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Schools as social institutions
Bullying and harassment in schools
Importance of class code of conduct
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Harassment and bullying are two of the most difficult challenges to overcome in any organization. At schools, a peaceful, safe, all-inclusive learning environment must be created and kept to achieve the student learning. However, schools are mirrors of the society in which they stand. Administrators should lead the way, by establishing a zero-tolerance policy against both unfair practices: harassment and bullying. Likewise, to limit, or in a utopia, eliminate all forms of harassment or bullying, it is not only the creation of the policies, but the spread of awareness about the issue and the enforcement of students’ code of conduct what will get results. As per this case study, the principal should have been aware of her school community composition 50). Essex cites part of the Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court opinion: “School officials banned and sought to punish petitioners for a silent, passive expression of opinion, unaccompanied by any disorder or disturbance on the part of the petitioners…” (p. 50). Essex explains that “…students are entitled to express their views in an orderly fashion” (p. 50). The issue of the shirt was that the student was also disrupting the school environment. Therefore, the principal could had argued that the prohibition was based on that point. However, she did mention to him that the ‘Day of Truth’ words could had been disruptive. If that was her argument to ban the t-shirt she could be standing shaking grounds. During the West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette Supreme Court case decision, the Justices stated that the believes of the Jehovah Witnesses did not alter or affect the rights of others and that this case was based on authority v. individual rights. If the student’s legal defense decided, they could have argued that the shirt did not coerce anyone. The school district legal administration did foresee this possible outcome because they reversed the decision of Ms. Howard about the t-shirt. The decision to allowed him to wear his shirt followed the guideline of the Supreme Court by explaining that the words did not forced the student’s religion on
The superintendent and principal are stymied in their efforts to reach a compromise as Mrs. Durnitz refuses to change her position that the policy must be followed to the letter. She appealed to the teachers’ association for support when it appeared that the administration and board might not uphold her position. The local newspap...
While watching the Uniondale School Board of Education meeting this was something very interesting. The people that attended this meeting where the school board members, the superintendent, the student member, business affairs and people from the local community. The people the present was the student member, two school board members and a couple people from the community. There were a couple things that the board talked about and the members of the community. Something that was very interesting at this board meeting was that the members of the board had a student member by the name of Campbell present during the meeting. Campbell raised a concern about the segregation that is happening in Long Island. She mentioned how she and other people
Sister Aloysius, the principal of the school, builds her values upon a foundation of tradition, fairness and control which is an unacceptable and outdated method for presiding over
In the case study with Principal Miller, he had to make a decision to change the instruction program or to keep it. There was a group of parents that wanted students grouped by their ability. The other group of parents wanted the instruction to stay the same. Principal Miller was new to the school and had very little knowledge of the school. This leaves some critical issues that Principal Miller has to think about while he made his choice. He needed to make sure that the children were getting the best education that he can provide as the leader in the school. He also needs to think about the other educators in the building and how they would feel about the grouping. If Mr. Miller changes any instruction it needs to be understood by all of the teachers and staff in the building. Mr. Miller should consider all of the parents, keep an open dialogue with them, and report data for and against the change and finally make the decision.
Bullying and sexual harassment perhaps do not immediately come to mind when discussing school violence, however they are two of the most widespread and pervasive issues facing schools today. While the word “bully” brings to mind a harmless school age right of passage to many, research today shows that bullies often times have a number of family or social problems. Also, in today’s modern world, bullies may not merely shake down classmates for lunch money; they have found ways to hound their victims long after they have left the school grounds by using the internet. Another form of bullying is sexual harassment, which is bullying based on the person’s gender or sexual preferences. Sexual harassment is a very damaging problem, especially to school age child who have yet to develop a strong sexual identity of their own. While sexual harassment is generally considered to be aimed from a male to a female, both males and females are victims and perpetrators of this destructive act. For people who are not knowledgeable on the subject of school violence, they may be confused on where the line has been crossed and dangerous behavior begins, nevertheless, there is clear data on who is a bully, what behavior is characterized by a bully, who are victims of bullies, what sexual harassment is, and who is affected by sexual harassment.
In recent times bullying has become a national issue, notwithstanding the fact that it has been in existence for many years. Traditionally, bullying has been seen as horseplay, but with the increase of harassment in schools and suicides; parents and schools are now forced to take action to prevent bullying in schools. Bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance which has the potential to be repeated over time. Strategies to prevent bullying in schools are grouped into identifying the causes of bullying, creating policies and rules, building a safe environment and educating students and staff.
In order to be an effective school, all school personnel must work together in a friendly, caring, polite, and respectful manner. There are a number of positions and employees in a school. “A school is a complex social system, and all the people in it contribute to making it run smoothly” (Kauchak & Eggen, 2014, p. 182). It’s important to acknowledge the contributions of all staff and faculty members. The principal, leader of the school is the ...
