We have finally arrived at many parents’ favourite week of the year — back to school.
After a long summer of bustling activity (or lack of activity depending on the student) it is time get back into a routine.
Organized sports will be back in full swing, as will various other recreational activities.
One fall trend I hope does not make a comeback this September is bullying.
I won’t bore you with the statistics, or the stories of tragedies like that of Amanda Todd, as they have become all to familiar to all of us.
But I will say that bullying is not exclusive to larger cities, and it is certainly not exclusive to youth.
A culture of bullying has swept the entire world, and adults are just as culpable as their children.
I have heard too many stories of students being bullied at both the high school, and the elementary school. And I witnessed first hand some of the bullying that took place in this community just one year ago.
The fall of 2012 was a very tumultuous time for Golden politically, and some people in this town let themselves get caught up in it, and bully those who stood on the other side of an issue — one issue in particular.
For those of you who are new to Golden, the municipality had a proposed project to enhance the area along the river, between the town’s two bridges, as well as upgrade the dike.
The issue sharply divided the community, and caused a whirlwind of unfortunate behaviour.
How can we expect children to treat each other with the upmost respect, when the example many of us are setting for them is the exact opposite.
Things, thankfully, have calmed down in Golden, and it is once again the friendly small town I moved to two years ago.
But that does not mean that things can’t flair up again. Tense situations always arise, and I am confident that the next time they do the discourse and debate will be nothing but respectful.
Then when students see that differences can be resolved without hurtful words or tactics, they will follow our lead.
Of course I don’t expect bullying to go away over night, especially in our schools. But every small step we take makes a difference.
