Growing up, my school, like almost every other school in America, had different “cliques” of students. There were the “jocks”, the “nerds”, the “band geeks”, the “Goth kids,” … the list could go on and on. In the interest of not offending anyone, (I probably already have – sorry to those of you who play instruments) I won’t continue, but you get my point. Some kids got bullied, some kids did the bullying and that’s just the way things were. Nowadays, school bullying is on the rise, and the issue is heating up all around the country.
Statistics on the rates of bullying and cyber-bulling vary between studies depending on the measures used and the population studied, however the general consensus is one out of every three students in bullied in school. School bullying can cause physical and mental harm to students. Students affected by bullying have lower attendance and grade point averages, and a higher propensity towards violence and criminal activity.
Indiana State Senator Tom Wyss said that while Indiana school systems may have bullying policies in place, he wants to make sure they are enforced. “We’ve got a lot of school systems where the administrators aren’t really following through like they should,” Wyss stated. Indiana law defines bullying as “any verbal, physical or other act committed by a student with the intent of harassing, ridiculing, intimidating or harming another student”. The law sounds pretty inclusive, but cyber-bulling isn’t specifically covered, which is another aspect Wyss is trying to change. It seems more and more students are victims of cyber-bullying, in which technology is used to harass, tease and spread rumors about students.
So, my question to you this week is two-fold. “Do you think bullying is on the rise, or are parents and the media making too big of deal out of it? Realistically, what do you think could be done to stop school bullying?” You must answer both parts to get full credit. Answers are due no later than Tuesday, September 14th, 2010.
I went to a really small High School with a graduating class of 86 people. That being said although we had those groups of people a lot of the time the band nerd also played baseball or the basketball star was on the drama team as well. Now dont get me wrong sometimes people would harp on some other kids or they wouldnt sit by them because they were considered weird but i dont feel like we had a ton of "bullying". However, i do know of some friends that went to larger schools and they had some issues with bullying. I dont feel that bullying is on the rise as much as attitudes. There are a ton of cases where kids just run there mouths and when someone finally calls them on it they wanna say they were bullied.
ReplyDeleteTo help crack down on bullying i feel that there should be more cameras and faculty support in larger schools to help watch and monitor students. Lastly, have more in class discussions and open forums about what is going on within the school and the classrooms.
Without writing a long and drawn out entry (which I could on this topic), I definately believe that bullying has been and currently is a rising concern. I've seen it first hand with my 11 year old (victim) and I've seen it displayed by school staff members. I believe that the campaign to "stop bullying" is simply put on for show and until the teaching staff can refrain from bullying students themselves, the problem will continue. The poem Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte (the first 7 lines) is a primary example of what our children are learning, whether it be at school or in their own homes. As a parent, I try to stay on top of this ongoing concern with bullying and intervene when necessary and try to give my son advice on how to deal with situations that come up. He's been ridiculed this year at his middle school in the boys locker room for wearing "tiddy whities" and he went to his older sister to see if she would help him look into getting boxers. It's always something. In gym, during a non-contact sport, my son has been taken to the ground resulting in neck pain later that evening. I've received no indication from his school of misconduct or bullying. The teachers are not paying attention. The elementary years were a nightmare and I was hoping maybe some of these kids might have matured or learned some manners over the summer. Parents need to be the advocate for their kids in this situation and stay tuned in to daily events at school. Oops. It was still long and drawn out.
ReplyDeleteI went to a small school just like Kaiejustice. So i agree with alot that she said. I think that their is bullying just as their always has been. Now a days they are just video taping it and putting it on youtube. So it is already in the media.
