When schools implement anti-bullying programs, the focus is usually centered on student-to-student bullying. However, students aren’t the only bullies in school. Teachers sometimes earn the label when they employ questionable disciplinary and management practices. Addressing Teacher Bullies is a presentation intended to help educators assess and reflect on their classroom management style and learn more about how inappropriate displays of teacher power can impact student learning.
Teaching Tolerance designed this presentation for teacher leaders, professional learning groups, staff development coordinators and other educators interested in engaging their colleagues around issues of teacher behavior and classroom climate.
Click here to learn more.
Showing posts with label bullies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bullies. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Techies call older engineer names (like "Fuddie-duddie") and run him off the job -- Who Will Pay? Why Was This Behavior Allowed?
What if this happened to your dad or your mom? Would it make you angry?
What if these were your employees? Would you consider diversity training? --
A recent California Supreme Court decision involves an experienced engineer who went to work for a giant corporation (the kind of company that one would think comprehends and practices diversity).
This guy knew that going into a high-tech job would mean working in a youthful company, with fewer older workers. But he didn’t expect the bullying he received by younger workers, including his boss, who immediately started called him names like “fuddy-duddy” and “old man,” he alleged.
but
The engineer had worked successfully for years in major corporations, but was suddenly taunted with name-calling, with words like "slow," "fuzzy," "sluggish" and "lethargic."
Employees allegedly called him an "old guy" and stated that his ideas were "obsolete" and "too old to matter" and that his knowledge was “ancient.”
They allegedly joked that his office placard should be in the shape of an "LP" (i.e. a vinyl record) rather than the customary (then current music format) "CD." For several years this inappropriate behavior progressed, the engineer alleged, and after a time, when his job was taken away, he left this company, but then sued for age discrimination.
While the case had not been settled at the time I read about it, the court issued a unanimous decision that could make it more difficult for California employers to win summary judgment in certain discrimination cases involving potentially discriminatory comments.
In fact, California courts must now evaluate such “stray” remarks together with all other admissible evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence of discrimination for a case to proceed to a jury trial.
This decision reaffirms that employers must do more than simply maintain policies preventing discrimination and harassment. They must take steps, including training of supervisors and nonsupervisors alike, to ensure all employees are aware of such policies and the risk of liability posed by potentially discriminatory comments, in any context. In other words, they must learn to manage their company’s diversity.
This story leaves me wondering who raised these young employees to show such meanness and hostility toward an older, experienced co-worker? Did any professors ever discuss diversity at their schools? Or multiculturalism? Good manners? And what kind of managers and CEO led this company? Had they ever experienced any leadership education?
The failure to raise someone who tolerates people who are different, or who values the very skills and experiences others may have to offer, no matter how “different” they appear to be, has to land somewhere.
Someone failed these employees quite miserably, either their parents, teachers or employers. Perhaps all of the above tried and failed. I hope my new eBook, Cash In On Diversity, will help fill in gaps that are apparently missing for those who behave in this way and for others who tolerate or encourage this misbehavior, as well.
We are a diverse nation filled with people of many sizes, shapes, ages, religions and sexual preferences — people with missing limbs, stutters, mental challenges and so many other differences.
But too many of us still do not always recognize that all people are deserving of equal treatment. Or that even with “differences,” nearly all of us still have something to contribute, if allowed to participate. As the battles heat up at school and at work, and as the civil rights lawsuits keep piling up, isn’t it about time to change?
This eBook is an attempt to explain how our world is changing in the organizations where we work and spend much of our time each day — and will endeavor to describe where intolerance and hate come from, and why these attitudes and behaviors do not serve us well in the workplace. This book also shows many of the benefits we can achieve as individuals, and as organizations, when getting along with others, as we celebrate and appreciate our differences — as we embrace diversity.
People who care about getting along need to take a stand when intolerance is displayed. Leaders must help the people they manage with proper tools and guidance. This is the basic message presented, along with important explanations of themes, including cultural diversity, multiculturalism, cross-cultural communication and showing how all of us can become better human beings with this knowledge.
I hope that readers enjoy this information and put it to use, because we are living in a world that demands we change.
~ ~ ~
Ageism can be defined as "any attitude, action, or institutional structure which subordinates a person or group because of age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age" (Traxler, 1980). As an "ism", ageism reflects a prejudice in society against older adults.
