Bullying in School: The Traumatic Effects of Bullying

on Children

The issue of bullying has plagued many school systems in the US. We have
all read about issues of bullying causing students to take drastic measures to
make the pain stop. Unfortunately, many of these drastic measures have
resulted in suicide and/or murder. In 2010, a 15-year-old immigrant from
Ireland took her own life because of excessive bullying. A New York Times article
noted that the “defendants were accused of relentlessly tormenting Ms.
Prince” (Eckholm, 2011).

Even the president has taken a strong stance on the issue of bullying. He
stated, “We’ve got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of
passage” (Anderson, 2010).

In my work as a school teacher and principal, I have observed and dealt with
numerous cases of bullying. What is not discussed often enough is how these
acts of bullying can cause long-lasting effects for the victims.

Recently I watched a video about a young man who successfully sued his
school district for turning a blind eye to the abuses he suffered from bullies
because he was gay. The vicious acts he suffered lasted from middle school
through his secondary-school years. Fortunately, this young man had helpers
who encouraged him to fight back against a system that condoned the abuse.
Unfortunately, many targets of bullies do not have the chance to fight back.
The bullying they suffer sometimes triggers other traumatic events they have
suffered; it sometimes even causes victims to become bullies themselves.
The trickle-down effect thus becomes an ugly reality for many sufferers.

The world of bullying has a life of its own. It takes no prisoners and its effects
can be long lasting and endemic in some cases. Recently, an individual I
worked with shared with me some of his personal secrets and how those
personal secrets still plague his life today. He shared with me tales of such
extreme bullying that his parents had to remove him from the private school
they had sent him to, and educate him at home. This individual would not fit
the bill for what most people would say looks like a victim. He was often
taller and heavier than his peers.

Now in his early thirties, he tells his story with such energy that it is obvious
that the pain and trauma he suffered as a result of the vicious acts continues
to affect him. He told me that he dreaded the bus rides to school. He told me
that kids would pull and twist his nipples on a daily basis so that, at times,
his nipples would bleed. This individual noted that his parents made the
decision to homeschool him because they could no longer endure the pain
they experienced in seeing their son tortured and humiliated.
I also recall conducting one of my first interviews as a new assistant
principal. We were interviewing for a hall-security position. The applicant, in
expressing harrowing tales of his experiences as a bus driver, shared a story
with us about when a teenage girl was raped on his bus while he was driving.
Obviously, we did not hire this individual. However, we thought about the
child who had had to deal with that trauma and humiliation at the hands of
others. Although the perpetrators were dealt with, that certainly could not
have provided much relief to the victim. She will always possess the
memories of that trauma.