ReplyDeletei believe that cyber bullying is getting a bit bad i mean i was in a school of around 700 students and including my graduating class of 78 we've had bullying for as long as someone has been different i mean i was one of the ridiculed but i only ignored them or shut them up but others have been bullied talked about or facebooked or myspaced about as rumors or threats spread the one being ridiculed gets more and more put down and they either begin to stop trying or just give up and quit school. the way i solved my problems were beating the crap out of anyone who talked smack about me or said things about me though i'm not saying to do that but the ones who are being picked on should stand up for themselves and not let get to them or tell someone about it that way the problem gets solved, i know i wished i did instead of breaking someones nose and getting a 3 day suspension, a week of detention and in school suspension, but in all ways possible they should tell someone and take care of the people who are bullying and make sure it doesn't happen anymore and talk to the person who needs help on a constant basis otherwise, like my case, they'll just either keep on being bullied or they'll beat the crap out of the bully and become the bully themselves, though i still say i'm the problem solver not a bully. = D
ReplyDeletei think that bullying is probably on the rise, i wouldnt doubt that at all because it was a problem when i was in school and i am sure that its on of those things that if there isnt any action to make it stop then its going to get worse kinda like everything else. i dont think that teachers help much because i know that in my school it was basically split between preps and every one else and i know that there were teachers that didnt treat you the same as a preppy kid so that always made me mad... i really dont know what can be done about it... it would be kind of hard to figure out what to do about the internet thing.. but i mean i guess you can print it out and show them and basically the thing that needs to happen is that any one that is employed at the school needs to crack down on this and there needs to be harsh punishments by the school because the sad thing is that most parents probably wont do anything about it, so its basically left up to the schools to crack down on it full force. and the teacher that have special treatments for certain kids need to have harsh punishments as well because i am sure that doesnt help the situation at all.
ReplyDeleteI think the reality of the whole situation is that everyone gets made fun of by someone weather it's the popular kids making fun of the unpopular or the unpopular making fun of the popular everyone gets made fun of. Personally I got teased a little in high school but you have to expect stuff like that...these kids that have the "emotional scars" from being picked on a little in high school need to grow some tough skin. The world is not a nice place and neither is high school. If its just a little teasing I wouldn't call it "bullying" i would call it kids being kids. so, yes I do thing that parents and the media are making to big of a deal about it, instead of going to the school and the media when precious little Johnny comes home crying from school just each him why the other kids are making fun of him and that its not a big deal. That being said I think that if school officials see it or it goes to far then things should be done.
ReplyDeleteWell, to begin with, I don't think that bullying has gotten any more severe over the past couple of decades. My Father has told me stories about the ways he was bullied in middle school and high school, and the threats and teasing an harassing are just the same as the things that you hear about today. I think, perhaps, the reason that we hear more about it is because parents feel like they can do more about these days. Back when my Father was in school, if a death threat was made on your kids life by another kid at his or her school, there wasn't that much you could do about it, other than have a word with the offending child's parents. In my opinion, the only way that bullying could ever even come close to being stopped would be for the parents of said bullies to step in and teach their kids the right way to treat other people. Unfortunately, it's not a solution that can be enacted by school systems other than through suggestions. And even still, if it were suggested, most parents wouldn't know that their child was a bully, and others would not want to admit it.
ReplyDeleteI grew up homeschooled and even with being homeschooled i remember all the bullying that went on! i do believe it is on the rise and something needs to change because when i was in school i remember some things that happened at our events that my mom would say i just don't understand that never would have happened when i was in school! I really don't know what can be done kids are going to act how they want and not care what happens to others or what others try to tell them not to do unless it is effecting them then they will most likely stop and think about it!
ReplyDeleteI went a school where there were alot of problems with bully. I noticed either bully have rise or parents and media make it big deal, the kids really not full understand how serious is it. They just do not care like not big deal.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that physical bullying is on the rise, but it seems like cyber-bullying and verbal bullying are, without a doubt, on the rise. There is a big difference between "teasing" and "bullying". Friends tease each other; bullies harass other kids. Being a victim of both physical and verbal bullying when I was in high school, I know what's it's like. It's definitely far from "teasing". The real bullies have severe emotional issues and feel the need to torment others in order to make themselves feel better. So, no, I don't think that parents and the media are making too big of a deal out of it.
ReplyDeleteI think the best way to combat the problem is to make sure that teachers and administration are aware of what's going on in their schools. They should have more cameras and just pay closer attention. Also, I think those who are caught bullying should be required to meet with a counselor in an attempt to resolve their issues. Really I don't think that the issues can be fully resolved by schools. I think kids become bullies because they have a bad home life and have never been taught how to properly treat others.
I do believe that bullying is on the rise, and its getting worse. when i was in grade school bullying was just teasing the "weird kids", but now its gotten much worse. I think that the biggest issue to solve is to get everyone on board to stop it. getting teachers, staff and parents to all cooperate and stop bullying and confront the bulliers will be hard to do if only the teachers do something about it.
ReplyDeleteI went to an over populated high school and bullying wasn't as intense as it is now. The bullying back thing was within "gangs" and not directed towards in specific group of people.
