The Issue Of Bullying And Bullying

Bullying is defined as “verbal, physical, or psychological abuse or teasing accompanied by real or perceived imbalance of power” and is usually targets what children perceive as different (Olweus, 1993). Bullying is prevalent across the nation. It has devastating effects on students each day. Bullying is a problem for all students, regardless of race, gender or class. The National Education Association reports that 160,000 children are absent intentionally from school each day because they fear being bullied whether it is an attack or just intimidation by other students. This accounts for 15% of all school absenteeism (Hunter, 2012). Dan Olweus (1993) from the National School Safety Center tells us that bullying includes three parts: (1)

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.

Bullies are often insecure teens themselves, and many bullies suffer from teen depression as well. Teens are more at risk of being bullied than others, including teens with special needs. Being perceived as different from the greatest peer group is one of the main reasons for depression in teens, and bullies tend to target teens who are different from them in some way. It is important for parents and school officials to look out for the warning signs that a teen is being bullied based on his or her race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion. Just because a teen has one or more risk factors for bullying does not mean that action needs to be taken, but it does mean that the adults in the teen’s life should look for signs that there is a problem at

Researchers have published a limited number of studies on the prevalence of bullying within the special needs community. Researchers wrestle with protecting the validity of information due to an individual's eligibility ruling of mild, moderate or severe mental retardation. Most studies have used data obtained in an inclusive classroom setting with general education students and special needs students combined. Disabled students that participate in a self-contained classroom environment contributed data by student survey or teacher observation survey. Investigators also seek to include data from parental reports on bullying. The Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 served as a data collection instrument for this study. In the end, the authors reached the following conclusion. The prevalence rate of bullying and victimization of elementary school students with disabilities is 24.5%. The authors predict the incidence rate of bullying will grow higher in middle school and

This book is about bullying and students with disabilities. The author builds on the topic of bullying, bullies, victims and prevention strategies schools need to incorporate into their learning environment. Barry McNamara reveals common sense tips teachers, parents, students, and stakeholders can use to identify and eradicate bullying in their schools and communities. The author describes the characteristics of bullies and victims. Notably, bullies are often quick tempered, easily frustrated individuals who pick on or tease smaller or weaker associates. Bullies feel the need to dominate or overpower other students on a regular basis. The author describes the victim as an isolated student who typically doesn't have many friends, and seems depressed. Moreover, evidence paints the image

In the article by Rose, Swearer, & Espelage (2012) the authors explained that further research should be conducted to determine if anti-bullying programs effectively impact exceptional education students or if modifications were needed The authors also argued that bullying not only affects the regular student, but it possibly puts the special need student at a higher risk. They are at a higher risk due to physical elements, personal qualities, and school related issues. When students with disabilities display age-appropriate social skills and positive self-concept, are academically sound, develop positive relationships, and are involved in school activities, their

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

The Department of Education exists to create equal opportunities for all its students. However, with the increase in bullying rates, the U.S education system fails to make it clear that bullying is intolerable. Bullying’s harmful impact on students’ well being has been studied and continues to be researched. The U.S Department of Health & Human Services defines bullying as the “unwanted aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance” (2014). Bullies can be identified as people who use their power to manipulate or inflict unnecessary pain on others. In the U.S, bullying rates in secondary school are still on the rise. According to the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of

This article provides insight into bullying and victimization from the perspective of 3,305 students in general and special education inclusive classrooms. Students self-reported bullying and victimization rates of two to three incidents a month. Mainstream students reported bullying in the form of verbal remarks and relational positioning. Special needs students data implicated the same results along with physical and psychological wounds. Prior to the 1970's students with disabilities were educated in special schools or special education classrooms in the United States. In 1975 The Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed and integrated mainstream classes on the basis of age and grade level. Educators, parents, and children have

This article provides insight into bullying and victimization from the perspective of 3,305 students in general and special education inclusive classrooms. Students' self-reported bullying and victimization rates of two to three incidents a month. In addition, mainstream students reported bullying in the form of verbal remarks and relational positioning. Whereas, special needs student's data implicate the same results along with physical and psychological wounds. Surprisingly, researchers report incidents of teachers and support staff participating in bullying by verbally abusing special education students. However, the authors of the article

The article entitled National prevalene rates of bully victimization among students with disabilities redefines the seriousness of bullying children within the special needs spectrum. Special needs students are sometimes overlooked and ignored population of learning institutions.

Bullying is defined as unwanted or aggressive behavior that causes someone to feel afraid or intimidated. This behavior could be something physical, verbal, or something done electronically or through social media. If someone feels threatened by someone’s actions or words, it could be considered bullying, even if that was not the intent.There are many types of bullying, how to recognize bullying, how to report bullying, what to do if you see incidents of bullying, and what resources are available to persons who have been bullied.

Educators and staff need to be aware of the early warning signs of harassment and bullying. Once recognized, they need to be quick to intervene when they see this occurring. However, educators must remember that signs of violence are not always signs from one person. Bullying and hate crimes are also prevalent in schools and need to be recognize. The company, Teaching Tolerance, has this advice for educators: “listen, watch, and learn.” The site’s file on “Responding to Hate in School” says that attention needs to be paid to what is being heard in the halls. In “The Final Report and Findings of The Safe School Initiative,” researchers found that in many cases of school violence, other people knew about the attack before it actually happened. Teachers must be aware of this and listen for any and all rumors. A teacher also needs to listen for slurs or common derogatory phrases. They must be alert everywhere in the school, not just their own classroom, and constantly search for signs of marginalized students, entitlement, and violent behaviors. They even must be aware of other educator’s attitudes and behaviors towards students as well as their own perceptions. Teaching Tolerance implores educators to “be the person who knows what’s really going on at your school” and to take an active part in ending school violence (Willoughby, p. 5-6).

Robin Henig and Maria Konnikova separately researched and wrote about the “millennial generation” and how different aspects are playing into the decline of maturation from adolescence into adulthood. Society around us changes every day which means the things you have to go through are different versus what other generations had to overcome. The world needs to take into account all of the ongoing norms that keep altering in generations today. Consequently, the technological world’s easy access to social media is what really needs to be focused on. Although social networking allows for great connections and even potentially expands your friend group, it is only causing a decline in social interaction around the world and in my opinion leading us as humans to more judgement, ridicule, and bullying. Moreover these acts of bullying are affecting Gen Y's adult years more than people are realizing, as it potentially results in psychological problems, wrong decisions, and even alters social interactions with others.

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.