An anti-bullying presentation created in part by a local physical education teacher is gaining popularity across New York and the country. The program got a warm reception by middle school students in Fulton County this morning.
Mixed Martial Artist and Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Tom Murphy opens his anti-bullying presentations before school audiences with a video of himself taking down opponents in the ring. When the video’s over, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Murphy says he hates fighting.
“I call it a delicious irony. It doesn’t make sense to their brains. They look at what’s on the screen: ‘that’s bullying.’”
For the past five years, Murphy has been working with the Sweethearts & Heroes organization he founded with South Glens Falls physical education teacher Jason Spector, giving talks to students.
This fall, the 40-year-old Murphy quit his job as a railroad executive and now travels across the country. After taking selfies and giving high-fives to the students at Broadalbin-Perth Middle School Thursday morning, Murphy commented on the effectiveness of the program.
“It’s not just an awareness-based message. Most anti-bullying stuff is awareness-based; educate the kids, the perspective button. And then we say there’s really sad stories attached to it: ‘Now, don’t let that happen to them, don’t let that happen to you’. But what does that mean to a kid? You have to give them a plan – a specific plan.”
Co-founder Spector, who wrestled with Murphy while they attended SUNY Brockport, said the program is more of a character-education and lifestyle message.
“I think we could all, no matter if my job is to drive the bus, if my job is to work in the office, if I’m a nurse, if I’m a teacher, whatever my job is – if I’m an administrator – we could all use healthy perspective. And really, you have to maintain that day after day after day, and that’s a huge challenge.”
During the presentation, students listened to Murphy and a handful of volunteers took part in some activities to prove his point. One pair of students dressed as superheroes were taught to intervene in a bullying situation.
The students also were introduced to retired Army Sgt. Rick Yarosh and his service dog, Amos. An Iraq war veteran with burns over most of his body, Yarosh shared his message of not giving up hope.
Students also heard from Nancy Schultz, the wife of the late Olympic gold-medalist Dave Schultz, who was murdered by idiosyncratic philanthropist John du Pont in 1996. The murder was the subject of last year’s Oscar-nominated film Foxcatcher.
Schutlz, who oversees the Dave Schultz Wrestling Foundation, flew to New York from California to see the program herself. Schultz said her husband began wrestling after experiencing bullying as a young student.
“And so he started running home from school everyday as fast as he could to get home. And so a PE teacher saw what was going on and said ‘I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll teach you to wrestle if you promise not to bully anyone.’ And he did. He really did. He became a great champion, an Olympic champion. And I think the rest of his life he was always aware of the kid that didn’t fit.”
For the past three years, students at Broadalbin-Perth Middle School have participated in their own Anti-Bullying Club. Middle school principal Wayne Bell said Thursday’s program was so well-received because it was brought to the school by the students.
“When it’s coming from students, students listen. When it’s coming from a teacher, a principal, we don’t get to as many students as we would like to. And again, as it was presented today, students are afraid to ‘snitch’ on others.”
For more information on the Sweethearts & Heroes Program to combat bullying visit http://www.sweetheartsandheroes.org/