ReplyDeleteAs an elementary school tutor, I see alot of bullying everyday. I spend most of my day disciplining more then I do actually helping kids with reading comprehension. I feel that since kids are having babies younger and younger, they themselves aren't grown up so there they are teaching their child everything they know. I have a student that I work with who is 8. His mother is 23. She says that she can't control her son and once he gets to school "he is our responsibiblty"! That shocked me beyond belief. Her kid is the main kid who gets into fights, threatens other kids, and cusses instructors out whenever things dont go his way.
As far as cyberbullying, kids have access to computers and phones and I think that they are aware that posting things online is harder to track then it would if they were to write it out on paper.
I think school bullying needs to be controlled by parents and schools. I feel as though high schools should block all social networks and parents should have a better control on what their children view and do at home.
Bullying has always been a problem in the school systems. “Jocks”
ReplyDeleteagainst “nerds,” “popular” verses “unpopular” it’s automatic for some reason. Cyber bullying is becoming a huge problem because now you don’t have to wait for school to ruin someone’s life; you can do it 24/7 anywhere. You don’t have to stuff someone in their locker to make them feel like crap. You can anonymously crush their self esteem online. I think parents need to monitor their kids activity online. The schools need to put a block on Facebook and MySpace and actually punish students who are bullying others.
Do I think bullying is on the rise, I am not really sure because I don't live with any children, now when my God-son gets older I am sure I will know about everything going on in his life school, homework, and whatever else goes on in the schools today. On the other hand bullying has always been an issue since I was a child, especially against the "nerds," children who could not afford the newest clothes, shoes, and/or school supplies. So if bullying is on the rise I wouldn't be surprised. If any parents are making a big deal about this issue, I am sure that's because their child is being bullied.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the there is too much that can be done about cyber-bulling, kids have to the internet pretty much anywhere they go, and most of them have it on their cell phones, so they can cyber-bulling anybody any time they want. As for bullying at school, I would just enforce the bullying polices that are already in place.
Im not sure if school bullying is on the rise or not. It could be the same but noticed more now. The media helps show and spread bullying.Being on different websites and not having to say things to another peers face also would make it easier to bully. I feel that there will always be bullying in schools, there are those parents that teach thier children right from wrong, but there will also always be those parents who dont care or know better. To help stop or reduce the amount of bullying schools need to become more strict towards bullying and open thier eyes and ears to make sure its not going on.
ReplyDeleteI truly think bullying is on the rise. People are actually killing themselves due to bullying and parents are even bullying other people's children!!! Honestly, I do not know what can be done about school bullying. I know when I was in school, if someone complained about bullying, the principal would just say to avoid the person and come back if that method was working. Nothing was really done back then and I am sure nothing is really being done now until it is too late. Maybe the schools need to have better punishments for bullies and actually listen when a student complains.
ReplyDeleteBullying is nothing new and cyberbullying isn't that new either but I do think that they are both on the rise in the schools. I feel that the media and the people in charge should send more time on this subject...I mean...just think of all the kids that have comitted suicide because they were bullied. Yes they can tell a teacher or a parent...but the only thing that happens is that the school adult talks to the bully and it just gets worse. I think more drastic measures need to be taken in order to keep the children safe. If online they should have somebody watching everything that is done on the computers and if they see any bullying going on then that student should immediately be taken off line and punished with suspension or worse. Other than that I don't really know what they should do in order to stop the other bullying from going on.
ReplyDeleteNot really sure if bullying is on the rise or not but I'm assuming it is same as it was when i was in high school, but when i was in high school facebook was not around. So yeah i would think there would be a rise in "cyberbullying" because most would rather not make it a face-to-face confrontation. I feel schools can make it a point if anyone is bullied, either physically of cyber, that student who is bullying will be suspended then expelled. Get the point across that this is a big deal and a detention will solve nothing.
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ReplyDeleteTristan
Yes it is on the rise, but it is also more noticeable because of: the internet, mass media coverage and the known psychological effects have become more pronounced.
Honestly I think a scared straight program, using Military Drill instructors, would be highly effective. Show a bully what ts like to be bullied. Once you have lived through really harsh bullying you never want it to happen to yourself or anyone else.
