Education & Affordable Housing
The latest report released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics says bullying in American schools is on the rise, but educators are fighting back.
“Twenty-nine percent of public schools reported that student bullying occurred on a daily or weekly basis,” according to the “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2003.”
“Bullying is any hurtful or aggressive act toward an individual or group that is intentional and repeated,” says Annette Henderson, a Safe Schools facilitator at Fort Bend ISD. “The bullies need as much help as the victim does.”
Karen Ratcliff, who is currently a reading recovery teacher at Stafford Primary Elementary School and has been an elementary school teacher for 25 years, says, “Bullies are insecure and make others feel bad in order to make themselves feel better.”
“Bullying effects children in different ways,” says Kari Johnson, assistant principal at Fort Bend Baptist Elementary School. “If a child is confident and knows who they are, it won’t bother them as much.”
Depression, low esteem and withdrawal are a few of the side effects afflicting victims of bullying, according to Dr.Debra J. Peplar and Dr.Wendy Craig’s study, “Making a Difference in Bullying.”
“Children who learn how to acquire power through aggression on the playground may transfer these lessons to sexual harassment, date violence, gang attacks, marital abuse, child abuse and elder abuse,” according to Peplar and Craig.
“Lack of intervention implies that bullying is acceptable and can be performed without fear of consequences,” says Peplar and Craig. “If there are punishments, the responsibility is diffused among peers.”
“Lots of kids don’t want to come forward because they are scared,” says A’Liesa Land, lead counselor at Hodges Bend Middle School.” Victims of bullies often have a friend report the incident to teachers. Children often see how far they can go before someone steps in.”
Henderson and her co-workers have made 25 to 30 presentations to teachers, parents and students since the school year started in August 2003. Videos, role-playing and discussions are the methods used to demonstrate the effects of bullying.
At Fort Bend Elementary School, bullying is this school year’s theme, says Johnson. After children say the pledge of allegiance each day, a kindness pledge is repeated. The pledge is designed to teach children how kindness can be demonstrated.
At the beginning of the school year at Hodges Bend Middle School, children watch a 45-minute presentation on bullying, says Rick Gonzalez, assistant principal of sixth grade.
All incidents are treated on a case-by-case basis, Gonzalez says. Peer mediation is also exercised, where two students are called in to hear the stories of both parties involved. Then the panel offers suggestions to rectify the situation.
“Detention is also given to the students at fault and sometimes parent conferences are held,” says Gonzalez.
Bullying is more prevalent in younger teens than in older teens, according to “Bullying Behaviors Among U.S. Youth: Prevalence and Association with Psychosocial Adjustment,” a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by five researchers in 2001.
“Those boys at Columbine were bullied, and it just manifested,” says Susan Johnson, a counselor at DeZevala School, a school for fourth and fifth graders.
In 1999, high school students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School, killing 13 and wounding 21 people before killing themselves.
Ratcliff says bullying was a major issue in schools long before the Columbine shootings.
The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center in 2000 published a study that analyzed 37 school shooting incidents since 1974. Most of the shooters were victims of “bullying and harassment that was longstanding and severe,” the U.S. Secret Service said.
“In three-quarters of the cases, at least three people (adults and other children) were concerned by the attacker’s behavior,” according to the U.S. Secret Service.
“Parents have to be aware that bullying is not normal,” says Ratcliff."Some parents think their child can do no wrong.”
“No one program can be a fix all,” says Johnson.” Bullying is not tested or graded and there are only so many hours in a school day. There are always going to be kids that are mean to each other, but if I can help one child then I believe I have made a difference.”
© Copyright World Internet News 2006-07
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