Should high school students be expelled for excessive bullying? Bullying is continuous, aggressive behavior characterized by verbal threats or physical assault (Denise 1). Although bullying is mostly found in schools, it can also take place through the internet. This form of bullying is known as cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the act of harassing, threatening or embarrassing a person through social media (“Bullying” 1). Cyberbullying is the most common form of bullying we see today due to the accessibility of the internet and social media. Due to the negative effects bullying has on an individual, provisions such as, more school staff intervention and stricter punishments on students.
Bullies are found in every school all around the world.
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Programs against bullying are required in schools and criminal punishments are all included in these laws (Bennett 2). Students should go up for automatic expulsion because of these laws. With these laws intact, bullying in schools has declined about fifty percent (Bennett 2). Staff members of schools need to be well informed on how to deal with bullies and victims of bullies. It first starts with parents -- parents need to listen and encourage their child, be able to notice any personality differences and intervene when needed (Smith-Heavenrich 3). School staff also needs to intervene with bullying. School staff should constantly watch the hallways and playgrounds where most bullying takes place. In some cases teachers do not notice the bullying or purposely neglect it. A researcher recorded fifty two hours of playground activity at a school in Toronto. She discovered “over four hundred episodes of bullying -- an average of one every seven minutes -- yet teachers intervened in only one out of every twenty five episodes” (Smith-Heavenrich 4). Ronald Stephens from the National School Safety Center’s and former school administrator stated “schools have been found to neglect documenting bullies’ attacks and to pass the …show more content…
"Bullying in Schools Does Not Lead to Suicide." School Safety, edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints In Context, http://link.galegroup.com.scsl.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/EJ3010981225/OVIC?u=scschools&sid=OVIC&xid=50411b02. Accessed 7 May 2018. Originally published as "Bullying Is Not on the Rise and It Does Not Lead to Suicide," www.poynter.org, 25 Oct. 2013.
"School Bullying Is Related to Mental Illness and Suicide." School Safety, edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints In Context, http://link.galegroup.com.scsl.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/EJ3010981224/OVIC?u=scschools&sid=OVIC&xid=8f41e5c6. Accessed 4 May 2018. Originally published as "The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What It Means for Schools," www.cdc.gov, Apr. 2014.
Smith-Heavenrich, Sue. "Bullies in the Schoolyard." School Violence, edited by Kate Burns, Greenhaven Press, 2005. Contemporary Issues Companion. Opposing Viewpoints In Context, http://link.galegroup.com.scsl.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/EJ3010082222/OVIC?u=scschools&sid=OVIC&xid=e8a96dcd. Accessed 7 May 2018. Originally published as "Kids Hurting Kids: Bullies in the Schoolyard," Mothering,
Suicide due to bullying has been given the name of bullycide. One example of bullycide would be Jon Carmichael from Texas who was bullied so harshly that “one day they stripped him naked, tied him up, and stuck him in a trash can, and they taped it with their cell phones and put it all on You Tube” per his mother’s account (Texas Monthly, Hollandsworth). A few days later Jon was found hanging by a rafter from their barn after committing suicide. The perpetrators of this abuse were his fellow classmates and it is reported that “60% of boys who bullied others in middle school had at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24; 40% had three or more convictions” (van der Valk, 41). Bullying behavior not only negatively affects the victims that are singled out and tormented, but from a legal perspective can lead to long term criminal
School shootings and suicides result from continuous bullying. As a result, after time some side effects of...
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King Jr. knew it was better to speak up than to stay quiet. This is a lesson that needs to be taught throughout both middle schools and high schools. All around the world, suicide rates are going up, and most of these cases relate back to bullying. The children often do not say anything because they are afraid the bullying will only get worse. When nothing changes, they are driven to suicide to relieve the pain that they are feeling. As Marge Piercy examines in “Barbie Doll,” students are picked on for being or looking different than others. No matter what type of bullying it may be, it hurts people more than they are willing to let on. All forms of bullying, whether it be in schools, physical, verbal, or online, have an impact on teen suicide ideation.
