I read a post on facebook the other day that struck me the wrong way. A little part of me was offended. It wasn't an offensive post, it was quite the opposite. She was posting about how sad she was to see so many student's that have committed suicide because they were being bullied. It is sad. It is horrific if you ask me. My heart breaks every time I see it in the news. So you probably wonder why I was offended. It was some of the comments made that went on about how horrible our schools are and how teachers do nothing when students are being bullied. That is offensive to me. Why?...I have dedicated my life to education. I am a school counselor. That title in and of itself should make people think of someone who is advocating for students, someone that is there to protect and console. As I began to think about why a comment like that would ruffle my feathers there was a little rant going on in my head so where else would I take that little rant, well here of course. I am thankful that we live in a country where we have educational choice. Not all children are the same so having choices whether it's public, private, or home school I think that it's a parent's right to choose. I do get frustrated when I hear about how horrible public schools are and how public school teachers do not care about children. That some how a child being bullied to the point of suicide is because a teacher would not help them. Public schools are the pulse of our society. If you want to see what it culturally acceptable step into your local public school. Where do these children learn what is culturally acceptable? Home. So if you want to know how these little monsters called bullies are created take a look around. We live in a society that glorifies bullies. Being a mean girl is cool. How many reality shows do we have where the soul purpose is to tear someone apart. The meaner the better. Bad girls, The Real Housewives of where ever. I mean if this is what friendship is I want no part of it. I hear it time and time again....what are teachers doing about.....fill in the blank. When are parents going to be responsible? I don't know when it happened but somewhere along the line the public school system became responsible to feed, cloth, educate, teach character/manners, counsel, provide school supplies, provide Christmas gifts, provide health care, and manage behavior of children. Now we are responsible for the death of students. Are there teachers that ignore bullying, probably, but I work with teachers that put their heart and soul into their students day in and day out. They provide things for their students out of their own pocket. They would move mountains to make a difference in the life of a child. Anytime a life ends in suicide it is tragic. I don't know all the details about these children but I do know that there are a lot of factors when someone ends their life. It's easy to point fingers and try to find someone to blame. I guess teachers and the school are an easy place to start. We should know it is happening right? I am sure that are many teachers wishing they had know it was happening and that they could have stepped in and helped that child in need. They are probably replaying conversations and asking what if.... It's an easy job though, you know getting summers off and all. So the next time you want to blame a teacher take a moment to really think about the responsibility that they have everyday. Maybe instead of blaming you will be thanking.