06 Oct a paper on bullying. The must
a paper on bullying. The must include what is bullying; have you ever been bullied; have you ever bullied anyone (anonymous); do you know anyone that was bullied (anonymous); what measures can be implemented to deter or stop bullying.
papermust be written in the APA format, have a cover page, a works cited page, six complete pages, the cover and works cited pages are not counted as pages, double spaced, 12 font, Times New Roman, indent paragraphs that are too long, numbered at the top right of the page. The works cited must be in alphabetical order, no blue ink.
No cover page. Incorrect format of works cited page. Incorrect font and if not Times New Roman. Not answering the bullying questions as indicated.
Running Head: BULLYING 1
Bullying
NAME
COURSE NUMBER
DATE
PROFESSOR’S NAME
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Bullying is defined as repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful person by a more powerful one (Farrington 1993). If we are to believe certain studies, this behavior in one way or another affects the vast majority of children in school. The problem seems to be as old as schools themselves. Unfortunately, our society chooses not to aggressively deal with the problem until a particularly tragic incident takes place. I suspect the reason for this is that there are no easy answers to this problem.
Add to the problem technological advances, and the issue of bullying becomes an even larger problem. Cyber-bullying is defined as the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others (Ford 2009). The increased use of social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace have made bullying easier for people intent on this kind of behavior. A large number of school age children use this technology, even at the school. A valid question is who is responsible for the prevention of bullying in our schools?
After the suicide of a student recently in a small town in Massachusetts, several other students in the same school were charged criminally with the death (Kennedy 2010). This case, however, does not represent the norm. This case is working its’ way through the system, with the possibility that there will not be convictions. Research points out that depending on the age of the victims and suspects, our criminal justice system does not have the tools to deal with the problem. This is especially true of
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younger children. Very seldom does the act of bullying on the elementary school playground rise to the level of a crime.
As in most issues involving deviant behavior, the patterns of the inappropriate behavior start at an early age. Our society deems that the courts are not the place to resolve issues with very young children. The tools and practices that seem to have the potential for success, i.e. counseling, can be administered by agencies other than the criminal justice system. We all recognize how devastating a bully can be. This recognition, however, has not led to adapting criminal statutes that will address specifically the act of bullying. While there may be a “law on the books”, chances are the elements are so poorly defined that prosecution is tenuous, at best.
Children report that they are fearful of going to school if they have been bullied. Victims feign illness to avoid attending school, making learning difficult if not impossible. The logic would seem to point to the problem being one for schools. A school is, after all, in the education business. If you believe that the majority of children are affected by bullying, and bullying has a huge impact on learning, you must conclude that this problem has a severe impact on our educational system as a whole.
Schools have generally been reluctant to take on this problem. In an age where all organizations make every attempt to limit civil liability, some schools have students sign waivers relating to the use of school computers. This action is taken as the result of cyber bullying taking place on school property using school equipment. Rather than taking on the problem, the sense is that a school system wants to be held harmless (Ford 2009).
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Their position is understandable. Teachers are taught to teach. They are not experts in the field of conflict resolution, and may not have the tools necessary to deal with bullying. In the New York Supreme Court case Opalek et al vs. West Islip Union Free School, the court said “although schools are under a duty to adequately supervise the students in their charge and will be held liable for foreseeable injuries proximately related to the absence of adequate supervision, they are not insurers of safety, and cannot be held liable for every thoughtless or careless act by which one pupil may injure another”. Where does bullying fall in that statement?
In addition to the civil liability, there is considerable evidence that school systems fail to report activity that may negatively affect their reputation (Kerbs, et al, 2005). In a time where all government has budgetary constraints, schools do not want to be perceived as not being able to deal with any issues. A perception by the funding source that a school system is inept may lead to reduced budgets.
In writing this paper, I have sought to analyze bullying, as a deviant behavior, and tried to find successful treatment of this behavior. Bullying is only one element of aggression, just as aggression is only one element of a larger syndrome of anti-social behavior (Farrington 1993).In looking at the data available, I believe that the best options to disrupt this behavior has to be delivered quickly and consistently. This would seem to be best handled by school personnel.
