Jerry Ackerman Visits Lee Burneson to Talk About Bullying

When motivational speaker Jerry Ackerman asked students how many of them have witnessed bullying at school, 90 percent of the kids in the crowd raised their hands.

Ackerman spoke to hundreds of Westlake seventh- and eighth-graders Monday morning about bullying, challenging students to responsibly build images of themselves that extend far beyond their Facebook pages. 

Bullying, he said, can be verbal, physical, relational or electronic, and students are either bullies, bullied or bystanders. Relational bullying pertains to clichés of students who intentionally exclude or isolate other students who are deemed unpopular. 

And even though verbal bullying is the most widespread, cyber bullying is becoming just as problematic given a student’s digital accessibility through social media, e-mail and texting, he said. 

Ackerman stressed that, depending on the scenario, parents, students and teachers need to be proactive and reactive to help stem the problem. 

Ackerman’s fast pace, relatable anecdotes and occasional jokes kept the crowd engaged, and in light of the high level of audience participation, he seemed to make an impression on his young listeners. 

To close the presentation, principal Paul Wilson stood to make a few closing comments. 

“Moving forward, I want you to take Jerry’s message to heart,” he said. “Do not tolerate bullying at Burneson. Find your teachers. They are here for you.” 

According to bullystatistics.org, several nationwide studies that were conducted in 2010 indicated that: 

• Over half, about 56 percent, of all students have witnessed a bullying crime take place while at school.
• A reported 15 percent of all students who don't show up for school say it's out of fear of being bullied while at school.
• There are about 71 percent of students that report bullying as an ongoing problem.
• About one out of every 10 students drops out or changes schools because of repeated bullying.
• One out of every 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.
• Some of the top years for bullying include fourth through eighth graders in which 90 percent were reported as victims of some kind of bullying.
• Other recent bullying statistics reveal that 54 percent of students reported that witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.
• There are about 282,000 students that are reportedly attacked in high schools throughout the nation each month.