Effects Of Bullying In Schools

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In many public schools today, bullying has become a major issue. Children are afraid to attend school or even miss school because of bullying that is occurring in a child’s life. Bullying is defined as targeting an individual in a negative way for the benefit of the bully to feel good about themselves. Individuals bully for many different reasons including greater acceptance by their peers, popularity, or making the opposite sex feel more attracted towards individuals. Bullying can occur to male or female children and can happen in a variety of ways. The three forms of bullying occurring in public schools include physical bullying, verbal bullying, and cyber bullying. Physical bullying is usually seen as acting violent or inappropriate…show more content…
Studies have examined that verbal bullying was highest in middle school, however compared to physical bullying that verbal bullying remained consistent in high schools (Wang, Iannoti, & Luk, 2012). According to a survey conducting in South Carolina some qualitive responses suggest that few administrators, teachers, and counselors have done little to change to school environment. Respondents said that “Some have never been taught at home that bullying is wrong” or “there will always be teasing, harassment…even though this is inappropriate behavior” indicating that it is the school’s responsibility to teach what is inappropriate versus appropriate as it relates to verbal bullying (Terry, 2010). Name-calling and teasing are some of the most popular forms of verbal bullying taking place in public schools, however a high percentage of teachers are unaware that bullying is taking place. When a student cannot count on intervention from adults, they feel as if they’re not protected and verbal bullying is acceptable behavior (Bauman, & Del Rio, 2006). Consistent reports of verbal bullying and harassment have increased after the passage of the South Carolina Safe School Climate Act. In addition, school culture has not seemed to change because of the passage of legislation and children will always find the way to tease and bully victims without any…show more content…
Every individual is unique and doesn’t need to be brought down by their peers because of the race, gender, or how they look. Being accepted by peers is what many young children in the United States want, if bullying continues to be an issue it can lead to an increase in depression or even the suicide rate. The three types of bullying, physical, verbal, and cyberbullying all play the role of harming a student emotionally and physically, and schools should enforce anti-bullying policies. Teachers and administrators should be able to clearly define to students what is bullying and explain that it does not have a place in school whether the issue begins on campus or not. One individual reporting a bullying incident and taking proper action to prevent it can change society in a positive
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