Bullying: How to Identify and Deal With The Different Types
No longer can we say that kids will be kids and ignore the problem of bullying or leave it solely for the schools to address.
The Types of Bullying & How to Deal With It!
By Mary E Bakhoum
Bullying in schools has been on the news in recent years. However, it is an old problem that affected most of our schools, and many kids have been dealing with it for a long time. Bullying is never a one-time event; it usually happens and continues over a long period of time. Most of the time, it starts in elementary school, continues and increases in middle school, and starts to decrease in high school. This act of violence affects students in a very negative way, and it interferes with their abilities to learn and grow in a safe environment. Looking further down the line, we can find that bullying affects people’s self-esteem and self-assurance. We have to understand and get educated on how bullying occurs.
It takes many shapes and forms:
1. Physical bullying
This type of bullying occurs mostly among boys. Boys prey on the most vulnerable kid in school. It can range from inappropriate touching, shoving, kicking, punching, and teasing. In my middle school, kids teased a boy daily in the lunchroom; they taunted him until he exploded and got into trouble for acting up. No teachers were around to witness the start of the bullying; they were only around to witness the end result of it.
2. Emotional bullying
This type usually occurs more among girls. As a middle schooler, I was definitely exposed to emotional bullying. My experience ranged from spreading rumors, being made making fun of, teasing, and keeping me out of groups. This experience made my middle school experience a horrible one.
3. Cyberbullying
The rise of technology and the spread of social networking among teenagers, has led to the rise of cyber-bullying. Using the internet to spread rumors or insults seems easier for kids than confronting their victims. It gives them a sense of feeling anonymous while spreading rumors and insults to many people via the internet.
No longer can we say the famous quote that kids will be kids and ignore the problem. We, as a society, as parents, and as educators, must tackle this problem head-on with all our resources. In my opinion, there are some ways to tackle this problem:
1. Train educators and counselors
Educators and counselors are our first defense against bullying. They have to be on the lookout for loners, kids with a sudden change in behavior, or students whose grades have slipped and are failing. They have to take an active role in engaging them in various activities in school. Joining activities is a way for them to start to get control of their own life, raise their self-esteem, and make new friends. Furthermore, they must be persistent. In my situation, I met one time with the counselor who suggested joining a school activity and that was the end of our interaction. Following up is always important.
2. Establish a complaint box
Many kids witnessing bullying want to take a stand but are afraid of retribution. The existence of this box will give them a way to help other students and for the educators to know what is going on.
3. Responsibility of parents
Parents have to have open communication with their children. Children have to feel safe to talk with their parents about everything, and parents have to learn to listen without being critical.
There is no way to deny that bullying is part of our schools. However, if we all work together we will be successful in reducing it. Never give up: our children depend on us all to protect them.
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Learn of the ways to Combat Bullying in School at http://uwf.edu/
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