National Resource Center for Safe Schools. (2001). New study reveals prevalence, harm of bullying. The Safety Zone, 3(1), 1-2. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://www.safetyzone.org/publications/zone8_story1.html
Mahoney, Diana. "Bullying and school violence." Clinical Psychiatry News June 2007: 36. Academic OneFile. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
The Department of Health and Human Services gives definitions to each type of bullying. Physical bullying is the aggression most commonly associated with bullying. This is any type of physical harm such as hitting, kicking, or spitting. It also would include theft of objects. Verbal bullying would involve name-calling, teasing, threats and inappropriate sexual comments. Social bullying would be deliberately excluding someone from a group or activity, spreading rumors about someone, and embarrassing someone in front of others. Cyber-bullying is a newer classification and involves using social digital media to bully. This type of bullying can encompass verbal and social bullying but is done through technology. Cyber-bullying frequently involves social network sites such as Fa...
Moore, Arya. "How School Bullying Affects Teen Violence." Everyday Life. Global Post, 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2014
Bullying by definition is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions. [Why] Bullying has grown new outlets over the last decade. With social media outlets and text messaging added to the game, bullying is not just about getting tormented face to face anymore. Cyber bullying can include sending out mean or threatening emails and instant messages about a person, spreading rumors about someone and also include photos that a person would consider to be humiliating. [Chamberlin] Bullying can have many outlets. The most common form of bullying is still face to face confrontation. But the other outlets, such as cyber bullying are definitely not something to take lightly or consider low on a scale of importance. Sexual harassment, racial differences, not being “cool enough”, or just simply being viewed as a weaker individual may attribute to many of the reasons a person is preyed on.
Bullying is a growing concern in a society where status and exercising power over another human being are increasingly important in developing one’s social circles. Dan Olweus (Norwegian researcher and founder of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program) defines it as an “aggressive behaviour that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is repeated over time” (Violencepreventionworks.org). School victimization is an especially delicate matter that has only really been in the public eye for the past half century, as more and more researchers and psychologists pointed out its short- and long-term negative effects on targeted individuals. It has since been widely investigated and numerous programs have been developed in an effort to address and prevent the many forms of bullying that exist today. The negative effects of such an abusive behaviour are various and can greatly differ from individual to individual. However, there are three main consequences that can be associated with school bullying, which are: school avoidance, depression/anxiety and even suicidal attempts.
Bullying has been a part of schooling for as long as children have been congregating. To some it seems like a natural, though uncomfortable, part of life and school experience, while to others it can mean terrifying experiences which spoiled and characterized otherwise happy years in school. Dan Olweus, a pioneer in bully behavior research documented that 2.7 million children are affected as victims, and that 2.1 children act as bullies (Fried, 1997, as cited in Aluedse, 2006). With bullying cited as the reason for violent, gun-related crime in the past few years, school districts as well as national governments have put anti-bullying policies in place. Bullying is a complicated phenomenon, involving more than one child demanding lunch money from a smaller child. It is a worldwide epidemic hitting schools everywhere. Virtually everyone has seen or experienced bullying. With technological advances, bullying is even hitting the internet. Parents, teachers, students and governments agencies alike are attempting to put a stop to bullying practices.
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.
Bullying is a devastating issue that threatens the well-being of today’s youth. Those who are most likely at risk are those who; have a learning or physical disability i.g., autism or ADHD, are underweight or overweight, are gay/lesbian/transgendered, or speak a different language. Of course, there are no specific guidelines of who will become victims of bullying. Children who are bullied experience lower self-esteem, greater loneliness, greater anxiety, and more depression in addition to the already stressful adolescent years. The longer the bullying occurs the more profound the symptoms can become. As a low-level, subtle form of violence, bullying creates an unsafe school environment and can lead to more serious types of violence among students (Whitted & Dupper, 2005).
“Researchers have conducted that at least 25% of all children will be affected by bullying at some point during their school years, and many of these children miss significant numbers of school days each year owing to fear of being bullied” (Bray, M., Kehle, T., Sassu, K. (2003). Bullying has become a major problem for our students and our schools. Children are missing educational time and are losing self-confidence because they are afraid or intimidated by other students. We, as teachers, need to reduce bullying in our schools and prevent bullying from being a reoccurring issue in the lives of our students in order for them to learn, grow and develop. Our goal as teachers should be “to reduce as much as possible-ideally to eliminate completely- existing bully/victim problems in and out of the school setting and to prevent the development of new problems” (Olweus, D. (1993).
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.
“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.