to remember that what makes her different is also what makes her unique. She can’t let what other people say negatively affect her because most of the time what they say doesn’t matter. Yuting has a very close group of friends and family who love her. As long as she sees the good in her family and friends then what everyone else is saying should not phase her.
* How common is depression common in adolescents?
ReplyDeleteApproximately 15-20% of American teenagers have depression. Girls are twice more likely that boys to experience depression in the teenage years. Risk factors for depression include stressful life events, loss of a parent, death of a family or friend, divorce, child abuse, poor social skills, chronic illness, and history of depression.
* What steps should be taken to support Yuting regarding her difficulties in math?
ReplyDeleteYuting is falling further behind in math because she was never diagnosed properly. Therefore, she has not been receiving the services that she needs. In order for Yuting to receive the services she needs, the school must take action. Yuting needs to be reevaluated. Yuting will need to go through the same process that she went through before in elementary school. However, this time a special education teacher that specializes in math disabilities should be a part of this team. Yuting needs to undergo a series of math tests in order to pinpoint the specific area that is struggling with. After all the necessary tests have been given, there needs to be an eligibility meeting in which the team decides what type of disability Yuting has. Clearly Yuting has a learning disability in math, so the team needs to decide what exactly she is struggling with and what they are going to do about it. Once the team decides, they need to have documentation that states the specific disability, reason for their decision, behavior that affects the teen’s learning, and any medical conditions that affect Yuting’s learning. If Yuting is found eligible for related services, an IEP team must be formed. An IEP must include the strengths of the child, concerns about the child’s education, results for the evaluation, academic needs, child’s needs for benchmarks and short-term objectives, as well as need for other related services or assistive technology. The IEP must also include measurable annual goals. These goals need to be things that the team agrees that the child can accomplish within one year. These goals need to be reasonable and individualized for each child. The IEP team will also need to decide on where Yuting needs to be placed for math. Will she stay in the general education classroom, will she be pulled out into a special education group, will she have a one-on-one tutor, etc. On the previous IEP, Yuting was given an aide to help her in class. However, since this has not been helpful, the team needs to come up with another plan of action to help Yuting improve. They need to consider why the aide did not help in order to help create an affective IEP for Yuting. They need to ensure that they are placing her in the least restrictive environment. Since the plan in the previous IEP has been unsuccessful in helping her improve, the team needs to integrate other strategies and ideas that they have not already tried. After the IEP is developed, the school must implement exactly what is written in the child’s IEP. The IEP will need to be reviewed and revised at least once a year. At this time, the team will discuss if the goals have been met and they can decide in reevaluations are needed. At this time, they can also add or change the type of services that Yuting is receiving.
It is very important that Ron and Tom are a part of this process as much as possible. They need to attend meetings regarding Yuting. They should come prepared to meetings with their research, questions, comments, and concerns. In addition, they should keep in contact with Yuting’s teachers so that they can stay up-to-date on her progress. Ron and Tom have worked with Yuting a lot after school, so it is important they tell the team everything that they have been doing at home. The more detailed they can be about the strategies and activities that they have tried at home, the more helpful it will be for the team to make a decision about what new strategies to try. It is important for Yuting to receive help as soon as possible. In order to ensure that Yuting doesn’t fall behind, Ron and Tom need to keep close tabs on her progress. If they see that she is not progressing, they need to bring it to the IEP team’s attention immediately.
ReplyDeleteWhen testing Yuting, the proctor noticed that when given a simple problem such as 5+7, Yuting used her fingers to count. Even then, she still struggled. She became very frustrated because it took her so long to answer what she knew was a simple problem.
Decision Point: Yuting has been formally diagnosed with a math disability. After reviewing all the results of the tests, the eligibility team diagnosed Yuting with a learning disability. More specifically, she was diagnosed with a math disability. In math, she particularly struggles with memorizing basic number facts. Yuting never received appropriate help in elementary school, so the problem has compounded and gotten worse now that she is in middle school. Since she doesn’t know how to do basic math operations without using her fingers, she is not able to keep up with the curriculum in the classroom.
Yuting needs to be pulled out of the classroom for help. Initially, she should be pulled out and for the entire class period until she catches up to her peers. As soon as she catches up to her peers, she should be placed back in the general education classroom. Then it would be more affective to pull her out daily for one or two 15 minute increments. In addition, it would also help her to continue having an aide in the classroom.
Since she is so far behind, the general education teacher cannot provide her with the adequate help that she needs. Having an aide in the classroom didn’t help because Yuting is so far behind. In order to catch up to her peers, she must be placed in a special education class for math. This environment will provide Yuting with specific instructions related to where she is struggling. In order to help Yuting in the classroom, she must not be allowed to use a calculator until she knows her basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In order to teach her these facts, she should be given a portable math chart that she can use to help her learn how to add, subtract, multiply in divide. By using this chart, Yuting will learn valuable skills that she can use to help her find the answer.
Yuting understands the basics of adding and subtracting because she can do simple problems on her fingers. From this, we can infer that she understands the concepts she just can’t master them mentally. The special education teacher should start off with small, single digit numbers. Then they should slowly work their way to larger numbers. It is important for the teachers to remember that Yuting needs both instruction and practice. Yuting needs to be taught strategies to help her succeed. Since Yuting seems upset by her lack of progress in math, it is important that she is constantly being encouraged. It would also be helpful for her to keep track of her progress. This would help Yuting see everything that she is accomplishing instead of focusing on how far behind she is.
ReplyDeleteSources
Ferrell, F. (2008, April). Bullying prevention resource guide: Best practices. Retrieved from http://www.bullyingprevention.org/index.cfm/ID/8
Garnett, Kate (1998) Math Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/5896/
My child is being bullied. (2010, March). Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/parents/my_child_is_being_bullied/index.html
Teen Depression (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.teendepression.org/info/causes-of-teen-depression/
Question from Group 3:
ReplyDeleteHow do Yuting's dads feel about her bullying? Do they feel responsible for her falling behind in school?