To say school was tough is somewhat of an understatement. And yet, when I reflect on the whole 12 years I can say that, without a doubt, I really enjoyed school. I think what I liked most was learning. The whole social side of things is what made it tough. I think of where I am now and figure that I am a reasonably well adjusted individual - a little too harsh on myself at times, and a little too cynical but generally a functioning member of society. The focus today on the psychological damage being bullied can do to a person does make me question myself - am I okay?
I can identify three distinct periods of my school where I was bullied. And I don’t mean a few nasty words said on one day. Rather these episodes lasted for months, or years.
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I can’t remember clearly the day it started but I know that it seemed to just come to be part of my normal functioning. I do remember two students in Year 1 being nasty to be on a constant basis but oddly enough I don’t think of that as one of the bullying episodes of my life. Perhaps in retrospect I have come to understand that kids are nasty and that there is nothing we can really do about that. Anyway, back to the first official memory. Her name was Casey. She was an intimidating figure - even in Year 2. Larger than a number of the students in our class she was confident in her actions. At least, I thought she was confident. Knowing what I do now about the psyche of a bully, she most likely was not confident and came from a harsh family situation. However, one of the earliest memories was during a spelling test. We all know how these run. The teacher says the word, uses it in a sentence and you 're meant to write it down as quickly as you can. This was a struggle for me, since Casey was sitting beside me trying desperately to copy my work and physically restraining my arm because she couldn’t read the answers to the previous words if I was writing the new spelling word. Did I complain to the teacher? No. It wasn’t worth it. Again, in retrospect she obviously struggled with basic literacy and, to save face, used me as her method to fight this. It doesn’t condone the actions, but it has …show more content…
I remember being berated by Mr Lucy one day for forgetting to bring an item that symbolised Australia. I sometimes wonder if this forgetfulness is what clued him in to the fact that something was going on right under his nose. Like most students, I had sick days. And they were genuine, not an attempt to escape my tormentor. On one of the sick days, according to my friends, Mr Lucy asked them what was up with me. I’ll never understand why, because at times they were also in my predicament with Casey, but they decided to tell him everything about what she had been doing to me. To understand my teacher 's actions, you need to understand that I’m pretty sure this was his first year of teaching, he was single and was living in the Rectory (the Priest 's house) right beside the school. As a border. So, for Mr Lucy to appear at my parent’s front door to have a chat wasn’t all that odd exactly. After all, the parent - teacher interview that year involved Mr Lucy coming for dinner. So, it seemed normal to me that if he wanted to chat to my parents, he would come over. They took the conversation outside on the back patio, most likely over a cold drink to discuss the predicament that “little Katie was in.” I do have a clear recollection of Mr Lucy walking down the hallway. That image has stuck in my mind so strongly. Anyway, after speaking to my parents, Mr Lucy spoke to me at home to get my side of the
Atlas, R.S., & Pepler, D.J. (1998). Observations of bullying in the classroom. Journal of Educational Research, 92(2), 86-99.
“Name-calling, taunting and being made fun of for no reason other than the fact that you existed was often a rite of passage for most kids. Unfortunately for many adults, the bullying tales of yesteryear have managed to extend well beyond school hallways and into the boardroom (Balch, 2014).”
Have you ever been teased? Maybe even pushed around like a rag doll? Bullying is a nationwide problem. It affects people of all ages. About 90% of 4th through 8th graders have experienced bullying in the U.S.. Bullying has caused many issues, such as depression, anxiety, or even suicide. Nevertheless, even in bullying you have players, or roles you could say. Dealing with bullying is a very hard thing to do, but with each role in a bullying situation, there are dragons to slay. In every bullying situation you have three players; the bully, the victim, and the bystander.
Archer, Kim. "Survey Finds Extensive School Bullying." Tulsa World. World Publishing Co., 8 Oct. 2008. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.
One of the most reoccuring is called verbal bullying. What is verbal bullying you may ask? This is where children or adults use their words to gain power over others and seek out to hurt them. Given that point, verbal bullying has many things that classify as abuse. It can include name calling, teasing, threats, spreading rumors, or even making sexual comments at other people. Society makes this out to be just fun and that it doesn’t mean anything. Furthermore, that children need this type of behavior to make them stronger and prepare them for the “real world." A concept that society never really seems to understand is that over a period of time, it really tears down a person’s self-worth in their own eyes. When you think of verbal bullying, your brain automatically goes to school children picking on each other. Something that is equally as important is that adults can be verbally bullied and abused. If you analyze the definition and all the examples that go with it, you will realize that this happens to adults constantly. In fact, verbal bullies, no matter the age, will try to use harmful words against you almost anywhere and anytime. One place this happens at is in school and more specifically it would be in the classrooms. Not only there, but also in adult workplaces, the internet, and even someone’s house. What happens to the kids after the abuse starts is a completely different
Samorah Thomas Mrs. Scott Jackson Block 2 January 9, 2014. “A young man committed suicide because of all the people that bullied him. his parents are devastated,” is what you hear on your news channel. Parents are losing teens every day because of bullying. Bullying is an unwanted aggressive behavior that is repeated over time (www.stopbullying.gov ).
