Bullying in School: Counselors’ Strategies for Prevention Essay

Bullying, often labeled as just a part of growing up, is a major problem in America’s schools today. Although it is such a hot topic in our country right now, it is also a long ignored problem that only seems to worsen. The complication with bullying is that no one quite understands it, and it is not taken seriously. The definition of bullying is an overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people. In more simple terms, bullying is not a onetime incident; it is repetitive and happens among individuals when there is an imbalance of power. Statistically, every one in six children are bullied, and this cannot continue to take place. Every child has the right to feel safe and have the pursuit of being happy in which bullying completely takes those rights away.

Bullying is a very touchy subject for people to talk about. It deals with a lot of mental, physical, and emotional damage. Bullying is violent and unwelcoming behavior among various different aged children in school that involves a lack of power for one kid and a lot of power for another. The behavior of a bully is repeated numerous times over time and becomes more aggressive as the path goes on. The bully has an imbalance of power over the one being bullied. They bully uses their power for giving out embarrassing information, control, physical strength, popularity, and harming others. Kids who are being bullied and bullying others have serious lasting problems throughout their lifetime. Bullying is becoming a major issue in today 's society and somebody needs to make a stop to it.

Bullying is an undesirable, antagonistic conduct among not only school aged children but also adults. People who are bullied may have serious and long-term problems. Bullying has become more prominent throughout the years, increasing the suicide rate in the U.S. to 24.5% since 2003. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) This results in approximately 160,000 individuals stay home from school or work each day because they are afraid or feel threatened by bullies. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) Approximately 4,400 lives are lost each year due to bullying. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) A nationwide survey was done throughout public schools and private schools in 2014 to find out how many students actually considered suicide due to bullying. (Hey U.G.L.Y, 2006) 15% of students reported

Bullying in the United States has become epidemic, but some schools are resistant to instill anti-bullying programs, because they fear the program will be ineffective. The article, Creating An Anti-Bullying Culture In Secondary Schools: Characterists to Consider When Constructing Appropriate Anti-Bullying Programs, researchers Joseph R. Jones, and Sharon Murphy Augustine address the issue of bullying head on. Research indicates that students who are from a low socioeconomic background, students who are racially diverse, students who have a learning disability, and student’s sexual orientation has the largest effect on bullying rates in the United States (Jones &Augustine, pp. 74-76). In a recent survey, twenty five percent of students reported that they are bullied on a daily basis and that cyber bullying is at an all time high (Jones &Augustine, p. 74). Due to the increased rates of bullying, there is an increase on teen suicide and school shootings. (Jones

The Department of Education exists to create equal opportunities for all its students. However, with the increase in bullying rates, the U.S education system fails to make it clear that bullying is intolerable. Bullying’s harmful impact on students’ well being has been studied and continues to be researched. The U.S Department of Health & Human Services defines bullying as the “unwanted aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance” (2014). Bullies can be identified as people who use their power to manipulate or inflict unnecessary pain on others. In the U.S, bullying rates in secondary school are still on the rise. According to the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of

Article overview: In their article, "School Leadership And Counselors Working Together To Address Bullying" (Austin, Reynolds, Barnes, 2012), argues that school policies concerning bullying must be implemented by school administration in order to eliminate the effects that bullying has on students in a learning environment. Since school counselors have the professional skills and knowledge developed from their college training, they should apply these skills by taking a leadership role in implementing intervention bullying programs, and work together with school administrators, teachers,

In recent years, we have heard more and more about bullying and the alarming effects it has on our society. Bullying is defined by the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) as “any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated.” (“Featured Topic: Bullying Research” ) There are many forms of bullying, including but not limited to physical bullying, verbal bullying, and cyber and text bullying. The adverse effects can cause severe damage to the victim, including both physical and mental health issues as well as academic issues. Numerous studies

Bullying is a growing epidemic in today’s society and has become a pressing social and educational concern. It is often dismissed as typical adolescent behavior but ignoring the problem could be detrimental to the bully, the person being bullied, and even those who stand by witnessing the unkind acts but do nothing about it. Bullying can hinder academic, social, and emotional development and because it manifests in different forms, it is important to recognize the signs and address it with all parities immediately.

