As we ease closer to The International Day Against Violence and Bullying at School including cyberbullying. It is time to face the elephant in the room: bullying.
Let’s look at the underlying issues that cause bullying, what it means, and how to stop bullying in schools.
The following article is a must-read for any educational stakeholder, including parents, teachers, and administrators.
Bullying Defined
According to the Oxford Dictionary, bullying is the act of harming, intimidating, or coercing (someone perceived as vulnerable).
It is clear from the above explanation that bullying is an intentional endeavour. Victims of such actions may occasionally be weak or perceived as an outsider hence the harassments by their peers.
For the smallest of reasons, which are frequently a matter of social construction and perception, they could be the targets of this attacks.
Thus, consider the impact this would have, particularly on a child learning how to be a responsible adult and attempting to integrate into society.
READ: Things You Need to Know When Choosing a School for Your Child
Types of Bullying
- Physical bullying is when someone is pushed, tripped, punched, or struck to inflict pain and humiliation. Bullying and maybe sexual assault can also be any kind of touching that a person does not desire.
- Verbal bullying is when someone uses words to insult or tease another.
- Psychological bullying is the practice of talking to or rejecting individuals to make them feel awful about themselves.
- Cyberbullying is the use of social media and the internet to say mean things about a person. Sending nasty texts, insulting someone on Twitter, or leaving offensive remarks on their Instagram photos are a few examples of this.
Academic and Social Impacts of bullying on Child development
Dubbed from NIH, Bullying behavior is a serious problem among school-age children and adolescents; it has short- and long-term effects on the individual who is bullied, the individual who bullies, the individual who is bullied and bullies others, and the bystander present during the bullying event.
This indicates a 360-degree that not only affect the victim but also influences the perpetrator and bystanders.
Therefore, from an academic perspective, bullying results in a lack of confidence and negligence of schoolwork or other school-related activities.
Children who experience bullying frequently typically struggle academically because they withdraw out of fear of being teased and humiliated by their peers.
As a result, they rarely interact with others since they are frequently avoided for friendship out of concern that they would become victims.
Children who are bullied frequently struggle with socialisation and integration due to their fear of embarrassment and urge to blend in.
They always experience anxiety as a result of stress. become social misfits as a result of being ostracised by their peers
What Are the Signs of Bullying?
Here is a list of the signs that tell a child is being bullied every parent must be aware of.
- Declining grades, losing interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to attend school.
- Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations.
- Feelings of helplessness or decreased self-esteem.
- Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide.
What Are the Best Ways to Stop Bullying at School?
To stop bullying schools should,
- Teach children the value of kindness and empathy from a young age.
- Create opportunities for children to connect with their age groups and classmates.
- Monitor and identify ‘gateway’ behaviours and characteristics. In this way, schools may encourage mistreated students to speak up while also clamping down on bullies.
- Minimise ‘concentric circles’ in classrooms. Organise frequent events to bring students with diverse interests together.
- Participate in simulations by doing workshops aimed at reducing bullying.
READ: Why Parents Should Get Involved in Their Child’s School Activities
Conclusion
Bullying typically continues when authorities and victims’ peers stand by and do nothing.
As a result, the victim struggles internally with this issue and develops a dread of personal contact, preventing them from attending social gatherings.
However, when schools develop a close-knit environment in which every child is monitored, they will be able to discern when a child fails to display their genuine qualities and abilities.
This type of real-time setting is one in which no one is a bystander, every adolescent witness speaks up to defend the victimised, and each educator and elderly authority figure in the school is eager to listen and assist the bullied in getting through and over their difficulties.
In this manner, even cyberbullying may be gradually reduced, and everyone is on board to make sure that no hurtful remarks that could degrade and humiliate their peers are made, either online or offline.