Bullying does not have a standard definition. Bullying can be anything from calling someone else names, beating them up just for the fun of it, to texting or messaging them on the internet or any mobile device. Any person can be the victim of bullying, not just children. Bullying causes many issues, physically, emotionally, and mentally, not only for the victim, but for their entire families as well. Bullies have many different reasons as to why they start bullying someone else. The actions done to the victim leaves them with only a few options on how to stop being bullied. How they handle it is always different.
Bullying is an issue that is a problem in society today. Bullying is any kind of unwanted behavior to an individual on repeated occasions which is a display of power over someone. Bullying is mainly common among students in school, and unfortunately, it happens in other places like at home between parents and children, and on rare occasions, among adults. When people began to identify bullying for what it is, it was only known as a physical aggression towards others, but over the course of time, bullying has moved from just physical bullying to verbal bullying, and power abuse in the workplace between co-workers in different ranks. In a book called Welfare Brat: A Memoir, Mary was bullied in school by boys on the streets, and unfortunately, she was verbally bullied by her mom. Bullying among children in the society is caused by different reasons, and affects its victims negatively.
Bullying has always been present within the United States. Although the issue has been around for a long time, it continues to grow and become more of problem. It is said that about 160,000 children within the United States are refusing to go to school because of bullying. Another statistic is that within American schools alone, there are an estimated 2.1 billion bullies and 2.7 billion victims (Dan Olewus, MBNBD). The numbers presented here are outrageous and although there are organizations to stop bullying, obviously there needs to be a new set of solutions. Any type of bullying presents problems to children, “Suicide, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, trouble with the law, poor performance in school and work, and lack of involvement in socially accepted activities are some of the difficulties resulting from bullying (Austin, Reynolds, Barnes, Shirley). Of course, there is more than just a single type of bullying. Feeding ground for bullies can range anywhere from text-message or cyberbullying to physical bullying in schools. Also, bullies can begin to strike at a young age and could also be; teenage, middle-age, or even the elderly. Even though there are these many versions of problematic bullies, the largest bullying problems take place within the school setting: a place that is supposed to be safe for children rather than harmful. Although it seems impossible to completely get rid of bullying, these are a few suggested solutions; making the school informed on bullying issues, schools implementing rules on bullying, and having students positively use electronics to stop bullying.
Before such things can be implemented, there is some specific ground work and strategies that must be done within the schools before situations or dealt with and handled. In this groundwork, principals are vital in the success of the program they implement in their schools (Ballard, Argus & Remley, 1999). They are the conductors of each category needed in a successful program. Principals must hold students and staff accountable for their roles in changing the climate of the school and they must allow for the time and manpower implementing a new program will take. Gil (2002, p. 73) explains that first a solid code of conduct must be in place and operating smoothly. These clearly stated rules are to be communicated to all students and staff what the expectation is for behavior and they must be “enforced without
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” These words have been repeated countless times, but they are not accurate. In truth, words can kill. Bullying has become a highlighted problem within our society, and bullying in the school systems is even more prominent. According to the news, there are countless cases of bullying, many of which do not have happy endings. The rates of suicide due to bullying are currently higher than they have ever been before. Suicide is the third top causes of death in young people within the United States, averaging at 4,400 deaths a year, with over 50% of these deaths as a result of some sort of bullying. Studies also show that there are 100 suicide attempts for every one successful suicide performed (“Bullying and Suicide”). These numbers are disturbingly high. Bullying is affecting more kids in ways that some adults may never understand. The fact that words and actions can lead to cutting and suicides is still a distant concept to some and needs to be brought to immediate attention. Laws are now being put into place to prevent these tragedies, but what is really being done to prevent them within the schools or even within the students’ homes? There is a lot of finger pointing when it comes to this topic. But we all want to know what the cause is behind this nationwide crisis and who is responsible for it.
“"I was sitting at my desk in my cubicle, and suddenly she was standing over me screaming, 'What the hell is this crap? And why is it so late?' I tried to say I thought I'd done exactly what she asked for, but she cut me off and yelled about how incompetent I was"” (pg. 118-142).
Bullying has become a serious problem in public schools systems. Being a victim of bullying is a daily struggle for some students. The issue continues to grow, but the question is how to stop bullying from occurring. Many ways have been attempted to stop bullying, but some are more effective than others. Having the students get involved seems to have the most positive effect on the bullying issue in public school systems.
We have a responsibility to cultivate a sense of community and belonging. The quote, “It takes a village to raise a child”, rings true in so many ways. Education is a collaborative effort that needs leadership and a strong vision. Co-operation among all stakeholders is essential. A community is an essential extension of a school. Relationships between a school and its’ community, whether educational, entrepreneurial, co-operative or charitable, should not just be encouraged but pursued.