Family and Environment Effects on Learning - Essay Example

? Family and Environment Effects on Learning FAMILY AND ENVIRONMENT EFFECTS ON LEARNING Most schools today react to reports on bullying and other types of violence in the school by using reactive measures. The use of surveillance cameras and metal detectors or even hiring, of security men, to patrol the school halls, however, does not yield positive results. In a similar vein, “zero tolerance” policies that threaten severe consequences for behaviors that can be defined as bullying rely on such measures expulsion and suspension, which are exclusionary, and have negative effects in the long-term. Instead, research has advocated prevention programs that involve both parents and schools. Bullying encompasses harassment, teasing, threats, and physical aggression. It is crucial that both parents and the school administration create an environment at home and in the school that does not tolerate bullying in any manner. Bullying must not be looked upon as an inevitable phase of growing up, but rather, as learnt from influences in the media, peer groups, school, and home. As such, it can be prevented and unlearned. This paper seeks to discuss various ways in which parents and schools can ensure children comprehend appropriate, ways of treating their peers and are also not victimized by threatening or cruel behavior. Bullying constitutes the most common manner of violence that plagues both schools and society. It affects at least 15-30% of all students in schools. A report in 2001 reporting on a study of more than 15,000 students in the 6th to 10th grade found that almost 3.7 million students engage in bullying while a further 3.2 million are moderate or serious victims of bullying every year (Brooks-Gunn & Markman-Pithers, 2005). In 2006, there were 250 violent deaths as a result of bullying and violence. Membership of either a victim or a bully group has also been associated with criminal activity, poor psychological adjustments, school dropouts, and other long-term negative consequences. Physical and direct bullying, tend to intensify in elementary school while it peaks during middle school years, and decline through high school. However, verbal abuse is always constant. However, 25% of schoolteachers see nothing wrong with putdowns or bullying and only intervene in approximately 4% of the cases. Finally, more than two thirds of students are of the belief that schools have poor responses to bullying and a majority believe that parental help is ineffective and infrequent (Levy, 2011). What can parents do to prevent or alleviate the issue? Parents possess the ability to reduce at least the incidence of bullying in schools. First, parents should listen to their kids and make it a habit. Research is indicative of the fact that parents are usually the last to become aware of bullying incidents affecting their children. Parents can remedy this by allocating some few minutes on a daily basis to ask their children open ended questions regarding their friends; what they do during recess, and what happens in the classroom. Children are likely to talk about bullying from their peers after the incident if they were willing to talk about their peers earlier (Peter & Ronald, 2009). Parents should also spend some time at the school during recess and school. Research indicates that sixty seven percent of all bullying incidents happen in the absence of adults. Since schools do not possess resources to do everything, parents should at least volunteer to organize activities and games that give encouragement to children as far as making new friends. The parent also needs to be a good example of leadership and kindness since children learn a lot through watching their parents. When a parent is angry, say at a waiter or another road user, they have an opportunity to model effective techniques of communication (Kirk & Williams, 2007). The parent should also learn to study the signs since most children will not tell anyone that they have been victims of bullying. It is vital, therefore, for parents to recognize all possible signs related to victimization, including loss of belongings, frequent complaints of headaches, and going to school unusually late or early. If a parent suspects bullying, then they should talk to the teacher or come up with ways of watching their children while they interact with their peers. It is also imperative, at this juncture, to talk directly to the child regarding the goings on at school. The parent can also act to develop early anti-bullying and victimization habits early, for instance in kindergarten or even pre-school. The parent should coach the children on what to do and not to do, for example, hitting, teasing and pushing. Children should be made to focus on these actions and the way they might feel if at all were on the receiving end of such actions. These actions could help in the enhancement of empathy for other children. Equally, the parent should teach their children to be kind, fair, and ways taking turns. They should also be taught to say no should they witness or experience bullying actions. The child could be taught to find new playmates, ignore the bully and walk away, tell the bullies to stop, or immediately get an adult. Role-playing could also help, as well as repetition of the techniques taught against bullying (Gallo, 2009). In addition, the parent should institute household rules against bullying that explicitly tell him/her that bullying is not acceptable or normal. The rules should also make the children understand that at all instances, they should not be bullied or watch as other children are being bullied socially, verbally or physically. The child should come to feel comfortable in telling the parent about this issue and the0at the parent will be of help. The child must also be made aware of what bullying is and of the intolerable and unacceptable. The child should also be taught on how to be a positive bystander and a good witness. Research shows that children who witness bullying incidents often feel helpless and do not intervene. Children