I think bullying is on the rise but it's not restricted to the school hall ways anymore. with facebook and text messaging kids are getting bullied at school and outta school. it's a lot easier to say something mean or offensive over the internet or phone than it would be to say it in person and it can get around a lot quicker. there is a show on tv called "if you really knew me" that deals with this same problem. the show has a group of people come to high schools and talk about bulling and how it effects others and by the end everyone is crying and vowing to change. maybe more schools could do that? or maybe there just needs to be more supervision in the hall ways and less time spend on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't feel that bullying has gotten any better or worse. I think that teens have been using the internet to insult others more often than doing so in person. However, I have seen high school students get caught for bullying more often than before. I think this is because it is easy to prove the bullying is truly happening. I don't understand how a principle can suspend/expel a student based off of words they posted outside of school and off of school grounds but I know that it happens. I also don't feel parents are over reacting, because things can get out of hand and very dangerous when they don't step in.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I feel that the media and parents are putting more emphasis on it than is needed. I was never bullied or harassed at my high school. Pike has a bad rep. but I never felt threatened or the like while I was there. I was usually in the more advanced classes but I had regular classes and so did some of my friends and they never said anything about being bullied. I was always the one who they would come to if they had a problem and I know they would have told me if something like this was happening.
ReplyDeleteRealistically I have no idea what can be done to stop bullying that isn't already in place. Teachers and administrators can't be expected to monitor students 24/7. It's up to the parents in some respects to understand what's going on in their kids lives. As for cyber bullying, it's the internet. Monitoring the internet is like monitoring every cell in your body. It's extremely hard what with facebook, twitter, and the countless blogs kids have nowadays. Adults just need to do what they can to prevent bullying before it gets out of hand.
I don’t believe bullying is on the rise. Rather, I understand it as people still lacking the confidence needed to stand-up for their short comings or whatever they may be bullied for.
ReplyDeleteIncreasing the opportunity to discuss/argue/debate difficult topics between individuals or groups of ever so slightly different individuals will help dissolve the issues between the parties.
And when you have more confidence in yourself and the ideals you hold dear, it is less likely for those bullies to have effect on you.
I don't think that bullying has been on the rise, I think that the ways of doing it are now more inventive. Back in the day you just made fun to someone's face. Now you can go home and make fun of people on the internet. It's unfortunate that it has come this far. But I think that parents need to make more of an effort to connect with their kids and help them get the problem solved. For in stance, most parents don't talk to their kids because everyone is so busy. Even family dinners are becoming non-existent, and it's being replaced with tv and little conversation. So when something finally happens the parents want to point fingers. I also think that the schools could do more to get this taken care of also. Just because they have rules to prevent it they don't really enforce them.
ReplyDeleteI do think bullying is on the rise. I help with alot of my friends kids and spend time with my younger cousins, and bullying is a constant topic I hear about from them. When I was younger bullying happened through gossip and notes. But the nice part was all of that had to be done in person. Today people can post things on myspace, facebook, or some blog and the whole world can see it. There are no restraints and it is much harder for adults to intervene. Unfortunately the schools are going to have to team up with the parents to regulate this behavior. Schools are going to have to have tougher punishments for bullying of any kind done on school property. Schools will have to do a better job informing the parents of the behavior so punishment can continue at home. Mainly it needs to start with educating the kids. They will listen to us and hear about how it affected all of us when we were growing up. I heard my 13 year old cousin making fun of a girl because she was bigger than her. I took that time to tell her about when I was made fun of growing up. I was made fun of for being full figured, tall, and so much more. I told her about how it effected me my whole life, and how even in highschool I had an eating disorder becuase of it. I could just tell from her response and behavior that it touched her. Kids see how others act and how we act. If we start out early talking about how bad bullying can be and its possible effects, it will make a difference!!
ReplyDeleteOkay okay..I was that kid. I was and always have been "myself", which often led to a ridiculous amount of ridicule from others whom did not share the same ideals. I listened to The Beatles and Pink Floyd instead of Now 4. Can you believe I got made fun of for that? Anyway, I think, honestly, that bullying is a part of growing up. I learned to embrace who I was and am, and how to stand up for myself. Now I realize, that not every child shares those same traits. Some kids are picked on for much more sensitive things, often times things they can't control. That is when I certainly think teachers and adults need to step in. Kids should know that they can always count on their adult counterparts. However, when teachers step in too far, kids tend to think they can always rely on someone bigger and more important to stand up for them, which will not always be the case as they grow up.
ReplyDeleteThe second part of the question refered to schools stopping bullying. Well, I say..good luck. Kids are mean little snots. And there will always be that one kid who notices your pants are kind of short, or that one time you threw up that they'll never let you live down. Those situations are inevitable. But when there is physical harassment or racism..there is only so much a teacher can do.
