Us oppose you’re walking down the hall at school just minding your own business, attempting to get to class on time and suddenly out of nowhere you are purposely tripped by a hooligan. All of your fellow classmates and students at the school begin to laugh. Sassy lie on the floor embarrassed, humiliated, and traumatized. How do you react? Do you laugh along playing dumb or do you play “marc” and tell a teacher? There is no correct answer to his precarious situation.
Either way, you have now been labeled. School bullying has officially occurred. School bullying has become a major concern specifically defined as an unwelcome behavior among school aged children that is usually perceived as a power imbalance (Obscenest Connection, 2014). Bullying is comprised Of direct behaviors such a teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing that are initiated by one or more students against a victim. In order to be considered bullying, the behavior theoretically is repeated and aggressive in nature be it as a verbal, physical or emotional abuse.
Every child has the right to an education, and every child has the right to be safe. As adults, one would believe that bullying is a high priority. However, it is fairly overlooked at times. It is the schools’ professional obligation to provide a safe school environment for all students. In order for schools to be a healthy and safe environment they must be free from violence and provide a nurturing, caring and respectful of learning arena for everyone. Most bullies do not feel remorse for what they have done; it tends to feed to their egos.
Bullying within the school system has become a worldwide problem that an have negative consequences for the school climate and for the right of students to learn in a safe and bully-free environment without intimidation (Banks, Ron. 201 3, July 15). Many schools throughout the educational system have developed and implemented peer support groups and bully task force groups to assist in the intervention to bring bullying to an end. Thus, those victims can be at ease to put their guard down and receive a quality education and negate that euphoric feeling of superiority within that same group, lacking within their personal psyche.
Bullying is usually a one-on-one behavior. However, many times it is normally driven by an alpha personality in the group of people singling out one particular person off weaker social status or physical physique. Such actions can result in the alienation of that student from fellow classmates that can cause various forms of trauma within any given peer group. Thus, potentially causing social exclusion. Physical bullying occurs when a person uses overt bodily acts to gain power over peers (Fraser-Till, 2014, May 2).
Examples include: biting, kicking, pushing, pinching, hitting, tripping, hair pulling, and any form of physical contact that asses violence or harm. Verbal bullying is when an individual uses degradable language to gain power over his or her peers (Brim, 201 2 2014). Examples of verbal bullying include: sarcasm, teasing, put-downs, name calling, inappropriate phone calls, and hurtful rumors and gossip. These effects have caused students to commit suicide or commit crimes such as attempted murder or even murder. A 12-year olds’ family says that bullying at school was a direct result to their child’s suicide.
In Denver, CO a young girl unfortunately took her own precious life due to the other girls abusing her with no more than gossip. According to her classmate Monticello, “she was the most beautiful person you could ever imagine (Joseph, 2014, April 29). ” A recent example occurred in the Pittsburgh area when Franklin Regional High School had a stabbing incident where multiple students and staff were stabbed multiple times. Bullying may have played a significant part in this extreme part of this travesty that tackled the greater Pittsburgh area, as well as the nation in this bullying potentially incident.
Look at bullying as a virus that spreads like a forest fire out of control! Sometimes bullying is over looked. Most adults with children can attest to bullying in one way or another. We have been through those trials and tribulations that occurred in our school days. The most effective way to end this quandary to school bullying is information. Having administrators, teachers, parents, students, and the general community all on the same page to support the repercussions that bullying can have on our students.
Our children must have safety at school to have an enlightening and productive education that builds self-worth and a positive outlook that “l am somebody” and not live in fear of being a bullied and believe positively bout “me”. They deserve the right to believe “l can hold my shoulders high and be a positive role model to the following generation and pass along the potential detrimental outcomes bullying can produce”. Although there are diversified forms of bullying throughout the world, especially in our school system in the United States, one common factor is constant.
Bullying causes pain and emotional stress! It may just be a word or two that someone said. It may be a physical act that causes injury, or an emotional act that sinks deeps into the soul and eats away at you. Bullying is a menace to the well-being of our children, schools, and society as a whole and must come to an end. Bullying starts with looking at yourself first to passing judgment and ask yourself these words: What can I do to put bullying to an end, and protect our children who are entitled to a safe education?
What can we do to confront the bullying actions and the reasons behind this unacceptable behavior and their need to display over aggressive behavior amongst their peers? Believe it is well over-due that the Department of Education needs to raise the bar on addressing bullying in schools and the victims will receive well overdue justice n a more diplomatic way where the students can attend a safe, secure, and bully-free learning environment free from any danger. Now, what are you prepared to do to end this unacceptable behavior and solve this virus that tortures our young minds?
In closing, stand up express your voice and keep our children safe and create a safe and bully-free learning environment to mold the minds of our future.
