Bullying is a widespread term in schools that has a detrimental effect on students’ emotional and psychological well being. It leads to short and long term outcomes including problems with concentration, learning difficulties psychosomatic problems, depression, anxiety. According to Schott and Søndergaard, bullying is a form of individual aggression, negative group dynamics, and social violence. Many people use threats, verbal and physical abuse, mockery, insulting, and so on. There is no unanimity among scholars and educators as to how this dysfunctional behavior should be prevented and punished. As far as I am concerned, its complex nature requires a collaborative approach, which means that parents, teachers, and students themselves need to be involved.
Solutions to eliminate bullying in schools vary significantly. Some parents and teachers believe that this term is no more just a stage in children’s life that does not mean anything. Many of them have been the victims of bullying and think that it is normal in schools and in other places. This attitude is extremely dangerous because it discourages children from reporting the cases of bullying and leaves them face to face with their opponents. Some schools are more responsible when it comes to eliminating bullying. They discourage this type of behavior by imposing places on the bullies and providing psychological support for victims. Student education is another widespread solution to bullying, and some educational institutions provide lectures on bullying prevention. Working with bullies may bring positive effects as well because these students often require psychological support to overcome this aggression.
However, the most effective solution to the problem of school bullying lies in the collaboration of teachers, parents, students and other higher authority. It is not enough to provide lectures while parents fail to give their children enough attention and support at home. Similarly, sanctions would not bring a long-term effect unless students are aware of the adverse consequences of their behavior and know how to stop bullying that occurs within their groups. Parent education may also be effective because some families do not realize the importance of the problem and may be blind to their children’s needs. Thus, schools, parents, and students should work collaboratively towards eliminating bullying and making school a safer place.
As a former victim of school bullying, I know how difficult it may be for students to experience this type of aggression. Although my parents were supportive and gave me some valuable advice as to how I should communicate with bullies, it was still very hard for me to go to school sometimes. I would feel much better if my teachers realized the seriousness of the problem and worked more on raising students’ awareness. I need to admit that I could not prevent bullying when it occurred in my classroom because I simply did not know how to intervene and help the victims. Therefore, I believe that the collaborative approach to bullying prevention is the best solution to combat this phenomenon in our schools.
To conclude, bullying is an extremely harmful behavior that has adverse effects on victims’ mental and emotional well-being and academic performance. It may manifest itself in verbal and physical abuse, name-calling, insulting, and so on. Schools acknowledge the importance of detecting and preventing this phenomenon; yet, the current fragmented efforts are not enough to combat it. From my personal experience, I can say that a collective and more elaborate approach to bullying prevention is required that involves teachers, parents, and students.
