Middle schoolers torment an elderly bus monitor and post it to the internet

[disneychic2]

They didn't post it on Youtube - they posted it on Facebook to amuse themselves. An unrelated party saw it there and uploaded it to Youtube specifically to expose them for what they are.

Every one of those kids should never be allowed on a school bus again - walk your sorry, snotty little butts to school and back.

Some empathy training every weekend for a year or so also might be nice, along with each sending her like $20 a week until they graduate, in an envelope, addressed and sent weekly, with an apology every time.

Yes to all of this!

 

[happygirl]

It a shame so many people are aganist spanking children. These kids need spankings and badly. I can't believe there parents are making excuses for them

 

[luvsJack]

I watched it and then showed it to dd. I asked her if she knows anyone that would ever treat someone like that. She was shocked by what was happening and she said that she can't even imagine the meanest kid in their class treating an elderly person that way. I guess even our "thugs" have more respect than this little brats.

Regardless of what the parents want to believe, the school needs to take a firm hand with these kids. Obviously the parents don't want to. I think community service served in a nursing home would do them wonders and no bus rides for a long while.

I do agree with MrsPete about the monitor not being effective in her job. I am all for buses having monitors but it needs to be someone that can effectively handle behavior problems. What if a fight broke out on that bus? How on earth could she do anything?

 

[topolino]

Even at that age, 12 or 13, one should be aware of the fact that the most deplorable behavior is that which targets the weakest among us. Obviously this is lost on many, as we have a huge problem with bullying. I feel the term "bullying" is overused at times, but it absolutely applies here.

I expect the excuses from the parents to begin anytime now, if they haven't already.

 

[topolino]

They didn't post it on Youtube - they posted it on Facebook to amuse themselves. An unrelated party saw it there and uploaded it to Youtube specifically to expose them for what they are.

Every one of those kids should never be allowed on a school bus again - walk your sorry, snotty little butts to school and back.

Some empathy training every weekend for a year or so also might be nice, along with each sending her like $20 a week until they graduate, in an envelope, addressed and sent weekly, with an apology every time.

Good point. I edited the title of the thread.

 

[gwynne]

I watched it and then showed it to dd. I asked her if she knows anyone that would ever treat someone like that. She was shocked by what was happening and she said that she can't even imagine the meanest kid in their class treating an elderly person that way. I guess even our "thugs" have more respect than this little brats.

Regardless of what the parents want to believe, the school needs to take a firm hand with these kids. Obviously the parents don't want to. I think community service served in a nursing home would do them wonders and no bus rides for a long while.

I do agree with MrsPete about the monitor not being effective in her job. I am all for buses having monitors but it needs to be someone that can effectively handle behavior problems. What if a fight broke out on that bus? How on earth could she do anything?

I understand what you're saying, but I'm hesitant to judge the monitor. I have no idea of what her exact job description was, and what she was restricted from doing. Had she taken a firm stand, she might be in some sort of legal jeopardy...entitled snowflakes and their parents do seem to feel they have all the rights.

And JMO, but I think it would be a dangerous mistake to expose fragile elders in a care facility to the real potential of abuse from these students. Their complete lack of empathy is breathtaking.

 

[spacemountainmom]

Speaking as someone who worked in a midde school and now in a high school, I can relate to the monitor. Kids can be downright nasty. I also understand how people are hired for positions and given very little training and sadly no support when trying to deal with inappropriate behavior. If I had a dollar for every time I referred a student for inappropriate behavior and the administration did nothing, I could retire as well. I am also considerably younger than that monitor.

I was once pushed pretty hard from behind by a middle school student. He did end up getting suspended over the incident, but only after I forced the issue. I pretty much told the administration that if the kid touched me again, I was calling the police and filing charges. We have two young men at the high school who have bodily threatened several staff members and verbally assaulted many others. I don't understand how they are still in school. I am hoping they won't be back next fall since they walked up to and started threatening a couple of guys on the custodial staff on the last day of school. I should think that there are enough reported incidents that the admin has to do something. Then again, I thought the first time was enough.

I don't get it. I was not raised to be so disrespectful to my elders and certainly not to someone at school. I also was raised to believe that if I did behave badly at school that any punishment I received there was going to be a cakewalk compared to what I would face at home. My kids are in high school and middle school and know that they'd be in huge trouble if they behaved 1/10 as badly as those punks.

When did this all change? Who are these parents? Why are schools tolerating the poor behavior of the students and their parents?

I do love my job and love working with kids, but I tell you there are days when I just would gladly run screaming out the door and never come back. Most of the kids are good and decent, but sadly the percentage that are
problems really are awful.

 

[luvsJack]

I understand what you're saying, but I'm hesitant to judge the monitor. I have no idea of what her exact job description was, and what she was restricted from doing. Had she taken a firm stand, she might be in some sort of legal jeopardy...snowflakes and their parents do seem to feel they have all the rights.