The first steps will have to be prevention, to the extent possible. There is a significant amount of data that suggests that supervision is a deterrent. While it goes
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without saying that teachers and staff cannot be omnipresent, certain areas were identified as prime locations for bullying. Playgrounds and bathrooms seem to be prime areas, where supervision is generally lacking.
This supervision should be carried out by staff that is trained to detect bullying. In addition to deterring the activity generally, the problem would be identified when it does occur, and the appropriate support offered for both victims and offenders.
Supervision of technology brings on other challenges. However, there are software products that document use of these technologies, and they need to be used. Simply looking over shoulders has an effect, as well.
Detecting the problem would be the next step in developing a successful program. One of the more interesting research papers sited a reluctance to “tattle-tell”. Only half of the cases of bullying are ever bought to the attention of parents or school officials. Instead, children internalize and attempt to deal with the problems. An atmosphere must be established that encourages victims coming forward with their complaints.
This same atmosphere must be translated to witnesses of the bullying. If a victim is afraid to come forward, it will be the responsibility of witnesses to let the proper officials know. These witnesses may also be staff members, who need to be trained to recognize bullying as an infraction of rules, and not tolerated.
One of the potential group of witnesses that can benefit from training is parents. Parents should know that this behavior, as either a victim or offender, cannot be tolerated. If a parent becomes aware of this behavior, they need to take action. When I
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was growing up, a certain amount of name calling and taunting was accepted. We were told to ignore the offender, or excuses were made for their bad behavior. That philosophy led to a tacit approval, and the inappropriate behavior was never addressed.
The use of survey tools can be a significant part of any detection plan. If an instrument is properly developed, a survey can provide significant data that would help develop a plan of action. The location of bullying events, the time of the events, and persons involved can all be identified anonymously.
The final piece of an effective program has to be the resolution phase. A victim and offender have been identified. What happens next? First, the plan of action has to be well thought out. There is significant literature to provide school counselors with the guidance to develop certain skill sets (Beran and Shapiro 2005).
These skills are then passed along to both the victims and offenders. A consistent delivery method is critical, and should be an established protocol. Documentation is key, so the effectiveness of the program is cataloged.
Finally, a critical analysis should be undertaken, and action taken based on this analysis. Corrective action should be swift, and consistent. Just as there are certain individual in society who need to be removed through incarceration, there are certain children whose behavior dictates their removal from our schools.
All of these proposed activities have to be conducted by the schools. They have access to the players, and they have to be given the resources. The best chance for
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success lies in the school, and they should be given the guidance to assure that this problem area is addressed.
There is a law enforcement response in certain cases of school bullying. When 15 year old Phoebe Prince committed suicide as result of cyber bullying, an investigation was undertaken. When two young men attacked Columbine High School, law enforcement officials eventually assaulted the building. An investigation followed. The actions of law enforcement are always a last result, and usually are conducted when any chance of corrective action are past. Obviously, neither of these cases came to a successful conclusion.
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References
Beran, Tanya and Shapiro, Bonnie (2005). Evaluation of an Anti-Bullying Program. Canadian Journal of Education 28 (4) 700-717.
Farrington,D.(1993). Understanding and Preventing Bullying. Crime and Justice. 17 . 381-458.
Ford, A.. (2009). School Liability: Holding Middle Schools Liable for Cyber-Bullying Despite Their Implementation of Internet Usage Contracts. Journal of Law and Education, 38(3), 535-543. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from Criminal Justice Periodicals. (Document ID: 1825786751).
Kennedy, Helen. Mom of teen charged with bullying blames victim. NY Daily News March 30,201.
Kerbs, J., Choi, K., Rollin, S., Gutierrez, R. (2005, Fall) Scales for perceived risk of student-on-student victimization in grades 7 through 10: A psychometric analysis of the adolescent index on school safety. American Journal of Criminal Justice 30(1) 121-145.
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