While doing research for my book, Teaching Bullies: Zero Tolerance on the Court or in the Classroom, I was shocked to read the work of neuroscientists. I wasn't shocked at the way in which they confirmed that bullying harmed individuals in serious and long-lasting ways. I had already read forty years of psychological and psychiatric research on the subject. What shocked me was as a teacher this information was not mandatory reading. All teachers need to know that the neuroscientists now consider the adolescent brain to be as fragile as the toddler's brain because of its stage of development. All coaches need to know this. It helps explain why 7 out of 10 student athletes quit sports at 13. The teen brain is highly susceptible to PTSD according to the neuroscientists. But nobody's talking about it. Educators aren't being informed. Quite possibly the most important piece of information I've ever learned as an educator is that a bullied brain, an emotionally abused brain, has the same changes, same scars as a brain of a sexually or physically abused child. Along with parents, teachers and coaches need this crucial information. We need workshops on emotional abuse and what it does. For sources please see Teaching Bullies or http://ourmomspot.net/communit...ex.php?topic=12667.0
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