Everyone has been bullied or encountered someone being bullied at some point of their life. Whether it would be physically or verbally both can be exceedingly traumatizing and can have a long-term psychological influence on children’s development. Majority people may define bullying in a more physical term; nevertheless that’s not always the case. The act of bullying can occur in several ways and in reality affect the individual in the same way. Bullying is generally defined as repeated, negative, and harmful actions focused at target throughout a course of time, exhibiting a sense of power difference between the bully and the victim (Olweus, 1993; Limber & Mihalic, 1999 as cited from Douglas J. Boyle, 2005). A survey was conducted in the United States estimating that over six million children, about 30% in grade six through ten have experienced frequent bullying in a school environment (Nansel, 2001 as cited from Douglas J. Boyle, 2005). Many people might debate that bullying is something that every child goes through and is simply a part of growing up, although there are several damaging consequences that happens to the child’s brain. Bullying causes the child to feel upset, isolated, frightened, anxious, and depressed. They feel like they reason they are being picked on is because there is something wrong with them and may even lose their confidence feel unsafe going to school (Frenette, 2013 as cited from Douglas J. Boyle, 2005) Anthropologically, sociologically, or psychologically, bullying can be analyzed through different perspectives and several questions can be asked based on the topic:
Bullying is a major issue in schools and is a factor in fitting in. Almost all students in high school either have been bullied or have bullied someone. Bullying can be split into two major parts: psychological and physical. While both are very harmful, many debates have been had as to which is worse. I am of the opinion that psychological is worse, because it can really push somebody over the edge. When people constantly harass you or call you names it starts to take a toll on your confidence and self-esteem, and as is said in the poem “To This Day”, it “Seems like every school has...
(Topic Sentence) Bullies harass other students for many purposes, but none of these reasons are justified. (Surprising Statement) Each year in the U.S., 3.2 million students are tormented, with 160,000 of them skipping school due to it. Clearly, our school districts are not doing a substantial job of keeping students safe to allow them to earn the education they deserve. (Background Information) For example, Jamie Nabozny was harassed for his sexual orientation. Jamie was beaten to the point where he was forced to go to the hospital, after which the tormentor said (CRAFT)“If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you.” He ran away multiple times to avoid going to school, and even attempted to commit suicide. (Thesis Statement) In the Bullied documentary, it tells a story showing why no student deserves to be bullied for any reason and that the school district must protect their students.
The article, “Bullies and Their Victims”, by Berk (2010) gives an analysis of how bullies and their victims develop, what makes them persistent and how they and their victims can be assisted. Bullying is an activity that thrives mostly in a school setting because of peers and the various cultures and diversities among them. Interactions are inevitable among children, but bullying is destructive because it aims at peer victimisation. Both boys and girls have the ability to become bullies but the majority of them are boys who use physical and verbal attacks on their victims. In the more recent generations, the means of bullying is amplified in the adolescent stage by using electronic means like cyber bullying. Students will rarely like bullies but if they do, it is because of their leadership abilities or influential personalities. Their peers may join or stand by to watch as the victims are bullied.
... Bullying." Digital Directions 13 June 2012: 8. Educators Reference Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
It only takes one bad experience to change your opinion on something. Imagine if you went through this same bad experience for months, or better yet years. Your whole personality, how you view yourself, and others changes drastically. This is what it feels like to be bullied. Bullying is a serious issue in America, especially among children and young adults. From kindergarten all the way up until my sophomore year of high school, I was a victim of bullying. Being bullied changed how I viewed myself and others, what my values and morals were, and it shaped me into the person I am today.
“"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 of students in school is an abuse that affects and produces a number of negative experiences on the victim. It is proven that those students who bully do so merely because they see themselves superior than those being bullied. They use this as a tactic to make juniors fear them and show them that they are not equal in any way. Some will even bully as a revenge of the bullying they suffered in the past. I have been bullied before and I know some of the effects it could have on a person. Bullying is a serious cause of many issues and has effects that may be long lasting.
Bullying is a serious problem in our society today. There are many examples in the world, either in direct contact or through social network to harass peers. Bullying can leave many different effects on child’s development, and adulthood as well. Bullying not only affect physical health, it also can affect mental health. The effects bullying can have on its victims is something that may last throughout their lives, or something that may end their life. Violence can be psychological, economic, physical, and sexual. Bullying can affect your brain and body. There is also workplace bullying, which became international problem. Children hood bullying can leave lifelong scars.