Fighting fear in school

        For so long, one word has been taken for granted. That word is Bullying.    Bullying can be described in many different words, terrifying, strong, cruel, and maybe even suicidal.  Bullying is more than just a part of growing up. It is a form of aggressive behavior shown to children who are quieter, shyer, or less outgoing than the bully. Bullying is a form of harassment that would normally involve someone who is older, stronger, or socially powerful upon weaker acquaintances. It often occurs in schools.  Shockingly, bullying can take over someone's life! Knowing about bullying will make your life much easier and happier, and you will most likely not get bullied as often.  

            There are many different types of bullying. The three main and most common forms of Bullying are Verbal, Physical and Relational. They are all very harmful in different ways, but each one of them can make your life miserable. In order to prevent and control bullying, it would be a good idea to understand it a little better.

The first type is Verbal bullying. This type of bullying involves name calling, teasing, cruel criticism, racist comments and much more. It can affect one's self image in emotional and psychological ways which can lead to low self esteem as well depression and other problems. This type of bullying can get to the point where the victim is so depressed, and wants to escape so badly, that he or she might turn to substance abuse. In extreme cases, that could be suicide. Girls use verbal bullying by dominating others to show their strength and power. Boys also use verbal techniques for domination.10 to 15 percent of all students reported involvement in weekly verbal bullying. There are no significant differences between girls and boys in this type of bullying.  In the end, words have a power of their own.  

The second kind of bullying is Physical. Physical bullying involves punching, kicking, hitting, and sometimes choking. You could be walking down the street and someone can push you and ask you for your money, that's physical bullying. In High school, a stronger student can threaten another to do their homework or else they will hurt them, that's also physical bullying.  In elementary and middle schools, 30.5% of all bullying is physical.  Sometimes students would come home to their parents with cuts and bruises on them. When parents ask what happened, the child would often say that they just fell or bumped their head since they don't want their parents to get involved in the problem.  This can cause the child to make up an excuse and not go to school. As a result, their grades can be affected. Research conducted in Canada, Europe and the United States has shown that roughly 10 to 15 percent of students aged 11 to 15 admitted being involved in weekly physical bullying.

This last type of bullying is known as Relational. This kind is more emotional than physical. It involves ignoring, isolating, excluding, and shunning.  There are many types of relational bullying, a few examples are stonewalling or the silent treatment where people ignore each other, exclusion from the group is when a student or person can be cut out from all activities and participation in a group. Spreading rumors and gossip is when children often say things about each other behind their backs. Relational bullying is often tough to notice since it's hidden and not recognizable. It's difficult to determine who is doing the bullying. This type of bullying is a massive problem and its best to try and prevent them. Lastly, developing a strong personality can be the most important element in dealing with relational bullying. If you are capable of feeling good about yourself then you will be less hurt by bullying.

In conclusion, people are encouraged to bullying by the society they live in. Above all, teachers need to inform themselves and the rest of the school community so that together they can develop a policy to discourage bullying. By educating themselves about bullying, parents and teachers have the knowledge to set up effective programs and structures within the classroom and school. Furthermore, by removing the opportunity for children to bully, providing children with a stimulating environment and giving them the tools to deal with conflict appropriately, teachers can reduce children's inclination to bully.

 There are many ways to put an end to verbal, physical, and relational bullying and bullying in general. You can disregard it or stand up to it! In my opinion, bullying is strong but just one person can make a difference. We need to accept who we are no matter what anyone says and step up, so others won't get stepped on! Bullying is a worldwide undeserved issue that has to come to an end otherwise this violent environment will grow larger and larger. Although, bullying will never be fully eradicated and must be dealt with as soon as it occurs, increasing awareness of the problem is making schools a safer and more enjoyable environment in which children can learn.

By: Megan.D