It's raining as I write this. It has nothing to do with this post, but I just wanted to point it out. It is RAINING!! Gosh, that feels good to say!
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 Sunday, September 2nd, 2012.
I definitely think bullying is on the rise! It makes me happy to see parents finally stand up for their bullied kids and call for a change. I witnessed a lot of bullying in high school, it repulsed me. Senior year I petitioned the school board to put a no tolerance policy into act. I proposed that any incident reported to any faculty was dealt with immediately be it big or small. I also proposed that acts of hate against race,sex,religion,sexual orientation, and financial status would mandate an automatic two week suspension. Unfortunately, my proposition was shot down by the school board and I still hear from teachers how bad the bullying is and, how the school hasn't given them a definitive way of stopping it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if bullying is on the rise or if more people are focusing on it and making it known. I was bullied in high school and they said they couldn't do anything until they heard a threat or saw physical harm. The PE teacher had hearing aids so you can figure how long it took for her to finally hear the death threats and do something about it. It was right before bullying had hit main stream media and become more known and that it was happening more often to kids that wouldn't speak up about it.
ReplyDeleteMost schools say they don't take bullying but they don't do anything to stop it. I'm not sure of a way to stop it that would help 100%. There are so many types of bullying know a days that once one is fixed another will pop up. I don't think there is one answer to fix it. Kids will never get along.
I think there has always been a form of bullying, however cyber bullying allows people to bully with out showing their face, which makes it easier to do. I think its great parents & schools are speaking up, there should always be a school that will back up a student. But it needs to start at home, teaching children self confidence, believing in themselves,and knowing how to deal with it in a proper way, not an extreme method. Everyone has been bullied rather it be for race, sexuality, or if they weren't invited to the latest party. There is no way to eliminate it all together, but instead preparation and drawing attention to why the bully is doing that.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that bullying is rising. It seems as if it is becoming more popular among kids especially in middle school. I think that parents are just now realizing how bad it is because it is getting to the point where kids are committing suicide due to all the harassment. I, for one, had a really hard time in middle school. It got so bad that by the nineth grade, I decided to switch schools. This is a serious matter and I am glad to hear that Senator Tom Wyss is trying to enforce bullying policies in schools. However, I don't think schools are doing much but giving offenders a slap on the wrist and waving a finger in their faces. I want to see actual consequences for these bullies. There needs to be zero tolerance in these situations. There also needs to be a program for the victims. A place where they can go to regain confidence in themselves and realize the value of their lives. I also think that online bullying should be monitored. For instance, if bullying is reported, that persons profile needs to be deleted immediately. Like I said, zero tolerance. I feel for these kids who have been tormented by others and its time that something is done about this problem.
ReplyDeleteJust from my middle and high school experience I really dont remember anyone being "bullied" I mean people got talked about when it came to their clothes or the way they talked or how they acted and things like that. Some of it was funny and some of it was like okay thats enough now. So no personal experice of it for me, but there are kids committing suicide and suffering from depression because of it so thats why the media is all on it. Realistically I believe teachers need to be more aware of what their students are saying and doing and not letting it happen in their classroom or the hallways. It starts with the teachers and the parents primarily. Raise your kids right!
ReplyDeleteBefore cyber bullying made mainstream media I did not think it was on the rise and a part of me still doesn't. I actually feel that all of this attention being given to the issue may have sparked a great deal of curiosity in many young minds. We are the age of digital technology and kids/young adults nowadays are using whatever means possible to not only get attention but continue whats been happening for generation after generation. The fire up of reality shows like Jersey Shore, where there is this constant chaotic "it's cool to pick fights" atmosphere, doesn't help the situation either. Young minds idol these meat-heads and bimbos and leave the house thinking its cool to treat and talk to people any kind of way. I am not blaming this issue solely on media but I think it does have a slight effect. Other things such as manners, sharing, having and respecting an authoritative figure in the household, learning coping skills (for those who've suffered traumatic experiences), etc... All need to come from home. I feel a good portion of these kids act out not only for attention but because good home training wasn't pushed on them as kids. It's like they've skipped the "manners 101" class in kindergarden.
ReplyDeleteI think when an incident is reported, the school needs to notify the parents and depending on the severity of what happened, the parents should take action against their child bullying!! By action I mean use whatever method works to discipline the child (of course not beating them or anything too crazy). If the problem continues then the school should take further action. I am a firm believer that it starts at home. Yes kids seem more wilder and rebellious nowadays but they'll listen after a couple swift kicks in their butts by their parent(s). If that doesn't work then take it to the next level... Let them spend a day in a controlled jail enviroment or send them to Maury's Teen Bootcamp. Ha! I dunno...
I've ranted way past my normal post... Enjoy!
