BSHS/325
What is bullying? Bullying is defined as situations were one individual or even group abuses power over another. Bullying is about power and abuse. The individual getting bullied feels threatened and uncomfortable. Bullying is an issue that affects millions of students. 1 out of 4 kids are bullied and up to 43% of students have been bullied online. Bullying can lead to suicide of victims. Kids that are bullied are likely to experience depression, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest. They are more likely to miss, skip, and drop out of school. These patterns can continue into adulthood. Why do bullies bully? This often happens because they have been bullied growing up or are going through a hard time at home. They may not feel loved or needed. So they take their hurt out on others that they see as weaker than them. They are actually hurting inside.
How to identify bullying behavior? There are many types of bullying such as verbal, physical, and cyber bullying. We as teachers and school staff can look out for these types of bullying behavior. Verbal bullying is the use of name calling, and taunting. Physical bullying is the intent to hurt a child such as fighting, pushing, exc. Signs to look out for are : Pushing, shoving, spreading bad rumors, keeping certain people “out” of a group for no reason, teasing in a mean and hurtful way, and getting people to gang up on others. Cyber bullying occurs when people bully by internet, email, or text. They may send mean text, email, or messages. Posting nasty messages or pictures about an individual in a blog or website, or spreading rumors or lies over the internet is a crime. With websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and twitter this type of bullying has increased (Edison Middle school, 2011).
Bullying affects an individual’s self-esteem. A person’s childhood is very important because it affects the way they feel about...