Crimes on Campus, Description of Bullying - Essay Example

?[Your full May Proposal for Change Sometimes, we encounter such activities on campus that make us feel dejected, and invoke in us a desire to bring about a change in the culture on campus. There is one such felony that I would like to bring about a change in. It is bullying, commonly referred to as school bullying. In this report, I will discuss this issue that reckons the campus atmosphere, and will make some recommendations, while motivating the students to help the authorities make the changes effective. Bullying is defined as that unswerving unwelcome attitude (like shouting, mimicking, calling names, threatening, written abuse, forcing to do nasty things, and much more) having traces of indefensible and irrational criticism and condemnation which compels the victim to get isolated, disgraced and singled out in crowd (Olweus). The intent of the bullying person is to gain power over the victim. An individual is said to be bullied when he finds it difficult to protect himself from recurring harmful actions from another person or a group of persons. Bullying students are usually very outgoing and bold without any idea of indignity or remorse; whereas, the bullied ones are already very introverted and hesitant, which makes them prone to bullying. Smith and Sharp assert that school bullying involves “5-10 per cent of children as being bullied and about 5 per cent of children as bullying others” (5). They state that bullying is generally out of sight of the school authorities, because the bullied students and their peers hesitate in informing their teachers about the bully, and that is why it keeps on going. The National Association of School Psychologists (as cited in Shore 5) estimates that “160,000 children miss school every day for fear of being bullied”. The description of bullying is not complete until we describe the aspects of bullying. Bullying can be of various types. Some of these are: Oral bullying: shouting, calling names and spreading rumors about the victim Written bullying: nasty letters and text messages Physical bullying: kicking, hitting, slapping, punching and pushing Isolating the victim from social gatherings Making the victim do things he does not want to do Making the victim feel ashamed of his race, color, religion and language Sexual harassment Cyber bullying: teasing through nasty emails, chat messages and phone calls Bullying can have devastating effects on the bullied student, so much so that he may be forced to commit suicide. He may undergo hypertension, freight, loneliness, anxiety, depression, low self-worth, low grades and suicidal attempts. Glew et al. (1026-1031) found that school bullying resulted in a decline in school attendance, academic outcome, psychosocial adjustment, and psychological health of students. Bullying also creates bad impact on the observers of bullying. Since bullying creates an apprehensive environment on campus, students who watch someone being bullied may tend to turn away from their studies feel guilty for not stopping it; or, may even be tempted to participate and support the bullying students. Such students are called the bystanders. Rivers et al. (211-223) conducted a study regarding the mental health of those students who witness school bullying. The participants included 2,002 students aged 12 to 16 belonging to 14 schools in the United Kingdom. The researchers found that “observing bullying at school predicted risks to mental health over and above that predicted for those students who were directly involved in bullying behavior as either a perpetrator or a victim” (211). The observers are either convinced to take part in bullying or they refrain from involvement or from protecting the victim, all of which are signs of poor mental health. In order to avoid all these negative effects of bullying on campus, I recommend that school authorities should promote interpersonal and helping relationship among its students. Students’ emotional health is imperative to stop them bully others or be a victim. They need to be well-informed about the effects of bullying, and how it deteriorates the general environment of the campus. Teachers should deal with all students without favoritism. When students are dealt on an unbiased basis, they are likely to bully less. Also, when they are encouraged to stay in groups sharing a happy bond with peers, there are fewer chances that they get bullied, because bullies target someone who is unaccompanied and cannot fight back. Being in a group also makes one confident and repels the bullies. When students know that they can always discuss their problems with their teachers, and can always turn to higher authorities for a complaint, they will bring bullying to an end. Teachers should make their best efforts in fostering fruitful relationships among students, because this way they will be able to study well to get high grades. When there is constructive leadership on campus, along with encouraging student leadership and vigorous relationships, it leads to less bullying. Students should be taught how to respect one another and that every student, no matter which country, religion or race he belongs to, has got the same rights. One main solution is teachers’ training which makes them informed about bullying signs and effects, and how to deal with it. Parent-teacher meetings are another solution, and are crucial in order to allow the parents to discuss their children’s behavior with teachers. Schools must adopt policies that contradict both direct and indirect bullying, by providing instructions to teachers and students on how to react to bullying. Seminars can be arranged to spread awareness about bullying. Electronic surveillance gear, like hidden cameras in classrooms and cafeterias, should be used to keep a check. Proper supervision through additional staff must be maintained. Questionnaires and surveys should be conducted with students so that bullying rate can be estimated. Complaint boxes should be arranged, in which the victims drop in letters containing complaints about bullying, if they are frightened to exposing the bullies directly to the authorities. I recommend that those students who report bullying happening around them should be rewarded, so as to motivate them in helping the authorities in combating bullying. Works Cited Glew, Gwen M., Fan, Ming-Yu, Katon, Wayne, Rivara, Frederick P., and Mary A. Kernic. “Bullying, Psychosocial Adjustment, and Academic Performance in Elementary School.” Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine 159.11(2005):1026-1031. Olweus, Dan. Bullying in Schools: What We Know and What We Can Do. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1993. Rivers, Ian, Poteat, V. Paul, Noret, Nathalie, and Nigel Ashurst. “Observing Bullying at School: The Mental Health Implications of Witness Status.” School Psychology Quarterly, 24.4(2009): 211-223. Shore, Kenneth. “What are the Effects of Bullying.” The ABC's of Bullying Prevention: A Comprehensive Schoolwide Approach. New York, NY: NPR Inc, 2006. Smith, Peter K., and Sonia Sharp. “The Problem of School Bullying.” School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. USA: Routledge, 1994. Read More