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Bullying Among Adolescents

Bullying affects young people’s emotions and behaviors negatively and might result in

mental health issues or even suicidal ideation. Studies on bullying have shown that a significant

number of adolescents are bullied in the United States. Moreover, a significant percentage of

youth admit to participating in the act of bullying. The community has been forced to focus on

the problem of bullying among adolescents due to the negative coping mechanisms that victims

tend to embrace like gun violence and suicide. Throughout history, bullying existed even

between colleagues but with the development in technology in recent years, bullying has become

worse. Bullying has evolved over the years into America’s biggest challenges with cases such as

school shootings being reported causing the deaths of a lot of young people. Bullying continues

to affect learning institutions yet there are effective strategies like counselling to eradicate the

problem. The society, parents, guardians, and school administration are crucial in regards to

resolving instances of bullying among adolescents. Therefore, although bullying has existed for

years, it can be resolved by dealing with challenges like inadequate or improper evaluation of

progress in learning institutions, parental negligence, and the lack of implementation of proper

mitigation strategies in schools to deal with bullies.

According to different law agencies, bullying is one of the biggest challenges in schools

around the world. Bullying is the act of annoying, harming or despising a person. Percentages of

students being bullied have persistently been on the rise despite efforts by teachers and parents to
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try and eliminate this scourge. Bullying is divided into different categories namely Physical

bullying, verbal bullying, social bullying and cyber bullying (Forero et. al 345). School bullying

encompasses all the four categories which have been laid out and it can be very damaging to the

students who are victims. Bullying is particularly dangerous to students since it causes several

lifelong damages such as introversion issues and unforgettable mental scars just to name a few.

Fortunately, a discovery of parental solutions like efforts by parents to stay connected to their

children among others and school solutions like high surveillance for any bullying cases can be

used to ensure bullying is eradicated. Therefore, it is clear that bullying is characterized by two

main aspects, it is intended to harm and it may involve one or more parties

Lack of proper evaluation of progress among different schools is a problem that has

plagued the efforts to eradicate bullying. Efforts of eradicating bullying in schools have

experienced a lot of hindrances. In the cause of ensuring that the problem of bullying is

eradicated there are problems which are encountered that make the process hard. One of them, as

stated in an article by No Bullying.com, dubbed “How Effective is Anti Bullying Policies” is the

problem of evaluation of results once the numerous strategies of eradicating bullying are

implemented. Since schools nowadays contain a diverse population of students as well as

teachers, it becomes difficult to carry out evaluations to certify that the policies are indeed

effective or require to be improved. Furthermore, with the ever changing technological

advancements that are being embraced in the learning environment like computers, new

categories of bullying have been discovered like cyber bullying ensuring that efforts of stopping

bullying in schools are unsuccessful. These are among the main hindrances which have led

individuals to lose hope in regards to the battle of eradication of bullying in the learning

institutions. Regardless, there are still those who believe that the fight can be won if the new and
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improved methods of fighting bullying can be implemented both at home and in the learning

institutions. These new strategies of fighting bullying in schools are the ones regarded to as

school solutions and parental solutions and they consist of a variety of strategies.

Parental negligence to the problem of bullying has also been a consistent hindrance in

efforts to eradicate bullying. It is important for children to have caring and loving parents so that

they can lead productive lives and grow to become respectable members of society. However, in

the absence of loving and caring parents children are likely to end up being criminals or even

worse and this behavior begins in schools. When parents neglect their children they expose them

to different influences from the environment which might affect the Childs behavior and make

them violent. As a result, the child ends up becoming a bully because of the negative influences

that he or she is exposed to. According to Oregon City Schools Anti Bullying Site, “There is a

clear connection between the way we parent our children and whether they become victims or

perpetrators of bullying behaviors”. Therefore, when a parent is negligent of the proper way to

behave and raise their children then he or she is indirectly encouraging the child to either be a

bully or a victim of bullying. Moreover, negligence of parents in discussing the issue of bullying

with their children is a big problem in the fight against bullying in schools as they fail to create

awareness of the issue to the children so that they can avoid doing it or be able to handle

themselves in the event that they are victims of bullying.

