Global private tuition organisation, Tutors International, say that half of school children suffer some form of marginalisation, but that schools often side with the bullies, forcing the victims out of school.
Adam Caller, founder of leading private tutoring agency, Tutors International and a member of the prestigious Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA) revealed his own experiences with bullying in schools.
“I was bullied relentlessly at school, which is the main reason I became a teacher. I wanted to fix the problems that schools and teachers have in dealing effectively with bullies.” He goes on to say that, “I don’t think any marginalised child will reach their peak academic performance – even if they’re bullied for being clever. The school day becomes about strategies for survival, not about learning.”
Many students that Adam encounters through Tutors International have been pulled out of school because they are being bullied or marginalised. He believes that around 50% of all children at school suffer a mild form of bullying, while as many as 5-10% could be suffering from severe bullying.
“When a student comes to us for full-time private tuition after being marginalised at school, there is often profound relief – from the pupil and the parents. The pupil can finally be his- or herself, can participate in lessons, speak up without fear, has space to learn and achieve. And the parents see grades and behaviour improve, almost straight away.”
Mr Caller believes that bullying is so institutionalised that many adults regard it as part and parcel of life – a practice that continues all through life. He says that some schools have excellent anti-bullying policies in place – for teachers as well as students, but that most do not.
“Teachers are people too, and they have their favourites in the class. It’s easy to side with the confident pupil who seems to have lots of friends, speaks up in class, does their homework – rather than the sullen child who always arrives late, doesn’t participate, plays truant and avoids social interaction. Sometimes it’s hard to see what’s happening, and when schools do pick up on the seriousness of bullying, they often do the wrong thing.
“What tends to happen is that the marginalised child is moved to another class, away from the bully. Then they fall behind, have even more trouble making friends, and now feel victimised by the school too. Bullies are rarely excluded, but their targets often have no option other than to leave the school.“
Contact Adam Caller on +44 (0) 1865 435 135 or visit https://www.tutors-international.com/contact.
About Tutors International
Tutors International is a worldwide organization providing experienced full-time private tutors to work with children of all ages and nationalities, in a wide variety of situations, including international relocation, after-school support, full-time home tuition, support for AD/HD and dyslexia, home schooling for frequent travellers, and college prep and coaching.
Tutors International was founded by Adam Caller who has tutored students of all ages. He has received specialist training in dyslexia and AD/HD and is very sensitive to children's educational difficulties. He has now turned this expertise to recruiting, training and placing other tutors with HNW and UHNW families around the world. Adam is a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA).