Honestly, I doubt bullying is any higher than in recent past. Does technology make it easier to spread rumors and taunt other kids? Yes but I feel parents are constantly forgetting their past while their children are in school. Think about all the things our parents had or didn't have in school that they now freak out over with their children. I sure it is just as bad as it has recently been. What should schools do to stop it? I feel it truly relies on teachers taking a more active role in stopping bullying. They are in the classroom and in the hallways where children are constantly being bullied, but guess what? They can't do anything about it because parents have scared teachers into feeling that any corective action taken on students could get the teacher in trouble. In order to stop bullying or correct this action in an effective manor, it would require teachers to speak to the offenders in a way that would not be approved by parents. If parents want teachers to do their jobs, then they need to let them.
ReplyDeleteI think bullying is not on the rise, and that when it does happen the parents need to stop it.The media is not making a big deal out of it, they are raising awareness about bullying going on because some parents have no idea how rough it is now a days. Realistically, I think the parents should pay more attention and get involved with their children and what they are doing in and outside of school. I know for a fact that everything starts at home. To help bullying in school there should be teachers and other peer leaders watching the students closely. The bully should have some type of punishment for bullying others. Not sure what the punishment should be but they should have a consequence and be stopped.
ReplyDeleteTom Whitesell
ReplyDeleteI dont think that bullying is necessarily on the rise, but i think that it is getting way easier than it ever was. Before you had to say something to someones face to bully them or do something to them physically. But now all you have to do is get on facebook and you can post anything you want and at the time it doesnt seem like there will be any consequences for it, but really your doing the same thing you would be doing if you said something to that persons face. I think that parents need to instill the lesson of respect more than they do now, parents are constantly being ordered around by their children, and that is not how it should be. I also think that bullying will never be done away with completely, its just about wanting people who are immature to me more mature, which isnt something thats always going to happen.
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ReplyDeleteI dont really know if bullying is on the rise. the reason i say this is because media and parents are blowing things up more then they used to. this doesnt mean that it is happening more and more. the media blows up every story they cover, they do it to get the ratings up. when i was in school we didnt have bullying really. we had our groups but mostly everyone got along with everyone else. everyone came from the same elementary and the same middle school, we knew each other from the beginning. for me i got a long with everyone, I played soccer, ran track, swam, dove, played in band, made sets for the plays, and even took ag classes and fabrication classes. i pretty much knew everyone and saw everyone everyday, from every "group". if there was a issue with someone or two people it was taken care of the old fashion way, fist fighting; but it hardly ever happened at school. also once the fight happened it was rarely talked about after, there was no well i kicked your ass blah blah blah crap, the people would go at it, shake hands and say see you tomorrow. so i would say its the media's fault in blowing up the situations rather than the rise of bullying. As for a way to lower bullying, i never really grew up with a problem or anyone that did have a problem so i dont really know. as for cyber-bullying, the facebook and myspace crap wasnt really a big thing in my school. but i would have to say if you cant say it to the persons face, then it definately shouldnt be said behind their back on the internet. if your scared of them beating the shit outta you for saying something, why are you even trying to bring that upon yourself in the first place...
ReplyDeleteSince I haven't been in a High School setting in about 2 years now, I"m somewhat out of the loop with bullying. I can say with a pretty large amount of confidence though that when I was in school there wasn't a whole lot of bullying going on. I came from a small town, so everyone was fairly close to each other at least to some degree. If someone did go off the deep end with making fun of someone or something to that nature, there'd be a rare case where the parents would try to make a big deal out of it. Almost all the time it just fizzled out and never went anywhere. So I suppose long story short, I don't believe it's really on the rise so much.
ReplyDeleteThere's not really a whole lot you can do to stop bullying in schools though. Kids will be kids and not everyone can get along with everyone. The only effort that can be made is to try to treat everyone equally and raise a sense of community in your school, so that kids will be more likely to band together rather than isolate select groups.
hmm.. I remember my junior yearn high school, there was a bully that picks on students that are scared of him but one day I have seen enough because he just picked on a freshman student which had no idea. I really wasn't myself for some reason but I stopped him but told him to leave him alone but he just is all talk but he left though and the freshman student was glad i was there and we became friends his name is Nick. To me, I just had bullys because they think they can do anything want but they're wrong! We need to learn to respect other people no matter where we come from. We are united as one.
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