There is a serious epidemic infecting our school age children and it’s called bullying. This act of the stronger or more powerful intimidating the weaker has been increasing in severity and attention. This literature will take a look at how bad the situation is and how we respond to it. It is necessary to take a look at how the problem is dealt with and what it is doing to our youth today. We will evaluate if the current procedures in place are effective and if there is any way to improve the way we handle it.
What is bullying exactly? The act of intimidating a weaker person to make them do something blustery: noisily domineering; tending to browbeat others. (Princeton, 2010) Bullying is a form of abuse. It comprises repeated acts over time that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power with the more powerful individual or group abusing those who are less powerful. The power imbalance may be social power and/or physical power. (Wikipedia, 2010).
In recent surveys, 49% of public school principals have reported that bullying, name-calling, and harassment are extremely serious problems in their schools. 75% of junior high schools or middle schools report that bullying is a serious problem compared to only 43% in elementary and 45% in senior high schools. It can be questioned whether or not the occurrence of bullying is actually increasing or if more victims are actually speaking up because of the increased support and awareness efforts.
Bullies are generally aggressive, loud and out-spoken. They are commonly larger in size and use physical appearance as a threat. They tend to brow-beat and belittle their victims verbally. Usually a bully will pick on their victim in a large group or public atmosphere so as to gain attention. They have a desire to put on a show for an audience, always trying to portray themselves as superior to their victims.
Research has proven that a person who is a bully is often trying to over-compensate for low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. They desire to be socially accepted and dominant. This behavior can start in the home especially if the bully is raised in an intimidating or aggressive atmosphere. If the bully is mean at school, quite commonly they will be mean to their siblings at home. On the other hand, if a child is raised in an environment where they see parents act insecure and show low self-esteem, then they are likely to be a victim. (Bullying, 2010)
Most parents today do not know how to successfully handle it when their children tell them they are being bullied at school. Other parents are completely unaware it is even happening. Parents have a tendency to get upset and angry when they feel like their child is being taunted and mistreated. Some common responses to this are getting mad at their own child for not sticking up for themselves. Many times the parent feels embarrassed or inadequate as if it is their own fault for not raising their child right, or not instilling enough self confidence in them. Other times parents want to tell their kids to fight back or take a stand. This is a very bad idea as it can lead to an escalation of the problem that could have serious repercussions. (Lyness, 2010) Another reaction is for the parent to simply ignore it and hope it goes away or they hope the school will handle it.
Most schools are becoming more aware of the bullying problem and recognize its increase in occurrence and need to be dealt with. Ideally, if bullying is happening at school the victim should immediately talk with an adult there they trust. This could be their teacher, counselor or school principal. The school official should then discuss with the victim that it’s not their fault and give them praise for having courage to talk about it. The bully should be given support as well, trying to focus on the reason why they did it. Sometimes it is necessary to have group interventions and support meetings with the parties all together and sometimes individually. If the occurrence does not stop, then appropriate measures need to be taken such as detention, not being able to attend school functions, expulsion or even calling the local authorities. Some states actually have laws against bullying and the parents could face charges.
It can be hard for the victim of bullying to go to those around them for help because they fear they will be judged or seen as inadequate. Unfortunately many people in today’s society think of a victim of bullying as a weakling or a wimp. Other children and at times even adults make fun of and laugh at these abused children in these situations. Awareness on the situation is growing though and people are recognizing it is a more serious problem to be dealt with.
It is very important to become more aware of bullying among our children. Looking at the mistreatment of these children can help us learn why it’s happening and how to help our children deal with it and prevent it. The current processes for dealing with the behavior are to either tell an adult or hide it.
The main weapon we have against this abuse is education. Educating our parents, teachers and children on how to deal with it is necessary. Offering support to the victims and the bullies is so important. Show me a bully and I will show you someone who needs some type of counseling or support. The effect this behavior can have on both parties is serious and can affect them for the rest of their lives. The victim of bullying can get very nervous, withdrawn, lose interest in things that they normally enjoyed doing. They can go into a state of depression. Children who are victims lose weight, score poorly in school, get mood swings and can often become violent themselves. They can grow up feeling insecure and inadequate and never realizing their full potential because of a lack of self-esteem.
There are many ways we can learn more about this issue. We can get more detailed in our research, talk to parents and teachers, seek counseling from professionals. We can join social networks and groups focusing on bullying. There is extensive literature and text on the internet. It is important to help our children as a community to deal with this problem so they can go on to achieve the greatest hopes and potential.
