Bullying Is A Problem That Has Affected Our Community

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among people of all ages, but mostly school-age children. Society has been aware of bullying since around 1693, but it was not viewed as a real problem until the 1970s. “While overall incidents of school violence, such as assault and theft, have declined in the last decade, bullying is on the rise.” (qtd in Tyre) The percentage of middle and high school students that have been victimized by bullying went up from 14 percent in 2001 to 32 percent in 2009. (Tyre)

Bullying is a problem that is on the rise in society; however, many individuals have a distorted view of what bullying entails. Usually when someone thinks of bullying, they assume that it is a standard part of a child’s life. This view, on the contrary, is erroneous. Bullying is actually abnormal behavior, many times, leaving victims with a dismantled self identity. Since some people do not understand the consequences of bullying, the actions of the bully often go unnoticed and are perceived as “kids being kids”. The issue of bullying goes deeper than that nevertheless. Despite the erroneous views that many individuals hold towards bullying, it is still a distortion of normal behavior in children.

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.

Bullying is a growing epidemic in today’s society and has become a pressing social and educational concern. It is often dismissed as typical adolescent behavior but ignoring the problem could be detrimental to the bully, the person being bullied, and even those who stand by witnessing the unkind acts but do nothing about it. Bullying can hinder academic, social, and emotional development and because it manifests in different forms, it is important to recognize the signs and address it with all parities immediately.

Bullying is defined as a dynamic and repetitive and persistent patterns of verbal and / or non-verbal behaviors directed by one or more children on another child that are intended to deliberately inflict physical, verbal or emotional abuse in the presence of a real or perceived power differential (Selekman and Vessey). In other words, it is a group of people who directed an act to threaten, hurt or frighten that individual when he is unable to defend himself. The article outlined and covered the details of bullying – corresponding behaviors, place, time and reasons of bullying, what intervention works and does not work. It is thorough and analytical; clear and specific.

School should be a place where students learn social and emotional skills as well as academics lessons but bullying has become a prominent issue in schools and it’s even occurring online. Bullying can be direct or indirect and it can affect every student in the school. Bullying undermine children’s safety, senses of belonging, feelings of value, and it also hamper their ability to learn. It can also create a climate of fear and disrespect that spreads throughout the school and even extends to the community. Bullying is different from conflict, fights, or disagreements. According to (Boston Public School), Bullying is a form of emotional or physical abuse that has three defining characteristics:

Abstract The aim of this essay is to address the anti-bullying policies and laws that are already in place, but also how ineffective they are thus far. The anti-bullying laws that are in place need to be modified further to accommodate bullying off school premises. The victims of bullies need to be assured that they can get loose from the grip of the bully without having to go to extreme measures such as suicide. I address the types of bullying that can occur and how to put a stop to it through laws as well as what parents can do to make sure their kids aren’t being bullied or being a bully themselves.

Bullying has always been recognized as a normal part of growing up; therefore, most people in the past have not given bullying much thought. Bullying is often thought as “kids being kids” or a “rite of passage,” but it is much more of a problem than just being a kid (Maughan 2). According to the U.S. Deparment of Education, over 13 million students are bullied each year, and over 160,000 students avoid going to school because they are bullied (Maughan 1). Students who feel so threatened by bullying that they do not want to go to school demonstrates just how much bullying can change a child’s life. Bullying is a serious problem, and a child’s life could be dramatically changed by being terrorized at school. (Maughan, 1-2)

Bullying is continuing to grow as a problem in schools today, affecting 1 in 3 children in the United States (Shetgiri, 2013). Studies show that between 15-25% of U.S. students are bullied frequently, while 15-20% of students report that they bully others with some frequency (Nelson et al., 2001).This makes bullying an important public health problem and it is gaining more recognition as a problem affecting the well-being and psychosocial functioning of school-age children. The focus of this paper is limited to bullying during the school-age period, which includes children from six to twelve years of age.

