Bullying on rise, says Moncton school bus driver

A long-time New Brunswick school bus driver says bullying is getting worse, based on what she sees on her bus.

Esther Prosser, who has been taking students to and from Moncton-area schools for 20 years, says name calling and teasing are on the rise.

Education about bullying seems to have decreased and students have a skewed idea of what bullying is, she said.

'A slap in the head will heal, but you know, feelings don't.' — Esther Prosser, Moncton school bus driver

"They think it's purely a physical thing. They have no idea that making someone feel bad about themselves like that, or saying things like that is bullying and in my book, that's the worst kind," said Prosser.

"I mean a slap in the head will heal, but you know, feelings don't."

Educators talked a lot about how to prevent bullying 10 years ago, after the school shootings in Columbine, Col., and Taber, Alta., said Prosser.

Education needed

But now she worries that education has waned and students are less aware of what bullying does to others.

"I know how delicate teenage egos are and I just hate to see someone destroying someone's ego ... it just makes life heck for them," she said.

"This is what causes things like Taber, Alta. You know, it's what causes kids to go crazy, or to do themselves in. That's the other thing that I'm always terrified of."

Prosser is calling on administrators, teachers and parents to regularly remind students what bullying is and what the consequences are.

She says she will continue to pull her bus over and speak to anyone who is bullying another student.