This piece is co-authored by Lisa Furst, LMSW, director of public education at the Mental Health Association of New York City.
In the weeks since his death on October 5, Steve Jobs' life and career have received an extraordinary amount of attention in the media and at water coolers across the nation.
He's been heralded as the greatest marketer in modern history. Because of his numerous inventions and products, he's been likened to Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin. Journalists routinely tossed around terms such as "iconoclast," "super-influencer" and even "genius," while consumers waited days in line to get the newest product that would revolutionize their lives.
Yet, before the iPad and iPod -- even prior to the Newton -- most Americans don't know that years before fame and wealth, Steve Jobs was a victim of bullying.
A new authorized biography of the Apple founder and longtime CEO confirms that he was "often bullied" in grade school. Because he had advanced a grade, Jobs was younger and smaller than his classmates and was repeatedly singled out for harassment.
According to another report, this eventually led to a family crisis. Until his parents did something to correct the situation, Jobs refused to attend school.
Clara and Paul Jobs, who had adopted their son as an infant, made a decision with profound implications for his future. Despite the financial sacrifice, they moved their family from a working class neighborhood to Palo Alto, a college town with an excellent school system.
Although Jobs remained something of a loner, he would later befriend a well respected mathematics teacher who nurtured his love for technology. He joined the high school mathematics club, a veritable collection of "eggheads" and "nerds" who were obsessed with data and computers. The rest, as they say, is history.
fashion social network
When I learned about these mostly unknown details of Jobs' life, I thought about the many recent reports surrounding bullying in our schools. Steve Jobs' brilliant technology along with social media such as Facebook and Twitter, have transformed our society. However, they've also given bullies new opportunities to harass and torment their victims.
Sadly, most of us are now familiar with the term "cyber-bully." We've also heard the often tragic stories about school children who were subject to continual abuse online. In many instances, the young people targeted felt helpless, ashamed and didn't know where to turn. According to recent studies, kids who are bullied miss more school days, have lower grades and higher drop-out rates and suffer higher rates of physical and mental health problems.
In the weeks since his death on October 5, Steve Jobs' life and career have received an extraordinary amount of attention in the media and at water coolers across the nation.
He's been heralded as the greatest marketer in modern history. Because of his numerous inventions and products, he's been likened to Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin. Journalists routinely tossed around terms such as "iconoclast," "super-influencer" and even "genius," while consumers waited days in line to get the newest product that would revolutionize their lives.
Yet, before the iPad and iPod -- even prior to the Newton -- most Americans don't know that years before fame and wealth, Steve Jobs was a victim of bullying.
A new authorized biography of the Apple founder and longtime CEO confirms that he was "often bullied" in grade school. Because he had advanced a grade, Jobs was younger and smaller than his classmates and was repeatedly singled out for harassment.
According to another report, this eventually led to a family crisis. Until his parents did something to correct the situation, Jobs refused to attend school.
Clara and Paul Jobs, who had adopted their son as an infant, made a decision with profound implications for his future. Despite the financial sacrifice, they moved their family from a working class neighborhood to Palo Alto, a college town with an excellent school system.
Although Jobs remained something of a loner, he would later befriend a well respected mathematics teacher who nurtured his love for technology. He joined the high school mathematics club, a veritable collection of "eggheads" and "nerds" who were obsessed with data and computers. The rest, as they say, is history.
fashion social network
When I learned about these mostly unknown details of Jobs' life, I thought about the many recent reports surrounding bullying in our schools. Steve Jobs' brilliant technology along with social media such as Facebook and Twitter, have transformed our society. However, they've also given bullies new opportunities to harass and torment their victims.
Sadly, most of us are now familiar with the term "cyber-bully." We've also heard the often tragic stories about school children who were subject to continual abuse online. In many instances, the young people targeted felt helpless, ashamed and didn't know where to turn. According to recent studies, kids who are bullied miss more school days, have lower grades and higher drop-out rates and suffer higher rates of physical and mental health problems.
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