In this post we will be looking at the meaning of bullying, ways to prevent bullying and the effect of bullying in schools or our educational system.
INTRODUCTION
Bulling is repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful person by a more powerful one. The prevalence of bullying by and of school children is quite high; in some studies, about half of children were bullies, and over half were victims. Boys bully more than girls, but boys and girls are victimized about equally. Generally, bullies are aggressive, tough, strong, confident, and impulsive. Victims are unpopular, lonely, rejected, anxious, depressed, unwilling to retaliate, and lacking in self-esteem. Bullying occurs especially at places and times when adult supervision and surveillance is minimal.
Read: Conflict Management in School App
There is some continuity over time between bullying and violent crime. Prevention methods aim to improve the social and friendship skills of the victim and the empathy of the bully and to improve adult supervision and “whole-school” environments. In Norway, a nationwide campaign against bullying seemed to be successful.
WHAT IS BULLYING?
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.
- Parents, school staff, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing bullying. They can:
- Help kids understand bullying. Talk about what bullying is and how to stand up to it safely. Tell kids bullying is unacceptable. Make sure kids know how to get help.
- Keep the lines of communication open. Check in with kids often. Listen to them. Know their friends, ask about school, and understand their concerns.
- Encourage kids to do what they love. Special activities, interests, and hobbies can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying behavior.
- Model how to treat others with kindness and respect.
- Help Kids Understand Bullying
- Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. Kids need to know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help.
- Encourage kids to speak to a trusted adult if they are bullied or see others being bullied. The adult can give comfort, support, and advice, even if they can’t solve the problem directly. Encourage the child to report bullying if it happens.
- Talk about how to stand up to kids who bully. Give tips, like using humor and saying “stop” directly and confidently. Talk about what to do if those actions don’t work, like walking away
- Talk about strategies for staying safe, such as staying near adults or groups of other kids.
- Urge them to help kids who are bullied by showing kindness or getting help.
- Watch the short episodes and discuss them – PDF with kids.
- Keep the Lines of Communication Open
- Research tells us that children really do look to parents and caregivers for advice and help on tough decisions. Sometimes spending 15 minutes a day talking can reassure kids that they can talk to their parents if they have a problem. Start conversations about daily life and feelings with questions like these:
- What was one good thing that happened today? Any bad things?
- What is lunch time like at your school? Who do you sit with? What do you talk about?
- What is it like to ride the school bus?
- What are you good at? What would do you like best about yourself?
- Talking about bullying directly is an important step in understanding how the issue might be affecting kids. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but it is important to encourage kids to answer them honestly. Assure kids that they are not alone in addressing any problems that arise. Start conversations about bullying with questions like these:
- Do you ever see kids at your school being bullied by other kids? How does it make you feel?
- Have you ever tried to help someone who is being bullied? What happened? What would you do if it happens again?
- Get more ideas for talking with children – PDF about life and about bullying. If concerns come up, be sure to respond.
Read: Primary & Secondary School Mobile App
There are simple ways that parents and caregivers can keep up-to-date with kids’ lives.
- Read class newsletters and school flyers. Talk about them at home.
- Check the school website
- Go to school events
- Greet the bus driver
- Meet teachers and counselors at “Back to School” night or reach out by email
- Share phone numbers with other kids’ parents
- Teachers and school staff also have a role to play.
Encourage Kids to Do What They Love.
Help kids take part in activities, interests, and hobbies they like. Kids can volunteer, play sports, sing in a chorus, or join a youth group or school club. These activities give kids a chance to have fun and meet others with the same interests. They can build confidence and friendships that help protect kids from bullying.
Model How to Treat Others with Kindness and respect.
Kids learn from adults’ actions. By treating others with kindness and respect, adults show the kids in their lives that there is no place for bullying. Even if it seems like they are not paying attention, kids are watching how adults manage stress and conflict, as well as how they treat their friends, colleagues, and families.
THE EFFECT OF BULLYING
Bullying behavior impacts the whole-school community. Bullying has detrimental effects on students’ health, wellbeing and learning. It can make students feel lonely, unhappy and frightened. It’s not just the students being bullied who are affected. Most students say they don’t like seeing bullying in their school – it makes them feel worried and uncomfortable. Students who bully others are also more likely to have problems and be unhappy.
Being bullied can affect everything about a child: how they see themselves, their friends, school, and their future. Students who are bullied often experience depression, low self-esteem that may last a lifetime, shyness, loneliness, physical illnesses, and threatened or attempted self-harm. Some students miss school, see their marks drop or even leave school altogether because they have been bullied. Verbal and social/relational bullying can be just as harmful as physical bullying.
Students who engage in bullying also risk poor long-term outcomes, including leaving school early. Some students engage in bullying for a short time only and then stop either because they realize it’s wrong or they are supported to learn more appropriate behavior. A small group of students continue to bully others over many years. Parents, teachers and schools need to support those who bully others to learn more appropriate ways to get on with others and deal with conflict and social challenges.
Although most research in this area focuses on the impacts of bullying on initiators and targets, bullying may also have a negative impact on bystanders, those who witness bullying. Even if a child isn’t being bullied, they can be affected by it. No one can do well when they feel unsafe. Addressing bullying effectively has benefits for the future of everyone.