A wonderful comment follows this blog. I was not able to comment back, directly, but want to add this note --
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and excellent advice. I have a friend going through this now, and the supervisor's comments are a daily assault. Boy will she be surprised when she gets zapped with a lawsuit! Companies that don't learn how to treat older workers get sued -- and good employees simply leave. What a waste of resources, either way. Take care and thanks. Susan
What if these were your employees? Would you consider diversity training? --
A recent California Supreme Court decision involves an experienced engineer who went to work for a giant corporation (the kind of company that one would think comprehends and practices diversity).
This guy knew that going into a high-tech job would mean working in a youthful company, with fewer older workers. But he didn’t expect the bullying he received by younger workers, including his boss, who immediately started called him names like “fuddy-duddy” and “old man,” he alleged.
but
The engineer had worked successfully for years in major corporations, but was suddenly taunted with name-calling, with words like "slow," "fuzzy," "sluggish" and "lethargic."
Employees allegedly called him an "old guy" and stated that his ideas were "obsolete" and "too old to matter" and that his knowledge was “ancient.”
They allegedly joked that his office placard should be in the shape of an "LP" (i.e. a vinyl record) rather than the customary (then current music format) "CD." For several years this inappropriate behavior progressed, the engineer alleged, and after a time, when his job was taken away, he left this company, but then sued for age discrimination.
While the case had not been settled at the time I read about it, the court issued a unanimous decision that could make it more difficult for California employers to win summary judgment in certain discrimination cases involving potentially discriminatory comments.
In fact, California courts must now evaluate such “stray” remarks together with all other admissible evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence of discrimination for a case to proceed to a jury trial.
This decision reaffirms that employers must do more than simply maintain policies preventing discrimination and harassment. They must take steps, including training of supervisors and nonsupervisors alike, to ensure all employees are aware of such policies and the risk of liability posed by potentially discriminatory comments, in any context. In other words, they must learn to manage their company’s diversity.
This story leaves me wondering who raised these young employees to show such meanness and hostility toward an older, experienced co-worker? Did any professors ever discuss diversity at their schools? Or multiculturalism? Good manners? And what kind of managers and CEO led this company? Had they ever experienced any leadership education?
The failure to raise someone who tolerates people who are different, or who values the very skills and experiences others may have to offer, no matter how “different” they appear to be, has to land somewhere.
Someone failed these employees quite miserably, either their parents, teachers or employers. Perhaps all of the above tried and failed. I hope my new eBook, Cash In On Diversity, will help fill in gaps that are apparently missing for those who behave in this way and for others who tolerate or encourage this misbehavior, as well.
We are a diverse nation filled with people of many sizes, shapes, ages, religions and sexual preferences — people with missing limbs, stutters, mental challenges and so many other differences.
But too many of us still do not always recognize that all people are deserving of equal treatment. Or that even with “differences,” nearly all of us still have something to contribute, if allowed to participate. As the battles heat up at school and at work, and as the civil rights lawsuits keep piling up, isn’t it about time to change?
This eBook is an attempt to explain how our world is changing in the organizations where we work and spend much of our time each day — and will endeavor to describe where intolerance and hate come from, and why these attitudes and behaviors do not serve us well in the workplace. This book also shows many of the benefits we can achieve as individuals, and as organizations, when getting along with others, as we celebrate and appreciate our differences — as we embrace diversity.
People who care about getting along need to take a stand when intolerance is displayed. Leaders must help the people they manage with proper tools and guidance. This is the basic message presented, along with important explanations of themes, including cultural diversity, multiculturalism, cross-cultural communication and showing how all of us can become better human beings with this knowledge.
I hope that readers enjoy this information and put it to use, because we are living in a world that demands we change.
~ ~ ~
Ageism can be defined as "any attitude, action, or institutional structure which subordinates a person or group because of age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age" (Traxler, 1980). As an "ism", ageism reflects a prejudice in society against older adults.
