Introduction
While there may be no legal definition of bullying, it takes many forms, both direct and indirect. Direct forms of bullying include verbal and physical abuse. Indirect forms of bullying are more subtle and could be in the form of manipulation or coercion. Bullying is a highly controversial topic that has concerned both parents and educators for as long as schools have been in existence. Bullying affects the self-esteem of the young people that go through it and it can make them dread going to school or socializing with their peers. In extreme cases, victims may become suicidal due to torment from fellow students while in some very serious cases bullies have even murdered their victims. There is a need for combined efforts in combating bullying so that students can be guaranteed of a safe and secure learning environment. Schools have a responsibility to cut this problem down at its roots rather than leaving it to helpless victims and their parents.
The School Environment
The school environment is where most cases of bullying occur. This is the place where young people spend most of their day learning and socializing with their peers. As such, school should be a safe place where the child is not afraid. Sadly, numerous studies show that this is not the case and many students dread going to school (Juvonen and Graham 161). Bullying is a tormenting ordeal for the victim that other people might not fully understand. Physical assault or even the snide comment that many might deem as just jokes can cause indelible emotional and physical scars that can haunt the victim for many years to come and dent their self-esteem and social skills (Casebeer 169). Schools and educators should be at the forefront in stopping this. There three main strategies they can use; imposing greater sanctions on the perpetrators, protecting the victims, and educating bullies.
Sensitivity Awareness and Education
The starting point to dealing with this menace should be sensitivity awareness to all stakeholders, who include the students, their parents, and school officials. All schools have the capacity to provide educational training to these stakeholders by organizing conferences and even extracurricular activities that address this problem. The reason bullies must be educated is that some might not be aware that their actions hurt their victims (Dillon 37). In the extreme cases, the chances are that bullying is wholly deliberate, but even then, no one would want to push their victims to the point of committing suicide. Educational conferences can help bullies understand the consequences of their actions and they may think twice before subjecting someone to such (O'Brennan, Waasdorp and Bradshaw 874). The objective of these educational conferences should be to pass the message that bullying is not acceptable and there are consequences to this deviant behavior. They also empower students rather than controlling them, as it is they, who have the power to determine the degree of bullying that can happen around them. Extracurricular activities should be established within the school system as a way to cultivate positive peer relations (Tsiantis et al. 248). All these efforts should be geared towards improving communication among school officials, the learner, and the parents. The conferences should also be open to the public as the community also plays an important role in advocacy.
Punishment for Perpetrators
Another way learning institutions can deal with bullying is ensuring the perpetrators are punished. Causes for bullying are varied and teachers should be able to identify them and intercede immediately. Victims of bullying are most likely to be afraid of speaking out for fear of repercussions or ridicule from peers. Prevention would be most effective if educators or other adults in the society reach out to the victims and not the other way round. Most victims of bullying who do not speak out believe that nothing would change even if they do or they would only make the situation worse. While some teachers would rather wait for the victim to speak out, it is important perpetrators are shown that they bear responsibility for their actions (Juvonen and Graham 174). It has been argued that bullying in learning institutions is not taken seriously enough. For instance, punching someone in the streets would earn the perpetrator some time in jail, but the same offense only gets a student detention. It is important that school officials do not allow students to get away with an offense that they would not in the real world. Some states have even proposed laws on bullying that would see serious cases prosecuted in law courts and not by school boards (Middelton-Moz and Zawadski 143). Schools should impose boundaries and sanctions on the young people under their care so as to ensure they produce law-abiding citizens in the future.
Supporting the Victims and Adult Supervision
The final main way schools can get involved in preventing bullying is working with the victims and improving adulating supervision. School officials should identify the areas where bullying mostly occurs such as during recess, in the hallways, and in the bathrooms (Juvonen and Graham 173). The community can be involved in this strategy by having volunteer parents or other adult community groups supervise these areas. The school could also get the teachers, students, and administrators together to form an anti-bullying club that helps victims. As mentioned, the forms of bullying have become varied with the advent of the internet. Cyberbullying has been documented as a major cause of suicide and extreme actions like school shootings. Peer monitoring and emotional support are vital in helping victims get over nasty ordeals (Hinduja and Patchin 56). They need to be taught that they are worth and they should not just accept what is happening to them. Peer counseling helps victims know how to be assertive without being aggressive. Victims also need to be taught that self-defense is allowed when the situation demands so and they should not be punished for it. Teacher and other adults should be taught to take concerns of the victims seriously to avert serious effects and even disaster.
Conclusion
All in all, the problem of bullying has become especially hard to deal with the emergence of new forms such as cyberbullying. While some might argue that schools cannot do much to deal with bullying that happens off school property, they have a responsibility to ensure students are safe and comfortable in the climate of learning community. They need to educate all the students on bullying and also how they can report it. Changed behavioral patterns and civility can only happen if the public is also involved in the efforts to stop bullying. There should be stricter regulations that punish bullies and shows them that their actions have consequences. Bullying should be made a serious offense that has dire consequences. The victims should also be educated on their self-worth to avoid cases of isolation and helplessness. A combination of these tactics can help schools deal with the problem and ensure it does not get out of hand.
Works cited
Casebeer, Cindy M. "School Bullying: Why Quick Fixes Do Not Prevent School Failure." Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth 56.3 (2012): 165-171. Web.
Dillon, J. "Untying the ``nots'' of Bullying Prevention." Principal. 93.3 (2014): 36-39. Print.
Hinduja, Sameer, and Justin W. Patchin. "Cultivating Youth Resilience To Prevent Bullying And Cyberbullying Victimization." Child Abuse " Neglect 73 (2017): 51-62. Web.
Juvonen, Jaana, and Sandra Graham. "Bullying In Schools: The Power Of Bullies And The Plight Of Victims." Annual Review of Psychology 65.1 (2014): 159-185. Web.
Middelton-Moz, Jane, and Mary Lee Zawadski. Bullies. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, 2014. Print.
O'Brennan, Lindsey M., Tracy E. Waasdorp, and Catherine P. Bradshaw. "Strengthening Bullying Prevention Through School Staff Connectedness.." Journal of Educational Psychology 106.3 (2014): 870-880. Web. Top of Form
Tsiantis, Alkis Constantine J.1, [email protected], et al. "The Effects of a Clinical Prevention Program on Bullying, Victimization, and Attitudes toward School of Elementary School Students." Behavioral Disorders, vol. 38, no. 4, Aug. 2013, pp. 243-257. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true"db=eft"AN=94970340"site=ehost-live.
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