-Ty
I do think bullying is on a rise. It is a big deal there have been many suicides that resulted from bullying. Cyber bullying is on a high rise and it should be a part of the law. To help prevent this they should put it on the school record and that will be harder for kids to get into college. They should also express to kids that if they can't talk to their parents to call the hotlines. Teachers should be keeping an eye out for bullying at school as well. If they are turned in for cyber bullying then they should be expelled.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that it is on the rise. that having been said it is still a very nasty problem that needs some healing. Cyber bulling is the same thing as doing it at school intend of being face to face you can do it monitor to monitor. it should all be punished the same however there are things that need to be talked about concerning that. Unfortunately there have been a rash of suicides that stem from bullying. The main stream media brought to light a an age old issue of bulling, kids today are doing the same thing that kids have always been doing. There are kids that get bullied and the kids doing the bullying. So now that bullying has gone beyond the school and at home or wherever on the internet How should you punish this If the bullying is done at the school it should get punished by the school to the fullest extent. Now if its being done outside the school and to such a degree that the person being bullied is considering or flat out doing themselves bodily harm, then the people doing the bullying should get punished by the law not the school. By this i mean strict enforcement of civilian criminal law these should be punished as if it were an assault and or harassment. So what can realistically be done to stop this problem. First let me say that i don't think that there will come a time when this is no longer an issue. I realize that is a sad thing to say. Foe starters stricter punishment rigidly enforced if these kids want to pick on someone until they drastically alter that kids life then thats what should be done to them if it gets real serious make him unable to get government aid whens its time to go to college. if its just starting an expulsion with mandatory counseling. If it continues to grow a longer expulsion and a stay in juvenile hall. After that comlpete expulsion from school a stay in juvenile hall and unable to receive government aid for future schooling. Like i said if you want to alter someones life the punishment should fit the crime and the bullies life should be altered as well
ReplyDeleteI don't think that bullying is on a daily rise, but I do believe that it continues throughout every generation and it still is a big big issue. One of my jobs includes working with elementary kids and they have an entire school presentation about bullying. Also my job makes it mandatory that the staff attends bullying training and seminars. While I am I work I see it happening, even a parent is worried about her child because she is crying almost everyday after school. Bullying has and is always been an issue that people have been trying to resolve. Realistically what I believe can be done about school bullying is honestly making the bullies go to some classes, and to continue the group talks with the children about bullying, and telling them things they can do when getting bullied is a good idea. Also I believe by the parents addressing to the kids and making them feel that they have someone to come to when there is an issue. I feel bullying will be around in some form forever but the way we educate our children on ways that can help them in certain situations, we can help the victims help themselves so nothing horrible happens to them.
ReplyDeleteyes bullying in school is on a rise but i also i think that the parents that are are focusing on it more should look realistically on how their children act and should ask themselves is this the kind of person i want my child to be as a grown up
ReplyDeleteBullying is definitely on the rise. I have seen it personally on the rise since I was in 5th grade. Pretty much all my life I was bullied, for being too tall, they said I smelled, for being heavier, etc. It was the worst in middle school. We were all in our development stages and some developed faster than others. I couldn’t help that I was taller than most of the boys and all of the girls. Plus that is really the prime time that cliques were formed. By eighth grade, you knew if you were popular or not. I wasn’t. High school got a little bit better and senior year it was great. I saw a lot of others bullied too. My cousin even killed himself because he was bullied for being gay.
ReplyDeleteIt’s on the rise and will be until kids and teachers do something to stop it. I don’t know how many times I saw others see me getting picked on and did nothing. There needs to be a teacher patrolling the hallways on breaks to make sure nothing is happening in the hallways. There needs to be monitoring on social media, parents or something digital. Like if there was a blocker on negative comments threats. I think there should also be student advocates against this. There should be meetings with every student one on one with the principle, dean, vice principle, and all the guidance counselors to let everyone know that it is not acceptable and there will be severe punishments. It won’t take too long with everyone on the same page. Same with the teachers, they should also have the meeting. There should also be a meeting with parents one night in the beginning of school to go over bullying and the signs of it, like during the parent teacher meetings. The more everyone knows about it, the better and easier it is.
Guest speakers could come in too and talk to the kids about not bullying and their story. It could be a bully and a person who got bullied. There could also be some incentives for stopping bullying in the hallway, like if you report it happening or if you stop it and get a teacher. You could get a free lunch, a parking spot closer to school for a trimester, etc. This too would have to be monitored and checked out.
I think bullying is on the rise because there are more ways you can bully now. Bullying in my time had to deal with being teased, getting your lunch money taken, things like that, but now you can bully through a text message, through the internet, and through verbal.There has been news stories of young girls committing suicide over cyber bullying.For the parents to be making a big deal out of bullying I would agree.
ReplyDeleteI think bullying has become more prevalent because it's become more broad then some big kid asking a smaller one for their lunch money. The bullies now have ways of finding out secrets about someone else and sharing them with others by the press of a button. I'm shocked by the amount of suicides that occur because of bullying and they seem to be more prevalent of late. I think there need to be more severe consequences for bullying and the school systems need to be more aware of the different methods.
