<p>Honestly, I cannot believe how many times I have been disgusted by the behavior of adults in authority, looking the other way. I have seen highly intelligent mothers - successful, educated people - pretend that they do not see their daughter’s “mean girl” behavior when it occurs right in front of them! I have seen mothers discredit the victim, malign her reputation, even speak to teachers, camp counselors, and church group leaders all to advocate on her mean girl daughter’s behalf. You can’t write this stuff. I have seen elementary school teachers who clearly prefer the attractive, well-groomed mean-girl or mean-boy prototype, and almost enjoy watching the struggles of the kids who are being abused. </p>
<p>It’s a sick world that we live in.</p>
<p>I know bullying can happen at public or private schools, and while I know this is not the forum for a political debate, my experience is that at least with private schools you have choices. You can move to another. Kids get kicked out much more quickly (so do teachers and administrators). It’s usually smaller, so the kids are SEEN more. Everyone deserves choice when it comes to education. There are amazing public school teachers, but I think the whole tenure/teacher’s union set-up is evil. Everyone deserves the chance to have a voucher and to say “so long!” when schools are not functioning properly.</p>