* * * * *
~ ~ ~A wonderful comment follows this blog. I was not able to comment back, directly, but want to add this note --
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and excellent advice. I have a friend going through this now, and the supervisor's comments are a daily assault. Boy will she be surprised when she gets zapped with a lawsuit! Companies that don't learn how to treat older workers get sued -- and good employees simply leave. What a waste of resources, either way. Take care and thanks. Susan
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Diversity Briefings Newsletter: 11/09/2010
Today’s New Diversity Topics: Battle Over Jail VS Mental Health Heats Up in Orleans Parish, New Immigration Judges Sworn In, Diversity in Law Firms Takes a 'Hit', Does Real Diversity Mean We’re All the Same? (Surely Not), Still Another Bullied 14-Year-Old Commits Suicide, Guy Or a Girl? Issue a Sticky Wicket On Some Campuses, Spice and Chai Down Under, New Buddhist University in Glasgow,Management Diversity Tip: Incorporating Diversity Requires Skill
----- ----- ----- -----
Welcome to Diversity Briefings: 11/09/2010
Volume 1, Issue 14. Published Each Monday - Friday
P.S. Free gift offer inside today's issue!
You can subscribe to Diversity Briefings here
Enter your email address:
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Orleans Parish: More and Bigger Jails?
Jordan Flaherty reports in today's Huffington Post, the battle is hearing up in the Orleans Parish. With 3,500 beds in a city of about 350,000 residents, the Parish Prison (OPP) is already the largest per capita county jail of any major US city. The elected official with oversight over the jail has submitted plans for an even larger complex. But a broad coalition wants what would be spent on a larger jail be diverted to alternatives to incarceration, like drug treatment programs and mental health facilities. And yet here may be a common ground, some leaders say. Read on --
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordan-flaherty/the-incarceration-capital_b_781150.html
/////
New Immigration Judges Sworn In
DOJ reports Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler recently invested 23 new immigration judges during a ceremony held at the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) headquarters, marking a roughly 10 percent increase in the judges corps in just one day. Immigration judges conduct formal court proceedings to determine whether an individual from a foreign country should be allowed to remain in the United States. This story continues --
http://blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/1055
/////
Diversity in Law Firms Takes a 'Hit'
Employment statistics are showing that diversity practiced by law firms is taking a hit, thanks to recession — but the pain isn’t being spread to all firms evenly, says Elie Mystal. "The latest NALP figures show that minorities accounted for 12.4% of firm attorneys, down from 12.59% in 2009. Women represented 32.69% of firm attorneys, down from 32.97% in 2009." More figures and analyses --
http://abovethelaw.com/2010/11/diversity-issues-to-consider-before-you-accept-your-offer/
/////
Real Diversity Means We’re Not All the Same? Yes or No?
Some 45 years after Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, race relations in the U.S. remain difficult at best. "We have the right to drink from the same fountains, ride on the same buses, live in the same neighborhoods, attend the same schools, hold the same jobs and pursue the same dreams, but much still is not right," notes James Badham in a piece he writes for Miller McCune magazine. Continued --
http://abovethelaw.com/2010/11/diversity-issues-to-consider-before-you-accept-your-offer/
/////
Still Another Bullied 14-Year-Old Commits Suicide
Here is more --
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/bullied-14-year-old-called-gay-girly-fag-commits-suicide/news/2010/11/08/14890
/////
Male, Female, Or? Issue a Sticky Wicket on Some Campuses
From Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- When Kevin Murphy entered as a freshman at Mount Holyoke, a Massachusetts women's college, in 2003, he was female. By the time he received his diploma, he was male...Defining gender on same-sex campuses has become murky as ... More schools are encountering complicated cases where not all students at men's colleges identify as male and not all students at women's colleges identify as female.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/08/single.sex.college.trangender.nongender/index.html?iref=allsearch
/////
Spice, Chai, Lights and Rhythms at ‘Parramasala’ in SydneyFrom Cultural Diversity News: The Indian community in Sydney is proud to have taken the Australia-India cultural relationship to a new level with Parramasala being the first ever South-Asian Cultural Festival in Sydney. Continued--
http://www.culturaldiversity.net.au/
/////
Receive a free inspirational quote every day from me. Just visit
http://www.quoteactions.com/a/profile/841
for information. Lots of my friends are enjoying this free gift.
Susan
/////
Britain’s first Buddhist College is to open at Glasgow University.
