I am a high school teacher, and on Wednesday students and teachers at my school wore orange as a commitment to stop bullying and unite for kindness in our community. I was still wearing my orange shirt while I watched the final debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, and it has been a challenge to facilitate serious discussions on bullying when a presidential candidate is a bully.
In many ways, high school students have more sense than Trump. Can you imagine a candidate for student government standing up in front of a diverse student body and referring to Latinos as "bad hombres," as Trump did during the debate, or insinuating that immigrants are not welcome to receive an education in a welcoming, supportive environment alongside their peers?
Then, imagine that hypothetical student's friends tell Latino students that they are wrong to be offended by it. That is exactly what several of Trump's talking heads said on a post-debate CNN panel.
Trump's bullying tactics are also directed towards women and not just limited to hateful speech. Trump is a serial interruptor. During the second debate, he glowered and cowered over Clinton while she was speaking. It became an entertaining meme, but his body language was intimidating and disrespectful. Again, in the context of a high school classroom, teachers discourage this type of behavior and encourage students to be respectful and kind towards one another. On Tuesday when my Latin III class did a joint activity with the public speaking class, students listened politely, took turns speaking, and respected each other's personal space.
How is it that we have an entire month devoted to Bullying Prevention and still normalize and accept bullying from a presidential candidate? In schools, students face consequences for bullying. And, more importantly, the school community tries to create a nurturing, comfortable environment for students by modeling kindness and respect.
Supporters of Hillary Clinton have written op-eds and complained about his bullying, but meanwhile his hurtful, offensive rhetoric has escalated. If Trump were a student in my school division, I would hope that he would have learned basic politeness and respect by high school.
If he were a high school bully, however, we have built-in policy and procedures to keep students safe and comfortable. We have resources for both bullies and victims of bullying. Unfortunately, for Americans attempting to engage in the political process by watching the debates, it seems there is nothing that can be done to reel Trump in and prevent him from using is platform to promote racism, misogyny, and hate.
Bullying is a serious problem in schools. Teachers and students deserve a president who does not undermine their efforts to create and maintain a respectful school environment. We deserve a president who doesn't promote bullying during Bullying Prevention and Awareness Month.