And JMO, but I think it would be a dangerous mistake to expose fragile elders in a care facility to the real potential of abuse from these students. Their complete lack of empathy is breathtaking.

I don't really want to judge her, its more of a judgement on the school system for putting her in that job.

Maybe her job description is different, I didn't think about it that way. Here there are monitors only on the busses that have had behavior problems. Its usually one of the male teachers but they have hired a couple. There job is to handle the problems on the bus so that the driver can stay focused on the road.

As for the kids being at a nursing home, somehow I think if they were split up, they wouldn't act anything like this. These are the type of kids who are strengthened by each other. Split them up and let them work with an orderly (being under supervision at all times), I think you would see a huge difference in them.

 

[gwynne]

I don't really want to judge her, its more of a judgement on the school system for putting her in that job.

Maybe her job description is different, I didn't think about it that way. Here there are monitors only on the busses that have had behavior problems. Its usually one of the male teachers but they have hired a couple. There job is to handle the problems on the bus so that the driver can stay focused on the road.

As for the kids being at a nursing home, somehow I think if they were split up, they wouldn't act anything like this. These are the type of kids who are strengthened by each other. Split them up and let them work with an orderly (being under supervision at all times), I think you would see a huge difference in them.

Community service in a situation where they don't feel empowered to abuse is a good idea.
Maybe assigning them to something like community gardening, roadside beautification, or (if this organization would even take them) habitat for humanity would be appropriate. Of course, there would need to be consequences for when they either didn't show or were late.

Hospitals, assisted living/care facilities, and day care centers I'm sure would be off limits. They all have a primary responsibility to protect those they serve. Deliberately exposing patients or day care kids to students like this would be a liability nightmare.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry to say, I'm not surprised at this at all having heard the stories my two middle schoolers have come home with every day.

Maybe this will be a wake up call for all of us and help open up dialogue between parents and kids about their behavior when they're out in the world independently for those first few years and beyond. A lot of work is needed, and I think it has to come primarily from the home. I've been impressed with the work the school has done, but it's a joke to some of the troublemakers and apparently not enough.

I also believe (based on what I've seen and who I know) that even basically good kids can act like jerks sometimes, especially in a group. And especially in middle school.

I just showed the video to my kids and they were angry about it, and sad. Both of my kids have stuck up for others getting bullied or harrassed before (and have been bullied themselves) and I'm proud of them, but it shouldn't have to be a daily occurrence. I'm pretty sure that if DD had seen that happening, she would have stepped in. She's done it before on her own bus and at the bus stop. It hasn't always endeared her to others but she doesn't care much. (Resultingly, comments to her are generally passive-aggressive, such as telling her her outfit's mismatched, not letting her sit at a table at lunch, excluding from a group, etc. Kids who want to be mean will find a way even if it's subtle, which continues the viscious cycle. There aren't too many kids in MS who want to be ostracized let alone are willing to risk it for someone else. Middle schoolers are all about "fitting in", etc. I don't know what the answers are but these have been my observations.)

I just saw on the news that Karen is 68 yrs old and a grandmother to 8. It sounds like she hasn't had an easy life (since she said, "I've dealt with everything else, I'll deal with this, too"). She also does not want to press charges against the kids, but hopes this will serve as a lesson to others.

I also agree with Mrs. Pete, she's probably not the best person for this job! (I could picture my own mother being almost exactly the same way as Karen. My mother's a great lady but I do have her to thank for helping me learn to be assertive.)

I fell asleep last night thinking who would make a better replacement as a monitor on the bus? For some reason Robin Williams came to mind. Wouldn't you love to hear his responses to some of these kids?

 

[allison443]

I agree with everyone else that this is truly awful. I am very sad for this poor woman, and glad for the outpouring of support including financial that she is receiving.

What is the job of a bus monitor? I read that she was a bus driver until a couple of years ago and now is a bus monitor. We don't have bus monitors here-we do have aides for kids with special needs who take buses, but not monitors. Did she have any authority to "write up" misbehaving kids and report their bad behavior? I really have no idea what a bus monitor for middle school kids does, and why this school district has them. Just curious so thanks if anyone knows.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I understand what you're saying, but I'm hesitant to judge the monitor. I have no idea of what her exact job description was, and what she was restricted from doing. Had she taken a firm stand, she might be in some sort of legal jeopardy...entitled snowflakes and their parents do seem to feel they have all the rights.

I understand your point but a monitor is there to (at minimum) prevent and report problems on the bus and clearly she was, for whatever reason, unable to do so. There were actually 3 videos posted from three different days so this behavior was allowed to continue for quite a while. That makes her ineffective in her job (as nice a lady as she probably is). Teachers on this thread have said the bus should have gone back to school and the kids involved written up. I'm sure there were other options as well.

