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In the late 1970s the normal fights got started with two contenders facing and shooting off at the mouth. Each of the two parties had a small group standing behind them for support with each group egging on their contender to make the first shove.

If this process took too long, one group member simply pushed his contender into the other and the fight began. After a few short moments of punches and swings the fight ended, as all others stood by and watched. Someone might have ended up with a black eye or a bruised ego but one was declared the winner and we all had a story to talk about for the next few days. Retaliation was rare.

Fighting, as I remember it, did not take place much in school. The consequences were too severe and the very thought of what awaited at home - for embarrassing our family in the place we were sent to learn - was enough to make you want to run away from home. Fights were common in the neighbourhoods and of course, at the bus terminal when it involved people from different schools. Fighting was more of an event than an attempt to seriously harm someone. All in all, the goal was to prove one's strength. Through the fights you learned who to "mess with" and who to leave alone.

Today's fighters all seem to be vying for the title of the one not to be "messed with" - and invariably, these are the students labelled as bullies.

Bullying is prevalent in our schools at every level, and this makes for a very nerve-racking and unsafe setting for many of our children - particularly the weaker ones, who attend each day and hope they can leave at the end of the day unscathed.

The major difference between bullying today and in years past is that are additional components that now go along with the intimidation factor; harsh, threatening language, weapons, large groups of unruly supporters who appear to have no regard for authority, gang-style fighting and long-term retaliation, just to name a few. There now appears to be a total disregard for the respect of any fellow student no matter their size, skin colour or age. A bully's goal is to prove his or her worth in an attempt to save face for their peers.

Having spent two decades in the public system, I am well aware of the various bullying tactics that go on daily in the schools. The public does not hear of it, except perhaps in the comforts of one's home where a child may reluctantly tell an adult of his attack. One of the things that greatly bothered me in the much talked about Hopkins report was that the main stakeholders who should have been interviewed for feedback were not - that is, the parents and the students. I venture to say that had they been included, a large component of the report would have been dedicated to the subjects of bullying and fighting.

A high school student was recently attacked by a group of his peers from The Berkeley Institute. Following that attack, an S4 student at The Berkeley Institute - whose only desire is to make it safely through to the end of the school year and graduate - shared some thoughts with me. The student paints a dismal picture - and one which other schools are no doubt faced with, too.

"This has been happening since September," the student told me. "It's nothing new and we S4s have to help break up the riots that happen."

I was taken aback by the word "riots" - perhaps it overstated the nature of the incidents but regardless, it was still a matter of serious concern to the student. "We've had five riots already since school began," I was told.

When asked how this conduct affects the student body, the reply was startling. "It's not fair because things we had before, we don't have now. Like for Founders Day we used to have a DJ and games but because of fighting it's been taken away. Our lunches are shorter now too and we have lockdown after every lunch." Lockdown? Did this student say lockdown? Again, the language might be overly-dramatic but this is what I was being told, first-hand. And then came the most startling statment of all: "It's prison without the orange jumpsuits!"

I'm sure it's not that bad but it gave me pause for thought and also prompted me to reflect on my happy school days. At the same time, my heart began to sadden for those youngsters who face the daily dread of bullying, in the places we call institutions of learning.

Bullying can thwart learning and cause lasting damage to young minds - it's a national problem we need to get to grips with.[[In-content Ad]]

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