
'Buddy Bench' Creates a Safe Spot for Shy Classmates to Find Friends - sprucely
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/buddy-bench-students-pittsburgh_5655e132e4b079b28189dcd2
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trentmb
Even as a kid I'd be too shy to draw attention to myself like that.

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oh_sigh
Perhaps, but if it was a known safe space then maybe you would feel different.

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scotty79
What makes it a safe space?

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oh_sigh
The fact that enough kids view it as such to speak out against bullies or
inconclusive behavior

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CM30
It's an interesting idea, but... as someone said in the article comments, it
seems like a perfect magnet for wannabe bullies. If you're a sociopathic jerk
and want to find easy targets... well, the bench that basically labels people
as having few friends may as well have a 'kick me' sign attached to it.

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oh_sigh
If you've never seen it in action, then you have no idea what you're talking
about. There's enough good kids to prevent bullies from taking over, and in
fact the bullies even learn a lesson from inclusionary activities based on the
buddy bench.

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madengr
I suppose if I were a bully, the kids on the buddy bench would be the first
ones I'd beat up.

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oh_sigh
And then you'd be ostracized from the entire school. Yay!

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yarrel
Anybody who points out flaws in this idea isn't your friend.

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oh_sigh
Don't worry, they still have a safe spot on the buddy bench in my town.

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oxide
the people who dream up this nonsense are so out of touch that when they see
that empty bench year after year, they're more likely to blame the shy
students for not using the tools given to them than accept that it's a poorly
thought out concept.

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oh_sigh
Yeah those stupid fucking fourth graders who dreamed up this concept. Such
fucking nonsense they are spouting. What the fuck is wrong with these people?
How dare they?

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dang
I gather that you have some experience with this idea and/or some reason to
think that it works. Please don't debase that by replying to a trollish
comment with snark.

If you'd like to say more about what you've experienced or observed, I would
be interested to read it. It strikes me as one of those simple ideas that it
is well worth trying and which, if it worked, could make a big difference for
kids. It's also the sort of thing where the only way to find out is to try it.

