Bullying

By
Cameron Willis

English 10CP
Mrs. Jordan, Period 3
April
 Have you ever been picked on by another student, or have seen another
student getting teased, picked on, or even physically abused? This is called
bullying. Bullying has always been a problem among children and we need to put
an end to this bullying problem both for the wellbeing of the bully and their
victim.

What is bullying? In Dan Olweus’s article, “a profile of bulling at school,” he

said,” one definition is that a student is being bullies or victimized when he or she
is exposed repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one ot
more other students” (17). Just from this definition you can realize that there are
a lot of things that can be considered bullying. Bullying can also be direct and
indirect. Direct bullying may consist of teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and
stealing. Bullying can be more indirect by causing a student or child to be socially
isolated through intentional exclusion. Boys are more likely to engage in direct
bullying, but girls are more likely to take part in indirect bullying by spreading
rumors and enforcing social isolation. So when you think that you’re, “just playing
around,” it is considered bullying and the effects can be severe

Being bullied can often lead to depression and low self esteem;
problems that can carry into adulthood. In Ron Banks article, “Bullying in
Schools,” he states that,” Victims often fear school and consider school to be an
unsafe and unhappy place”(2). Banks also did a survey and found out,” As many
as 7% of American Eight-graders stay home at least once a month because of
bullies”(2)! Being bullied can also cause psychological and sometimes physical
scars that last a lifetime. Many victims have reported having great fear and
anxiety in the years following high school. Victims also have bad social skills from
not having anyone to talk to because they other children didn’t want to lose
status, or didn’t want to be bullied themselves. The worst thing that could happen
to a victim is they turn their anger inward and commit suicide because they think
all is lost and it’s the only option left. Victims are not the only ones with
consequences; the bully has problems that are just as bad if not worse.

People who bully fail to learn how to cope, manage their emotions, and
communicate effectively. These skills are key in the adult world. Tara Kuther
stated,” Without intervention, bullies suffer stunted emotional growth and fail to
develop empathy”(5). Bullies must always get their way, and when they don’t;
they usually blame others for their actions. Dan Olweus conducted a survey in
Scandinavian countries and found out,” 60% of those characterized as bullies in
grades 6-9 had at least on criminal conviction by age 24” (2). Some bullies
continue their behavior into their adulthood, causing them to have hard times
keeping their relationship. Adult bullies are also more likely to have more criminal
convictions, be an abusive spouse, and have aggressive children. These aggressive
children are likely to become bullies themselves. Therefore starting the bully cycle
all over again.

Liberty High is not immune to the bully problem, and our staff and students
should be doing everything possible to put an end to the bullying problem. In a
poll conducted at liberty high in 2010 we found out that there is a lot of bullying
at our school. Some of our information we discovered is;

“84% of students have witnessed kicking, hitting, tripping or

pushing most of the time at our school. 86% have witnessed or
 been subjected to name calling some of the time. 82% have
hears rumors about others some of the time.”

Just from these percentages you can conclude that liberty is far from being bully
free. That is why we need to start right now to put an end to this problem.

It is time for bullying to come to an end. There are several things you can
do to help stop and prevent bullying. There are clubs you can join and participate
in, for instance,” Safe School Ambassadors,” is a great club to help those with
bullying problems. You can have “Bully Free Rallies,” all about bullying and the
consequences of it and how to prevent it. You can always go to your friends for
support, which is why we have friends after all. One thing you cannot do though is
not tell anyone if you are being bullies. If nobody knows, then nobody can help
you.

Bullying will no doubt, be around forever, but if we take the right steps we
can prevent it and try to put an end to it. Eventually making schools a safer, more
fun place for children to learn and grow up. I will fight bullying forever, but the
call is now yours, what can you do to aid the fight against bullying?
 Works Cited
Banks, Ron. “Bullying in schools” Educational Resources Information
Center (ERIC) Digest. April, 1997. Champaign, IL: ERIC Clearinghouse on
elementary and Early Childhood Education. Info tract 15 August 2003

Kuther, Tara. “understanding Bullying.” National PTA. 20 Feb. 2005

Olweus, Dan. “A profile of Bullying at School.” Educational leadership,

Mar 2003. Online academic search premier, February 14, 2005

Liberty High School poll