Blog #3- Preventing Bullying In Our Schools
Bullying happens around us everyday in and out of school. Bullying can occur online or face to face as well. A person can be bullied physically or even verbally. Bullying is most definitely a known problem that occurs all around the world. It can be extremely harmful to children. As a future teacher there needs to be more awareness brought to bullying and ways we can stop it. After watching the movie "Bully" it was extremely heartbreaking to watch. Over 13 million American kids will be bullied at school, online, on the bus, at home, through their cellphones and right on their streets of their towns. The documentary starts with a father speaking about his son Tyler who committed suicide due to bullying. It also speaks about different children and their stories about bullying. A child named Cody who was being bullied was asked by the assistant principal how bullying made him feel and he stated "it breaks his heart". Bullying leads children to do harmful things whether it is towards themselves or others. Another girl JaMeya was bullied and took her mothers gun onto the bus, not to hurt anyone but to specifically scare them enough so they stop bullying her. More needs to be done to stop bullying in the first place and not lead to children committing suicide or hurting others. This movie has really opened my eyes into doing more to prevent bullying in our schools. It really stuck with me to see how children are hurting so badly they are willing to take their own lives, which is absolutely horrible.
Stop Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation. (2022, February 23). Behind the Scenes. https://wp.behindthescenescharity.org/mental-health-and-suicide-prevention-initiative/stop-bullying-harassment-and-intimidation/
In states suicide rates are among the highest in the nation. Some people may ask why is that? This is the result of bullying. "Years of anti-bullying efforts have not done enough to change school culture, and suicide prevention efforts barely touch the elementary level even as suicide attempts by very young children seem to be increasing" (Schimke & Meltzer, 2018). Although there are attempts in schools to prevent bullying it still does not seem to be enough. Perhaps social workers need to be placed in every school or even every grade in elementary schools. Campaigns for anti- bullying in schools are great, but it seems like our schools need to speak and mentally understand each student in order to help and stop the bullies directly. We need to get more serious about prevention and those who are being affected by bullying. "With younger children that's not the case. It tends to be more of an impulsive action. It is more related to not having the people around them to talk to or give them the support they need" (Schimke & Meltzer, 2018). There are also a lot of issues for the LGBTQ society and being bullied because of their differences. This relates back to blog #1 and how everyone needs to accept people's differences and diversity. Our schools need more social workers, psychologists, etc to talk to our students and provide support and stop the problem of bullying around them.
Anti-Bullying Alliance #AntiBullyingWeek on. (2017, May 28). Twitter. https://twitter.com/abaonline/status/880043115020779521
Every day we have the ability to change our schools and world into a better place. Everyone should learn about bullying. Rather than just having anti-bullying campaigns there is much more we can do to educate and learn about how to prevent bullying and perhaps understand the effects of bullying. "Learn more about mean, cruel, and bullying behavior" (Eyman & Cohen, 2009). This is a perfect opportunity for individuals to learn why kids bully, the effects of bullying, and even how we can prevent it. "Help others who are being bullied" (Eyman & Cohen, 2009). This is a great way to be a friend to someone who is getting bullied. We never want anyone to feel alone, so being a friend is a proactive way to stop bullying and making someone who feels alone know they always have someone to talk to. "Refuse to be a bystander and be a role model to others instead!" (Eyman & Cohen, 2009). We want to stop bullies and being a role model is the perfect way to have power over a bully and put the bullying to an end. Being an upstander is how bullying will stop in our schools and world.
Simkin, M. (2021, December 3). School Bullying and Parent Liability. Legal Secrets. https://www.attorneysecrets.com/2021/12/school-bullying-and-parent-liability/
According to Stop Bullying.gov Ed Board, in 2017, 19% of U.S. high school students were bullied at school, and 6.7% did not go to school at least one day during the previous 30 days because of safety concerns. Not only is bullying happening to elementary students but also high school students as well. Students are not coming to school because they do not feel safe, which relates to blog #2 how students also do not feel safe coming to school because of gun violence. Our students should not have to fear coming to school because of their safety, whether it is harm from other students or even gun violence. It is vital for our schools to ensure positive environment and reinforce good social behaviors. According to "The Bully Project" 89% of middle school students interviewed had witnessed an act of bullying and 49% said they had been a victim of a bully. Over 160,000 students miss school everyday because they fear getting bullied. This is an extreme problem. "The Bully Project" stated that stopping bullying needs to go far beyond alarming media headlines, completing surveys, and distributing zero tolerance policy reminders. This statement is important because in our schools every adult that works there must be a role model for students and take bullying seriously. It is our job to prevent it and know it is rises.
Bullying is now to be punishable according to the new law. (2019, January 19). A Law on Countering Bullying at Schools Takes Effect in Ukraine - 112.International. https://112.international/society/a-law-on-countering-bullying-at-schools-enters-its-force-in-ukraine-36138.html
References
Eyman, W. & Cohen, J. (2009). 10 ways to be an upstander. BullyBust: Creating a Community of Upstanders(TM), the nationwide bully prevention/pro-upstander campaign from the National School Climate Center (NSCC). www.BullyBust.org.
Framing bullying for educators. The Bully Project. Link
Schimke, A., & Meltzer, E. (2018, September 1). Young lives lost: Suicide prevention efforts expand slowly and cautiously in elementary schools. Chalkbeat Colorado. https://co.chalkbeat.org/2018/8/31/21107498/young-lives-lost-suicide-prevention-efforts-expand-slowly-and-cautiously-in-elementary-schools
Stopbullying.gov Ed Board. (2020, March 26). Social emotional learning helps prevent bullying. Stop Bullying.Gov. https://www.stopbullying.gov/blog/2020/03/25/social-emotional-learning-helps-prevent-bullying
Hi Erin!! Your post is a realy conversation starter! You brought up a lot of great points, especially what you said about bully prevention not being good enough. I agree with you, the prevention procedures are not doing enough to keep students out of danger. When we say that the education system is not doing enough, we cant just criticize and let the system decide what could be more suitable. Every situation is different but, I agree with you that there needs to be more postions in schools for social workers and psychologists. Procedures that might acually improve bullying culture start early. Teachers and school administration could implement friendship circles, acts of kindness, and more activties that engage children in inclusion, acceptance, and kindness. Other routes may include dedicating specific days to awareness, understanding, and prevention. When children become aware to what bullying is they begin to understand it and eventually actively prevent it! As a substitute teacher, I can only do so much when it comes to bullying prevention becasue I am only in the school on random days. When I am in the school, I hear a lot of the student conversation (especially during lunch duty). The last time I was doing lunch duty, a few boys were teasing eachother and claiming that the other was a specific sexual orientation that i did not think was apporpriate for the seventh grade. I thought it was inappropriate to be calling someone else homosexual as an insult, which it totally is. So I decided to speak to them about the bullying behavior they were presenting which is hurtful to the victim and even others who might overhear the conversation and makes themselves look childish and unfriendly. The short conversation with the boys was hopefully helpful for them to become aware to what they were doing and understand that it is wrong. Instead of just punishing a bully, certain converations and workshops should take place in order to end the bullying before it is too late.
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