Bullying And Its Effect On Schools

Bullying, often labeled as just a part of growing up, is a major problem in America’s schools today. Although it is such a hot topic in our country right now, it is also a long ignored problem that only seems to worsen. The complication with bullying is that no one quite understands it, and it is not taken seriously. The definition of bullying is an overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people. In more simple terms, bullying is not a onetime incident; it is repetitive and happens among individuals when there is an imbalance of power. Statistically, every one in six children are bullied, and this cannot continue to take place. Every child has the right to feel safe and have the pursuit of being happy in which bullying completely takes those rights away.

Issue: If you or your child have ever been a victim of bullying then you know how horrible one can feel. There are many emotions and fears associated with bullying, and no one should have to be subjected to it. Bullying can have a lasting effect not only in one’s present life but their future as well. Bullying is very prominent in schools today, and there has been an increase in school shootings, which is the extreme reaction to being bullied. Children need to consider each other’s feelings before they decide to bully or pick on each other.

Bullying at school is a big problem that is found in all the schools in the United States and across the world. Since the late 1990s there have been several fatal school shootings committed by victims of bullying that have brought bullying major media attention. This has resulted in an increase of awareness about the harmful effects on the kids being bullied as well as the bullies themselves. This has brought a large amount of local, state, and nationwide programs designed to try to prevent bullying or to at least try to contain the problem. “In an effort to adequately address the problem, many schools are taking a proactive approach through prevention and intervention, but how do we know if and when such intervention is effective? First and foremost, we must have an accurate understanding of the dynamic and complex phenomenon of bullying across development and as it spans the multiple levels of the social ecology” (Casper, Meter, & Card, 2015, par 2). Many psychologists, sociologists, and school administrators have been publishing research on school bullying. Bullying is a significant threat to many children because it causes psychological problems not only for those who get bullied but also those who do the bullying. Even though bullying is a significant problem the are few solutions that can help prevent or significantly reducing bullying like reporting bullying, know the characteristics, and passing laws.

These skills and behaviors can be introduced to students in lessons and classroom discussions. Some of the intensive interventions consist of support to both victims and bullies through group therapy and individual counseling. Obtaining parent support for these children is a important component of intervention initiatives. The goals of these programs are to empower adults and children to take the appropriate steps to stop bulling when and where it occurs and to teach children positive behaviors and interpersonal skills. “Effective prevention efforts mobilize a school’s most vital resource- the students- to be a school’s most powerful force in fostering a caring culture in which all students can grow and learn”( Feinberg,2003).

Over the past couple of decades, schools all across the nation have noticed a significant rise in the amount of bullying taking place among their students. “Two decades ago, bullying was often seen as a rare occurrence, where small groups of parents sought protection for their children with the school district”, stated by Vikki Healy Ortiz, writer of the article “New inclusive approach helps schools fight bullying”. However, the same cannot be said for our society in today’s world. Our modern world has advanced tremendously over the past few decades and there are even more opportunities for children to be susceptible to feeling isolated from others because they are simply unique. In today’s society, children have the potential to bully each other outside of the classroom as well.

Bullying is bound to happen anywhere at any time but occurs mostly within school limits. Kathleen Winkler defines bulling in her book, Bullying, as “...any kind of ongoing physical or verbal mistreatment, done with the intent to harm, where there is an imbalance of power between bully and victim” (Winkler 14). Bullying has an extremely important impact on one’s everyday life and can affect their life negatively getting to the point where they can no longer take the blow. To try and prevent bullying from taking place in schools, one needs to know how bullying effects a person, what the role of each person involved in the situation is, and have knowledge of specific methods on how to prevent it. Bullying in schools is a serious problem and a handful of school do their part to prevent it; others, not as much, which means there is room for improvements.