who do take action in these situations can have a positive and powerful effect. However, it should be stressed that the children must not put themselves in danger and that a situation can be defused by simply speaking out. The child can also help their friends by giving support to the victim, not paying enough attention to bully, and reporting the events to a teacher or parent (Pau & Kelly, 2010). Finally, with the ubiquitous nature of the internet, parents should teach their children on cyber-bullying. These involves sending threatening, vulgar, rude, and mean images or messages, as well as posting private and negative messages and excluding others from specific social network forums. The parent should warn their children from saying anything they would not say in real life while in cyberspace (Pau & Kelly, 2010). What can teachers/schools do to prevent or alleviate the issue? Research advocates that school wide programs aimed at prevention and promotion of a community climate. Effective school anti-bullying programs include the provision of early intervention. Research has advocated for intervention as early as pre-school and kindergarten. Building wide, classroom, and group social skills are recommended highly. Systematic aggression interventions and counseling are also highly recommended for children showing signs of being bullies. Mental health personnel like school psychologists are well trained to give training and guidance during selection and evaluation of their anti-bullying programs. The school administration must also balance out disciplinary action with behavioral support. It must establish a concise and consistent consequence to bullying that is understood by all the children. Discipline must address both the bullying behavior and the underlying causes of the bullying. The incorporation of positive intervention behavior with consequences like the loss of privileges will have a bigger impact as compared to approaches geared only towards punishment (Wang & Zhiou, 2012). The school must also supplement the efforts put in by the parents to teach children about good social skills. Social workers, school psychologists, and counselors may help the parents recognize and support children who become victims or even perpetrators of bullying who require intervention. Therefore, the school should make sure that parents are in touch with appropriate professionals like school psychologists in the area or school. In addition, the school needs to equip its staff with detection, prevention, and intervention skills. Training can give the teachers added ability to identify, as well as respond to victimization that is potentially damaging and the implementation of feedback to foster appropriate interactions on a social level. Personnel for support services can aid administrators, in designing teaching modules for training with all school personnel including playground monitors and bus drivers being trained in prevention and intervention procedures (Juvonen & Graham, 2010). The school could also advocate for a change in attitude as far as bullying is concerned. Research maintains that society needs to quit defending bullying behavior as a process of growing up. The school personnel should never ignore behaviors like bullying and should continuously model appropriate behavior and praise children who do the correct thing in intervening directly during the occurrence of a bullying incident, as well as offering the children alternatives to bullying behavior that changes behavior and attitudes. Students should also be empowered to support one another. One of the most essential factors fuelling bullying is the degree to which the children who witness bullying, turn to become bystanders or even passively participate in the bullying of a school mate. Firstly, teach the children on how to work together and stand up against a bully. Secondly, give them encouragement to reach out to schoolmates who are left isolated by bullying practices. Thirdly, reinforcing availability of adult support, as well as celebrating kind acts from children, can transform the silent majority into an active majority who become part of the solution to the bullying menace (Turney & Kao, 2009). Conclusion The best way of fighting against is to teach children to tackle the problem together because bullying is a phenomenon that mainly involves aggression by one individual towards another. This should be taught to the children by both their parents and teachers, especially regarding how to stand up to bullies, even if they are victims or bystanders. Children also need to be taught about what bullying is in order to recognize situations that call for their intervention; either by contacting adults or standing up to the bully. Overall, bullying is a problem that must be faced through a combined effort by the parents and school administration. References Brooks-Gunn, J. & Markman-Pithers, L. (2005). The contribution of parenting to ethnic and racial gaps in school readiness. Future of Children, 15, 139-168. Gallo, M. (2009). Bullying in Middle Schools: Prevention and Intervention. Middle School Journal , 12-19. Juvonen, J. & Graham, S. (2010). Bullying Among Young Adolescents: The Strong, the Weak, and the Troubled. Journal of the American Association of Paeditricians , 1231-1237. Kirk, R. & Williams, N. (2007). Prevalence and Predictors of Internet Bullying. Journal of Adolescent health , 14-21. Levy, P. (2011). Confronting Cyberbullying. The Journal , 45-56. Pau, S. & Kelly, H. (2010). Bullying in School: An Overview of Types, Effects, Family Characteristics, and Intervention Strategies. Children & Schools , 101-110. Peter, W. & Ronald J. (2009). School Bullying Among Adolescents in the United States: Physical, Verbal, Relational, and Cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 368-375. Turney, K. & Kao, G. (2009). Barriers to school involvement: Are immigrant parents disadvantaged? Journal of Educational Research, 102, 257-271. Wang, H. & Zhiou, H. (2012). Adolescent Bullying Involvement and Psychosocial Aspects of Family and School Life. Plos One, 345-354. Read More