Combating Bullying in Schools: A Call to Action
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of technological advancement, it is the age of old-world bullying, it is the epoch of tolerance, it is the epoch of bigotry, it is the season of ergonomic automobiles, it is the season of emotional vulnerability, it is the spring of robotic efficiency, it is the winter of emotional turmoil… In spite of having capable instructors and being equipped with the latest infrastructure, still students don’t find themselves in a positive and learner-friendly environment in the schools- thanks to bullying. In persuasive essay about bullying this topic will be discussed.
Although it has been a grave issue since a long while, the disconcerting problem of bullying has, at last, captured the attention of the nation heads, political leaders, educators, community members, and media. It is found that bullying often occurs due to difference in opinions and styles. One becomes the target if one is considered inferior to the others in some way or if one deviates from the normal trend. Bullying may take the form of ridiculing a stuttering boy, or calling out names to a coloured kid, or even making fun of a poor girl wearing old, out-of-fashion clothes. It can be effectively addressed by administering anti-bullying policies and providing social-emotional learning.
“It has significant consequences for all involved: children who are bullied, children who bully, and children who witness bullying. No one would question that bullying is harmful to those that are victimized”, stated Second Step which is a program that helps in understanding bullying and providing safer learning environment. Besides becoming increasingly violent the guilt-ridden bystanders show signs of self-harm too. These outcomes are similar to those suffered by the victims themselves. They feel isolated from their friends and peers which may lead to PTSD. There is also a noticeable fall in their confidence levels and an increased fear to express their opinions. Rivers, who has been studying bullying for forty years, also explains that to escape the sense of self-hatred, they shirk their responsibilities, start skipping the school, and may turn to drug-abuse. This can cause a drop in their school attendance and academic grades, possible depression, and, in extreme cases, even suicide. The witnesses sometimes feel powerless and often suffer from emotional instability and negative self-image. This is also linked to witnesses ending up being bullies themselves in an attempt to escape these feelings of anger and hatred towards themselves. These acts usually have far-reaching consequences even into adulthood such as bullying on the roads and increased crime rate. It is seen that they too experience “emotional turmoil and feelings of self-loathing”.
Bullying is damaging to all individuals, victims and witnesses likewise. If it continues, it will harm our whole community. This highlights the importance of preventing bullying and making efforts to make the schools safer which “requires a multi-pronged effort”. To solve this problem, just having a set of school rules and a code of conduct is not enough. We need to take into account all the levels in the school: administration, staff and the students. Implementation of these policies and procedures as well as their infiltration into the whole system is necessary to promote a safe, healthy, and student-friendly learning atmosphere. Students should be taught about the pupil code so that when they target others for bullying, they should feel “that they have let themselves down and, more importantly let everyone else down”. School leaders should value children’s feelings and be committed to promoting children’s positive psychological health. “Bullies are loners, and they have perverted our liberty…. By allowing this to happen rest of us approve”. All the bystanders do have power to stop bullying happening before their eyes. By not remaining passive any longer and deciding to intervene, we can all help a great deal and put up a united front against bullying.
“If we do need training in our schools, it is social skill training,” says Ian Rivers, professor of human development at Brunel University. As per the Second Step program, it includes empathy, emotion management, and social problem solving. We should always view a situation from the other person’s perspective as there is sometimes more to it than it originally appears. By respecting others, being empathetic to them, and understanding their emotions and feelings behind their behaviour goes a long way in problem solving along with building positive friendships and work relations as well as maintaining them. We should learn to manage our emotions. While controlling our emotional outbursts and impulses may help, retaliating to others, throwing things in a fit of anger, crying, yelling, or having tantrums doesn’t solve problem; instead it even worsens it and makes us targets of bullying. We should always try to reflect upon a problem, think about its consequences, brainstorm couple of possible solutions, and ultimately chose one that promises to be safe and resolving.
Above all, we should know when to be friendly and co-operative and when to be assertive and hold our grounds. This greatly helps in negotiating conflicts and resisting peer pressure. Students should be taught not to view others as inferior to them and to accept the individuals they way they happen to be without forming any stereotype against them. In case of bullying arising out of jealousy, they should look upon it as a chance to learn something new and better instead of getting envious of them.