 

[TavieP]

Live right near where this happened and I'm sick that kids are like this - they aren't cool, they aren't funny; it's hurtful and I am glad that the woman gets to get away from this all and just enjoy her life.

I'm also hearing that, because of the amount saved, they are talking about making this a retirement fund.

I love internet justice in this case! It's not always good, but when it's good, it's REALLY good.

The video - I couldn't even watch all of it. The first time I saw her wipe her eyes I started crying. I'm so glad to hear they're thinking of making this her retirement fund. I hope she has enough to enjoy herself on a beautiful vacation and then live easily.

And I hope those kids learn a lesson, I really, really do.

 

[luvsJack]

Community service in a situation where they don't feel empowered to abuse is a good idea.
Maybe assigning them to something like community gardening, roadside beautification, or (if this organization would even take them) habitat for humanity would be appropriate. Of course, there would need to be consequences for when they either didn't show or were late.

Hospitals, assisted living/care facilities, and day care centers I'm sure would be off limits. They all have a primary responsibility to protect those they serve. Deliberately exposing patients or day care kids to students like this would be a liability nightmare.

I have never dealt with being assigned community service so I don't know much about it. I did have a friend once that got into a fight and the police were called. She and the other person were assigned community service in a nursing home. It did wonders for her. Of course she wasn't a violent person, just the one fight.

I would never want to put a day care child or someone in a nursing home in the care of an abuser. What I am saying is that its almost a guarantee that if you split these kids up, the abusive behavior will disappear. I would strongly bet that not one of them would have acted this way alone.

Whether it CAN be done or WILL be done and the thing that may truly make a difference in these kids can all be very different things, because of liabilities, laws, etc. No one may have the power to do any of the things that have been suggested. But, if something is done, it needs to be something that will change these kids' view of other people and the world around them.

 

[wuv tigger]

Well it looks like bus monitor Karen Huff is getting the last laugh. The local police are looking into it as well as the superintendent of schools. There is an Indiegogo fundraiser posted that has already raised $72,000 for Karen to go on a vacation... http://www.indiegogo.com/loveforkarenhklein?c=home.

And Anderson cooper is going to do some reporting on it....So, the little punks may get their just rewards.

LIKE

This kind of behavior HAS to be stopped!

WHO will be the ONE to stop it?

WHO is BRAVE enough from this school district to make an example of these students from here on?

Praying for this dear woman!

 

[wuv tigger]

and they aren't EVEN thinking about that aspect of their crime!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I love internet justice in this case!

I agree.

The video - I couldn't even watch all of it. The first time I saw her wipe her eyes I started crying.

You know, the "fat" and "twinkie" comments were bad enough. But about halfway through the video they talk about going to her house ("she probably lives in a trailer") and that's where the sophomoric trash talk crosses the line into fairly disturbing sexual territory. (As in, middle schoolers both knowing these things and saying they're going to do them to someone else. Wowsa!) Again, not truly surprised because sexual innuendo seems is a very common theme in middle school. I have told people some of the things that have gone on in the classroom and they've been shocked. (Such as the boy showing off and stroking his erection through his pants for the girls. Or the next day simulating pleasuring himself with a rolled up piece of paper. Uggh.) These are the types of things our middle schoolers have to deal with at school every day so I'm glad some of it is coming to light.

I'm mentioning it here because I had no idea MS was going to be like this. Nobody prepared me whatsoever, so it's been a learning process for me. (My own experience was different.) Hopefully others reading this with younger kids can be forewarned and teach their kids how to react accordingly.

 

[luvsJack]

I agree with everyone else that this is truly awful. I am very sad for this poor woman, and glad for the outpouring of support including financial that she is receiving.

What is the job of a bus monitor? I read that she was a bus driver until a couple of years ago and now is a bus monitor. We don't have bus monitors here-we do have aides for kids with special needs who take buses, but not monitors. Did she have any authority to "write up" misbehaving kids and report their bad behavior? I really have no idea what a bus monitor for middle school kids does, and why this school district has them. Just curious so thanks if anyone knows.

Well, the actual job description may be different depending on the school system, but here they actually have more power than the bus driver.

There have been a couple of teachers (male) that have stood in for monitors and they have hired some. They can write up the students, recommend the students for suspension or expulsion from the bus, etc. They have had to break up fights, move students around to different seats, decide if seats should be assigned and watch for any suspicous behavior. The monitor here is actually considered to be the person "in charge" on the bus. That way the driver can focus on driving safely and running the route, not on the kids and how they are behaving.

 

[Sabrefan]

When she was interviewed she was asked why she never reported the students or wrote them up and she said it wouldn't do any good anyways becuase nobody would do anything about it.

 

[LisaR]

I've edited this because it looks like it has been confirmed that she is a bus monitor not an aide based on what Pea-n-Me just posted.