The Buddhist College UK will be modelled on the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, the Venerable Rewatha’s home country. The Venerable Rewatha, also Buddhist Chaplain to Glasgow University. said: “The course will provide an academic approach to Buddhism and open up inter-faith dialogue in Scotland. Setting up the college is a great achievement and I am delighted to be part of it.” Read More --
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=3,9657,0,0,1,0
/////
Diversity Management Tip of the Day
Incorporating Diversity Management Requires Skill
Susan Klopfer
It sounded so good back in graduate school when Karen took a class in diversity management. The professor had kept everyone's attention as he lectured on this new business practice. Now her boss of two years, at the regional bank, is suggesting Karen may be asked to oversee a transition team to move the bank from affirmative action and valuing differences to a focus on managing diversity.
He tells her that bank board members, the CEO and several key executives are seriously concerned about this project, after two key new-hires recently left their positions. It was expensive to recruit them and there had been high hopes these two college superstars would easily move through the bank's executive training program. "So, do you know why Miss Morales and Mr. Diego left?" Karen asks.
"Well, I did hear they were speaking Spanish together at lunch and someone came up and complained that they didn't care about their co-workers if they didn't speak English at work," her boss says.
"Oh, brother," Karen says, shaking her head. "Why didn't that person ask for Spanish lessons − and take advantage of their ability to speak several languages?
Keep reading --
http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Susan-Klopfer-7986/cultural-diversity-119408.php
///// ///// /////
Feel Free to pass this Diversity Briefings Newsletter on to your co-workers and others. Thank you for visiting the Diversity Briefings website. Please note that the information located on our site is general and not intended to provide specific legal advice. You should consult with an attorney and not rely on any information contained herein regarding your specific situation.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Get Ready for Mix It Up at Lunch Day! Says Southern Poverty Law Center - (Great, Diversity Program For Schools)
Just got this email from the Southern Poverty Law Center, SPLC.
Plan now to participate in Mix It Up at Lunch Day, the national event that breaks down social barriers in schools. This year, Mix It Up is on Nov. 9. Teachers will be able to register their schools on the Mix It Up map by mid-September.
Mix It Up Lunch is a great program that's free and simple to organize. Students are simply encouraged to sit at a different table and meet someone new who is different than they are. The event is a simple call to action: take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the invisible lines of school division, meet new people and make new friends.
Mix it Up at Lunch Day helps students become more comfortable interacting with different kinds of people.
SPLC has all of the instructions and even a video to watch at http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/lunch-day.
So,here's an idea. Write a letter of support to your local newspapers and school boards. It could go something like this:
Dear Editor (Or School Board Member):
We have so much work to do if we are every going to become a diverse, multicultural society that works together. Every fall, I hope that our local schools will take the opportunity to help students learn more about each other by participating in Mix It Up Lunch Date. This year’s date is set for November 9.
The event, promoted by the Southern Poverty and Law Center, is a simple call to action: take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the invisible lines of school division, meet new people and make new friends.
Mix it Up at Lunch Day helps students become more comfortable interacting with different kinds of people. As a civil rights and diversity supporter, I support this program and hope that others will, too.
Sincerey,
YOU!!
Plan now to participate in Mix It Up at Lunch Day, the national event that breaks down social barriers in schools. This year, Mix It Up is on Nov. 9. Teachers will be able to register their schools on the Mix It Up map by mid-September.
Mix It Up Lunch is a great program that's free and simple to organize. Students are simply encouraged to sit at a different table and meet someone new who is different than they are. The event is a simple call to action: take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the invisible lines of school division, meet new people and make new friends.
Mix it Up at Lunch Day helps students become more comfortable interacting with different kinds of people.
SPLC has all of the instructions and even a video to watch at http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/lunch-day.
So,here's an idea. Write a letter of support to your local newspapers and school boards. It could go something like this:
Dear Editor (Or School Board Member):
We have so much work to do if we are every going to become a diverse, multicultural society that works together. Every fall, I hope that our local schools will take the opportunity to help students learn more about each other by participating in Mix It Up Lunch Date. This year’s date is set for November 9.
The event, promoted by the Southern Poverty and Law Center, is a simple call to action: take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the invisible lines of school division, meet new people and make new friends.
Mix it Up at Lunch Day helps students become more comfortable interacting with different kinds of people. As a civil rights and diversity supporter, I support this program and hope that others will, too.
Sincerey,
YOU!!
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