Nowadays, schools and private assemblies are working together to talk to students and parents to minimize the instances of bullying by persistently educating them on the effects of bullying and actual instances that have happened around the world. The world is evolving rapidly each and every day through research and there still seem to be many questions unanswered but through each experience of bullying there are new questions

Students who are victims of bullying force themselves out of bed every morning with an overwhelming sense of despair because they know one foot stepped inside the institution interprets into a new day and a new game for the oppressor. Even though there has been a nationwide policy adopted by many Institutions in the efforts of putting a stop to bullying, many victims stay unnoticed due to failure of acknowledgment, failure of anti-bullying programs, and failure of catching early discerning behavior. Nonetheless, Bullying has gotten to be such an overused word that those who are in dire need of assistance aren’t receiving the attention needed to eliminate the issue from the start, however, there are solutions that could solve the epidemic

Bullying in the United States has become epidemic, but some schools are resistant to instill anti-bullying programs, because they fear the program will be ineffective. The article, Creating An Anti-Bullying Culture In Secondary Schools: Characterists to Consider When Constructing Appropriate Anti-Bullying Programs, researchers Joseph R. Jones, and Sharon Murphy Augustine address the issue of bullying head on. Research indicates that students who are from a low socioeconomic background, students who are racially diverse, students who have a learning disability, and student’s sexual orientation has the largest effect on bullying rates in the United States (Jones &Augustine, pp. 74-76). In a recent survey, twenty five percent of students reported that they are bullied on a daily basis and that cyber bullying is at an all time high (Jones &Augustine, p. 74). Due to the increased rates of bullying, there is an increase on teen suicide and school shootings. (Jones

Bullying is on the rise across the nation. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 30 percent of students of students were bullied during the 2010-2011 school year. Whether verbal or physical, bullying has a negative effect on the victims. Students who are bullied often experience depression, loneliness, anxiety, and isolation. The common types of bullying in a school setting are physical and verbal. With the rise in the use of social media, cyberbullying has become a big problem among children. Children who bully others are often bullied at home by a parental figure. This is why it is very important to incorporate moral instruction into the curriculum, teaching students about respect and caring for others, instead of bullying them. Schools have started to take extra precautions to eliminate bullying by implementing prevention programs. As educators, it is our responsibilities to prevent bullying from happening in our schools and protect our students. It is important that we model moral and ethical behavior for students to follow. It’s also important that we take precautions and investigate all forms of bullying, instead of only taking action when we witness physical aggression.

In the last two decades, there has been a surge of anti-bullying programs that have come out for elementary schools. It is important to inform our youth on exactly what bullying is, strategies for prevention and coping. Education about bullying became a main goal for elementary school in the last two decades due to the exponential rate of school shooting, suicides and cyber bullying. The question is whether or not these programs are effective in education and prevention This paper will discuss why bullying is such a concerning issue, the goals and promises of prevention programs and if these are effective or not.

Bullying in schools is believed to be a normal part of school life, however, when people begin to have this mentality, they forget that bullying is physically and psychologically harmful to both the bully and the victim, therefore, bullying must be eradicated from schools by raising awareness and increasing supervision. The act of bullying or the fear of being bullied underlies almost everything kids do these days. No longer can students leave the gossip and self-doubt at school and go home for an overnight respite. Now, with internet connections thorough cell phones or computers, they never get a break from the drama. Research indicates that bullying can have some long term psychological effects.

There is no doubt that bullying has always been around, but it is becoming more and more harsh, and the results of it are becoming more fatal. The victims of bullying are having suicidal thoughts now, more than ever. School is thought to be a place where children go to learn and socialize, it shouldn’t ever be thought of as a place of torment. But the ugly truth is that for some people that is exactly what it is.

School bullying and bullying as a whole has become a growing concern. The need for more intervention is more recognized, as incidents of bullying and inappropriate acts towards others occur in places outside of the classroom. This literature takes a closer look at bullying in schools. Olwesus (2013) states “the field of bullying research is to some extent plagued by problems, disagreements, and unresolved issues” (p.752). Whether if anyone will agree on the root of bullying, the fact remains that bullying has to be examined at its very core to remedy the matter before it becomes a bigger concern. There is a dire need for intervention based programs to be set in place to address the fact the act of bullying has lasting effects on the bully and the victim. When intervention programs are put into place to address bullying, the act of bullying decreases due to the gained understanding of the effects.

It is only in the recent years that attention has turned toward the widespread problem of bullying, especially in schools, and that bullying is identified as a serious problem that merits intervention and research (Coy). Therefore, relatively little effort has been made to overcome or address the problem, which still remains a widespread social vice. This paper purports to illustrate how, despite efforts made to rectify the situation, bullying still remains rampant, and is getting worse.