Lack of implementation of proper policies or strategies in American learning institutions

is also one of the biggest problems facing the fight against bullying. Even though there were

previous attempts to try and resolve the issue of bullying in schools, the strategies used to ensure

this objective was successful were poorly drafted, implemented and executed. An analysis of the

Anti Bullying Bill of Rights proves that some of the methods and strategies which have been
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implemented in the past to curb bullying in schools did not satisfy the five guidelines of

developing sustainable, safe and supportive school environments. These guidelines include

preventive strategies, reporting strategies, investigative strategies, responding strategies and

remediating strategies. Moreover, the previous strategies that had been implemented did not take

into consideration aspects like age appropriateness so as to enable students to know what

behavior is expected of them at their age. Therefore, the guidelines and strategies that are to be

used to eradicate bullying are supposed to students meet their maturity level. Such rules and

strategies are supposed to enforce respect, responsibility as well as safety in the education

environment. The strategies are also supposed to take into account the staff at the education

institutions and not just the students for them to be effective.

As a parental solution of stopping bullying in schools, parents should stay connected to

their children. Lee believes that the more informed parents are about their children's lives the

better they will be at realizing any changes in social behavior their children exhibit. Therefore,

parents are supposed to ensure that they interact with their children regularly concerning their

school life and the encounters that they have daily at school. As a result, a good communication

channel is established whereby the child feels comfortable opening up about his or her problems

to the parent who can then guide the child on the appropriate steps to take to solve the problems.

Despite the fact that bullying has been there for long, if parents can be able to establish proper

communication with their children, then bullying would be as good as gone as many children

resought to bullying when they have no way of expressing their feelings and the first choice, they

get is to use violence.

Another parental solution that can be used to stop bullying is parents discussing bullying

with their children. This solution is very important because it is the best way for the parent to
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ensure that the child understands how wrong it is to bully others. Discussing bullying with the

child creates awareness to the child on the effects of bullying and forms of bullying so that he or

she can avoid them. Moreover, it ensures that whenever the child comes across any type of

building, they are able to handle the situation in the best way so as to avoid any fatal altercation.

This is one of the most effective solutions to bullying but also the most unused solution. Parents

fail to speak to their children on issues regarding bullying and as a result, they create the perfect

conditions for the breeding of a bullying culture in learning institutions. As Lee writes in her

article, when parents discuss bullying with their children “Young children understand that hitting

or pushing another child is wrong”. With such a culture being fostered in the society, bullying

would be eradicated easily and for good.

Furthermore, a parental solution that is effective in the eradication of bullying is setting a

good example. Parents are not only considered as the children's legal guardians but as their

mentors. During the past few years of childhood, a child looks up to his or her parents for

guidance. Therefore, if the parent is someone that enjoys hurting people by making fun of them,

then the child will emulate the behavior of the parent and this ensures that bullying in schools

continues. However, when a parent is compassionate and selfless then the child will also emulate

these traits ensuring that they understand that hurting people whether physically or emotionally

is wrong. Lee tells her readers that “Even if you think your children are not listening or

observing your behavior, the fact is that kids learn a lot about how to conduct themselves from

watching their parents”. Therefore, parents have to ensure that they are well behaved in front of

their children so that they have a positive impact on their future behavior and character.

Looking for warning signs that a child is either a victim or a perpetrator of bullying is

also a good parental solution to bullying. To be a good parent it is required that one has to be
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very alert when raising his or her children. This is because there might be signs that the child

may be exhibiting which might tell the parent whether the child is suffering from fear of being

bullied or he or she enjoys causing pain and chaos. Such signs might be very effective in

ensuring that the child is taken to a counselor so that he or she is helped before the situation gets

out of hand. Richard Donegan in his article dubbed “Bullying and Cyberbullying: History,

Statistics, Law, Prevention, and Analysis” writes that identification of bullying signs is an

important aspect in the fight against school bullying (36). Therefore, being alert is a powerful

weapon parent have against bullying and they should use it to better the future young minds that

go to school to learn and better their lives.

One of the school solutions to the eradication of bullying is ensuring there is a clear

definition of bullying among the staff and the students. According to Erin Hellwig’s article titled

“10 Ways to Help Reduce Bullying in Schools”, “an entire school district needs to have the same

language within all its schools in order to reduce bullying. To start, the schools need to have a

common definition of bullying”. This means that in order for schools to succeed in the fight

against school bullying there is a need to ensure that they have synchronized their efforts and

understand the definition of bullying. This can be achieved by working together to ensure that

they have identified where the problems are and are ready to work to ensure that the problem is

completely eradicated. Moreover, both the staff and students require awareness with regards to

bullying so that they able to easily identify the problem before it can develop further.