“Successfully dealing with bullying involves building a genuine community within the
school. Everyone accepts they have the right to be free from harassment and that they
have the responsibility to support their weaker and more vulnerable peers.” (Cleary)
Kenrigby.net. Bullying in school and what to do about it. Dr. Ken Rigby, 2010, retrieved on
April 3, 2011 from: http://www.kenrigby.net/
Bullyinginschools.com. Bullying prevention in school. 2010, retrieved on April 3, 2011 from: http://www.bullyinginschools.com/
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Cbsnews.com. Bullying: Do schools need a new approach?, Bianca Solorzano, 2010, retrieved
on April 6, 2011 from: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/04/eveningnews/main6363045.shtml
US Department of Justice online. Bullying in schools, Rana Sampson, 2002, retrieved on
April 6, 2011 from: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/e12011405.pdf
Education.com. Bullying at school and online, 2010, retrieved on April 6, 2011 from:
Princeton University online. Wordnet.com. Bullying, 2010. Retrieved on April 3, 2011 from: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=bullying
Bullying, 2010. Parent Further online. Retrieved on APril 3, 2011 from: http://www.parentfurther.com/high-risk-behaviors/bullying
Lyness, D’Arcy PhD., (2010) Helping Kids Deal with Bullies. Retrieved on April 12, 2011 from: http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/bullies.html
Cleary, Mark. A guide to bullying. Retrieved on April 3, 2011 from:
I completely agree with you that bullying is a problem in our schools. Most of us have endured some type of bullying at some point in our educational upbringing. The problem though seems to be getting out of hand with new avenues for bullies to attack. With the use of cell phones and the internet bullies are more ever present than before. I have three sons ages 23, 14, and 9, so we have been through this issue several times. Fortunately my boys are big enough to help themselves in this situation. I never advocate starting a fight, but I always advocate defending yourself. Sometimes when you are pushed too much, you have to push back! Not all kids are able to defend themselves though, and school officials and parents need to be more aware of the problems at hand and be advocates for those in need of help!
ReplyDeleteI agree that bullying has spiraled out of control. However, until one has been victimized, there's no way to predict how one will react to bullying. Experts seem to have plenty to say about how to handle bullying, but should we be just as concerned about the contributors to bullying? We understand that many bullies have low self-esteem and insecurities, but some are just out to dominate and intimidate. What effect do fighting and war games play in escalating this trend? How are bullies affected by the amount of violence portrayed in the entertainment media (movies, TV, etc) without any repurcussions? How are they influenced by the amount of foul and abusive language allowed even on network television? The only word I have not heard on television is the f-bomb...yet. I was raised on the streets of New York City and for many, many years was afraid of nothing. However, now that I have grandchildren I must admit that I might hesitate to intervene when a situation might call for it because my own safety may be at risk. Is that selfish? I wonder how many (children and adults) also ponder the same thing.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is an extraordinary blog. You put alot of time and research in on this blog and it was well worth it. I can't think of a topic that is more relevant to our public school systems than this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that bullying is a problem and it needs to be stopped. While in Texas one weekend we were watching television at our hotel and my nine year old was watching the news and heard a story about a nine year old boy who took his own life after being bullied repetitively at school.
Parents need to be aware of how their children are treating others but they also need to be aware of how their children are being treated.
I agree with your thoughts on the bullying. Another point I think is important to remember is young bullies carry a one-in-four chance of having a criminal record by age 30. Study by Leonard Eron and Rowell Huesman. So this is an important issue to address in early childhood when the behavior arises.
ReplyDeleteGreat, detailed post about bullying. I agree that bullying is the elephant in the room that a lot of school officials despise bringing up. I believe if schools are teaching sex education, why can't they teach their students about bullying on a yearly basis starting in Kindergarten? I was very small and shy during high school and was bullied almost on a daily basis to the point that I didn't eat in the cafeteria my entire time in high school. It took years to get over that experience and currently I have a son who is 9 years old and I hope that he doesn't have t go through bullying. The good news is that schools are being more responsive due to the Columbine incident and as a parent I can pressure the school system to ensure the safety of my children. Again, I completely agree with your well researched blog and believe that awareness through education is key.
ReplyDeleteBullying is a big problem. I think it has been around for a number of years, but I think it has become more of a problem; just like many other problems in our society.
ReplyDeleteIt is common for a large high school to have security officer on campus for what could happen on any given day.
My daughter was a victum of bullying a few years ago. Two other girls went as far as to put her life in danger by tampering with her car.
The high school took it seriously and action was taken. I took action and followed up with local law enforcement. I did this not to get even, but to show them that it was a crime to tamper with someone's car.
Before she graduated from high school she become friends with one of the girls and what you said was right, there was much turmoil in the home.