Over the past couple of years, the issue of bullying in the educational environment has gained national attention, various laws have been put in place to prevent bullying. The methods of bullying have changed from cyberbullying, verbal bullying, and physical bullying. Bullying has been known to effect a student’s metal, social, and physical capabilities. Some of the consequences of bullying are suicide, depression, and lack of self-esteem.

Childhood bullying is a significant problem nationwide, and its impact on education can be profound: Statistics show that 160,000 children in the United States miss school each day as a result of being bullied. In addition, bullying can cause mental and physical stress,

Bullying is a recurrent issue that can be found in many, if not all, schools across the world. It is a universal action. “Bullying is broadly defined as intentional and repeated acts that occur through direct verbal, direct physical, and indirect forms (cyberbullying), and it typically occurs in situations in which there is a power or status difference” (O’Brennan, Waasdorp, & Bradshaw, 2014). In a study done among 876 students in grades 4, 5 and 6, researchers came to the conclusion that nearly 30% of students commit acts of bullying against their classmates, with reports of bullying being two times higher than the rate of bullying itself. “Aggression and peer victimization are significant problems for many elementary and middle school students” (Jensen, Brisson, Bender &Williford, 2013). According to Lindsey M. O’Brennan, Tracy E. Waasdorp and Catherine P. Bradshaw, in their article “Strengthening Bullying Prevention Through School Staff Connectedness, they state

Bullying has become a growing issue around the world. The act of bullying can begin with a small eye roll, but within a short period of time it can escalate to abuse. Bullying is an issue that cannot be taken lightly. The consequences of bullying can be lethal, encourage a never-ending cycle of bullying, and have long term mental effects. In a recent survey conducted at Elise P. Buckingham Charter Magnet High School, the results indicated that bullying is still an issue. It is not clear how bullying can be completely eradicated, but there are ways of preventing it from increasing in society.

The influence of school bullying is not as one dimensional as some have thought, and recent studies have examined this issue from the angles of student perception as well as socio-cultural perspectives (Espelage et al., 2014). Bullying is a dynamic issue with the capability to impact schools in numerous areas. Researchers typically categorize the negative effects of school bullying in terms of short and long term consequences and in terms of its impact on individual students and the climate of a school system. Smithyman, Fireman, and Asher (2014) have described a plethora of negative consequences faced by individual victims of bullying, including: reduced psychological and social adjustment, lower degrees of physical well-being, higher levels of depression, increased anxiety, poorer work and school achievement, and increased likelihood of suicide or suicidal ideation. Other researchers affirm these conclusions and include the following effects: lower commitment to school attendance, serious mental health problems, aggressive retaliatory behaviors, diminished confidence and self-esteem, increased feelings of loneliness and alienation, and higher overall psychological distress (Casebeer, 2012; Chisholm, 2014; Cornell et al. 2013). Not every victim of bullying should necessarily expect to experience these issues, but vast amounts of research confirm a significant a connection between these issues and bullying (Smithyman et al., 2014). Cornell et al. (2013) reports that

Before discussing the effects of bullying, it’s important to know the definition of bullying. It has numerous definitions, all of which are related to aggression and control of power by intimidation. Bullying is generally defined as an intentional act of harm, either physical or emotional, upon those that are considered inferior or weaker. Not only that, but it can also be harmful to children and adolescents who are constantly moving through their identity development (Kira, Lewandowski, Ashby, Somers, Chiodo, & Odenat, 2014). It is also said that involvement in bullying, as the bully or victim, has negative effects on the physical and psychological health of children and on their future psychosocial adjustment as adults (Vaillancourt, Hymel, & McDougall, 2013).

About twenty-eight percent of student’s ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the school year according to the Indicators of School Crime and Safety report, by the Bureau of Justice statistics. Across thirty-nine states survey, 7.2 percent of students admit to not attending school because they do not feel safe. The importance of bullying can’t be undermined. Teachers and parents must understand the importance of looking and listening for signs and behaviors of bullying. This will help tackle the issue before it gets serious and someone gets hurt.