Elimination of labels and addressing student behaviors is also a school solution that can

be applied to eradicate bullying. When a child in the school premises is identified as a bully, the

child is labeled a bully among his peers and this has diverse psychological effects on the child in

the long run. “When teachers and staff call a child a bully or a victim, they place a judgment on
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that child, which can then cause problems in the future for that student” (Hellwig). It is very

crucial in the fight against bullying that the staff ensures that they do not pass judgment on any

student whether or not they bully others. The main strategy to follow is to investigate first to

ascertain whether the allegations are true before proceeding further. The teachers are supposed to

analyze the behavior of the students that are reported to bully and others and try to find ways that

they can help that particular student so that he or she can reform.

Finally, engaging parents in the academic lives of their children is another school solution

that can be used to fight bullying in the learning institutions. When both parents and children

work together it becomes easier for them to succeed in the fight against bullying in schools.

“Teachers and staff need to build rapport with the parents of their students” (Hellwig). As

Hellwig illustrates in his article, it is very important for teachers and parents to establish a

relationship because communication becomes easier. Therefore, in the event that a certain child

is identified as a bully, the teachers are able to counsel the child and in the process involve the

Childs parents to ensure that even at home the child gets consistent guidance. Moreover, the

involvement of parents in such matters ensures that they also become vigilant in ensuring that

they guide their child in ensuring that he or she is able to become better by tackling some of the

issues which might be pushing the child to become violent or abusive to other kids in the school.

In summary, bullying has been a very big problem in the U.S despite previous efforts to

try and solve the problem. It is crucial for people in the society to become vigilant in their efforts

of eradicating the problem since the efforts of bullying are long lasting to the victims. The best

way to ensure that those students who participate or carry out the acts of bullying change are to

ensure that once they are discovered they are counseled instead of being judged. Moreover, to

tackle the problem both parents, as well as the staff at the children's schools, should join together
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to ensure that the problem is successfully tackled and completely eradicated. The brief solutions

given in the paper are an indication that there is hope for change in the American educational

institutions. It is high time that everyone in the society students, teachers and parents join hands

to put an end to this scourge that has persisted in ruining the lives of many. With people working

in unity and application of these important solutions change will indeed be realized.
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Works Cited

Donegan, Richard . “Bullying and Cyberbullying: History, Statistics, Law, Prevention and

Analysis.” Strategic Communication, vol. 3, no. 1, 2012, pp. 33–42. Print

Forero, Roberto, et al. "Bullying behaviour and psychosocial health among school students in

New South Wales, Australia: cross sectional survey." Bmj 319.7206 (1999): 344-348.

Print

Hellwig, Erin. “10 Ways to Help Reduce Bullying in Schools.” Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI),

Crisis Prevention Institute, 21 Aug. 2017, www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/November-

2011/10-Ways-to-Help-Reduce-Bullying-in-Schools. Accessed 1 Sept. 2017.

Lee, Katherine. “Ways You Can Help Stop Bullying.” Verywell, 15 Feb. 2017,

www.verywell.com/how-to-prevent-and-stop-bullying-in-school-620932. Accessed 31

Aug. 2017.

Nansel, Tonja R., et al. "Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with

psychosocial adjustment." Jama 285.16 (2001): 2094-2100. Print

Olweus, Dan. "Bullying at school." Aggressive behavior. Springer US, 1994. 97-130.

Oregon City Schools Anti-Bullying Site. “The Connection Between Parenting Styles and

Bullying Behaviors - Oregon City Schools Anti-Bullying Site.” Google Sites, 2016,

sites.google.com/site/oregonantibullying/the-connection-between-parenting-styles-and-

bullying-behaviors. Accessed 1 Sept. 2017.

Orosz, Sharon. “Best Practices for the Practical Implementation of the Anti-Bullying Bill of

Rights Act (ABR).” State of New Jersey Department of Education, Sept. 2012,

www.state.nj.us/education/students/safety/behavior/hib/BestPractices.pdf. Accessed 1

Sept. 2017.
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Rigby, Ken, and Peter K. Smith. "Is school bullying really on the rise?." Social Psychology of

Education 14.4 (2011): 441-455. Print

Sherrow, Hogan. “The Origins of Bullying.” Scientific American Blog Network, 15 Dec. 2011,

blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-origins-of-bullying/. Accessed 31 Aug.

2017.

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