ReplyDeleteI most definitely think bullying is on the rise. I think the blame partially goes to the improvement in technology. I think that is the one downfall of our advancements. Cyberbullying allows the bully to hide behind technology, therefore give them the opportunity to say things that they never would to someone's face. All the social networking only makes this worse. I myself have been cyberbullied and it is an awful experience. You just feel like everyone reading it is laughing at you. It is nice to hear that more parents are starting to take a stand. I don't think some people realize how extreme bullying has become today. I personally don't know how much can be done to stop it. Kids are kids and they do what they want regardless of what is the right thing sometimes. Cyberbullying makes it harder to track down the bully so they feel like they can get away with more. Maybe stricter rules on social networking could help slow the bullying down.
ReplyDeletePersonally I do believe that cyberbullying is on the rise in almost every school. Personally in junior high school I was friends with a group of girls that eventually got torn apart and bullied each other. Parents and media are making some deal of it but it may not be big enough because there are plenty of young suicides that are due to cyberbullying and bullying at schools. I feel that the best answer to stop this is to pay more attention. If a student is being bullied, they should be offered to change schools. I know for a fact in junior high and high school when I had been bullied I would have been happier to change schools. I'm not positive anything would have changed but looking back at it, that's what I wish would have happened. Also there should be more options to not allow people you are having issues with to block them from your media sites. I feel there should be some strict rules and more privacy options. Facebook has an age limit but I feel that some kids are falsifying their year of birth to get onto facebook. Bullying happens to kids at every age and it needs to stop.
ReplyDeleteBullying is proportional to the size of the population, which is growing, and the ever increasing grasp of technology. With the internet, bullies who may not be as physically intimidating in person, but they can create online personas which allow them to anonymously attack others. I personally have never been bullied online, and I imagine it is as equal to or worse than bullying in person because a greater number of people can see it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, there will never not be bullies. To think we as a society will ever reach that point is a fool. People will always find insecurities about themselves and wish to make themselves feel better by belittling others. Then there is the growing diversity of population based on many factors such as race, sexual orientation and economic standings... To sum it up, there will always be bullies with little way to control them.
I think that bullying is on the rise there have been incidents when bullying has lead to some students to commit suicide and that is when it becomes a serious problem. To combat a problem such as this, its not just up to teachers and parents to get involved, it takes everyone to stop this preventable problem.
ReplyDeleteI think bullying has always been a problem and continues to be one. While i was in high school i had a friend whose cousin committed suicide because of cyber bullying. Still to this day I think it is a problem hearing stories from my little sister. In school they could have more consequences for bullying as of online I would think it would be kind-of hard to monitor it but their should be consequences for it.
ReplyDeleteBullying has surely been on the rise in the past few years. When I was in high school there was more verbal than phsyical, or at least to my knowledge. For example, when I was a senior, some sophmores decided they wanted to copy the movie Mean Girls and make a burn book about every girl in their grade. For those who have not had the chance to watch it, a burn book is a book filled with a bunch of insults and/or rumors about girls in their school. The only difference between these books is that in the movie it was a physical book with paper and the one at my school was on Facebook and they added every girl that was in it. It caused a lot of problems in school, many fights and arguements were made. Not sure what was done to fix the problem because I did not want to be involved, but I do know my school started a anti-bully week. The whole school got envolved. Each day of that week the school would do something different to bring awareness to the different types of bullying and how it effects people. It wasn't just lectures where almost everyone falls asleep but it was stuff that got everyone involved. We made banners, wore shirts and wrist bands, even painted our faces and dressed up silly while spreading awareness. Many even got together and helped out those in special needs and taking them out to eat or to games to show how they fight bullying. It helped bring the school together. If every school did something like this it might better the chances of someone second guess bullying someone. Might not be much but something is better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteDo you think bullying is on the rise, or are parents and the media making too big of deal out of it?
ReplyDeleteYes I do believe bullying is on the rise. No parents and media are not making a big deal out of it. It is a very big problem. I was bullied in school as a child. Some other students decided they didn't like the way i dress. I am part of the "goth click" so i wear a lot of black and dark makeups. The teachers of my high school didn't care nor did they make any action to make it stop. Some times people don't care enough about the fact that some people are actually hurt from some of the things that others say.
Realistically, what do you think could be done to stop school bullying?
I think that there should be a national week made to where bullying should be a publicized thing. A week to where the news and teachers should make it to where the students know the effects of bullying. There should also be a officer searching the internet for anything suspicious that may look like bullying.
Bullying has been a problem for a while,though while in high school i wasn't actually ever bullied. I don't think that media and parents are making a bigger deal of it than it is because it is a big deal. if someone can be bullied enough to where they end their life then something does need to be done.
ReplyDeleteBullying has been around forever and the internet and social media only adds to the problem. As far as being on the rise, I think it may be blown out of proportion. Of course parents and the media would make a big deal out of it but it also causes others to take it to the extreme. However, it is an issue that needs to be addressed. I think that if anti-bullying programs were integrated into school curriculum it could help students be more tolerant of their differences.
ReplyDelete