Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Nov 25/02) - A number of students in this region wake up feeling afraid each and every morning of the school year.

The youth worry about what awaits them at school -- the taunts, name calling, pushing and shoving.

They fear the moment it may finally escalate to more than name calling and slaps to the back of the head, and they find themselves caught in a physical confrontation during which someone will be hurt.

Witnessing fist fights is nothing new to one 14-year-old Rankin Inlet girl. She says fights often break out at dances and youth hangouts, especially late at night.

While the youth says the fights are always disturbing, an even worse problem facing many local youth is the constant bullying they face almost every day at school.

"Most of it is so stupid and senseless," she says. "The kids doing the bullying don't even have a good reason.

"Often it's because the kid being bullied is a little different, especially if they're one of the smarter kids in the class. The smart kids are singled out by the bullies a lot."

The bullying can reach the point where the kids being targeted leave school and don't want to return.

A number of student councils in Kivalliq schools are coming up with ways to try and combat the problem, including theme days that promote acceptance and harmony among students.

The 14-year-old says teachers also have to adopt a zero-tolerance stance on school bullies.

"I realize there's only so much a principal can do, but they have to get bullies out of the classroom.

"Even when it comes to swearing and name calling, the teacher should put them out right away."

A matter of time

A 16-year-old Arviat youth says bullying is especially bad in the lower classes of the local school system. Like the teen from Rankin Inlit, the Arviat youth says the smarter kids are most often singled out by bullies in Arviat.

"There never really seemed to be any reason behind it, other than some of the kids were easy targets, I guess," says the youth.

"There were, definitely, times when the bullying got bad enough the kids involved left school for awhile over it."