Bullying is a recurrent issue that can be found in many, if not all, schools across the world. It is a universal action. “Bullying is broadly defined as intentional and repeated acts that occur through direct verbal, direct physical, and indirect forms (cyberbullying), and it typically occurs in situations in which there is a power or status difference” (O’Brennan, Waasdorp, & Bradshaw, 2014). In a study done among 876 students in grades 4, 5 and 6, researchers came to the conclusion that nearly 30% of students commit acts of bullying against their classmates, with reports of bullying being two times higher than the rate of bullying itself. “Aggression and peer victimization are significant problems for many elementary and middle school students” (Jensen, Brisson, Bender &Williford, 2013). According to Lindsey M. O’Brennan, Tracy E. Waasdorp and Catherine P. Bradshaw, in their article “Strengthening Bullying Prevention Through School Staff Connectedness, they state

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2016 it was reported that one in five students has been or are being bullied (Bullying Statistics, 2018). Bullying is becoming more and more of an issue having short term and long-term effects to not only the victims and their families, but it can have effects on the bully themselves and the community. In the video, “Bullying: What every adult needs to know”, it discusses bullying and the impact and consequences of bullying to the victims and even the bullies themselves. The video also discusses the importance of parents, the school, and the community involvement to stop and prevent bullying by giving advice and the tools needed to help both the victims and the bullies. In

Bullying has been around for years, but it has never been taken to the extreme as it has today. According to Berthold and Hoover, Slee, Walker, Ramsey and Gresham, “targets of bullying may suffer greatly in terms of their social and emotional well-being, become anxious, and depressed, isolate themselves from peer groups, and avoid school for fear of being bullied”. With the help of school-based intervention programs, the frequency of bullying has the ability to be minimized greatly. Many theorists and practioners believe programs have already been put in place to intervene bullying, but too many tragedies are still occurring, so there needs to be more of an effective intervention.

Bullying is not a new problem, it is the most frequent type of victimization encountered by youths, and is a growing public health dilemma (Bradshaw, 2013). Many studies conducted over the last few decades has affirmed that bullying occurs regularly in the United States of American (USA). Statistics have shown about 20% of youths in grades 9-12 in the USA have been subjected to bullying at school (Barrios, David-Ferdon, Hertz, Holt & Jones, 2015; Campain, Goldberg, Hase, Smffith & Stuck, 2015).

Each year, bullying affects the lives of at least 3.2 million students across the globe.  While some schools tend to look over bullying, many schools have started to reprimand their students for even the slightest act of bullying. However, bullying does not start and end in the school.  Bullying starts in the home and it is the responsibility of the parents to encourage their children to be kind and respectable people. In the times of social media and the internet, bullying is a bigger problem than it has ever been. Even though bullying has always been a problem in the lives of adolescents,  it is ultimately the responsibility of parents and school faculty to make sure bullying is stopped in it’s tracks and does not become a bigger problem than it already is.

Bullying is a very negative offense that is described as “repetitive behavior that harms or hurts another person physically, socially or emotionally; and is an imbalance of power in which the target cannot stop the behavior and defend themselves” (National Bullying Prevention Center, 2016e, para, 2). Additionally, it creates major problems for everyone in general, and all those who are involved, principals, social workers, teachers, and the schools. According to NBPC, research and statistics have proven that bullying tends to change, if not ruin the lives of many people in a harmful or tragic manner. Many long or everlasting detrimental effects occur as a result of bullying. Poor mental health, behavior disorders, and loss of academic interest or skills have been associated to bullying. Additionally, there is a strong correlation between school violence and suicide. It is crucially important for students and their families to understand that there are many resources and help available. According to research, the effects of bullying can distort or destroy the lives or future of many innocent victims. To broaden the perspectives and knowledge on bullying, this paper will focus on its definitions, roles of bullying, characteristics and environmental factors that influence and develop bullying. Finally, I hope to describe prevention or intervention resources and programs, which have been effective in teaching parents and students how to