Understanding and Addressing Bullying in Schools
Bullying at School: What You Need to Know
Bullying isn’t just physical abuse. Negative actions that constitute bullying also include psychological attacks such as verbal abuse, making faces, showing rude gestures, spreading rumors, and excluding the victim from a group.
Personality Traits of Bullies
Studies suggest bullies often exhibit distinct personality features and reaction patterns, amplified by an aggressive social environment.
Addressing Bullying Effectively
Bullying cannot be resolved solely through disciplinary measures. An effective intervention program should emphasize changing attitudes, knowledge, behavior, and habits within the school environment.
Common Misconceptions About Bullying
- False: Bullying among children is a recent phenomenon. (It has existed for a long time.)
- True: Former school bullies are more likely to engage in serious crime later in life.
Vocabulary
Broad, friendly, suitable, quite
Grammar and Usage
- The truth has just been told to me.
- If I had been bullied at school, I would have told my teachers.
- How much money do most employees earn a week?
- Being laughed at
Discussion: School Violence as a Serious Problem
School violence is a serious problem. Violence is commonplace today, and schools are not immune. While violence has always existed, increased awareness through media (videogames, television, and the Internet) highlights its prevalence. Schools, along with families, are where children learn to socialize and adopt roles, making them susceptible to violence.
Violence can be a necessary part of life, prompting reaction, alertness, and alternative coping mechanisms. However, excessive violence leads to unwanted consequences. The teacher-student relationship has evolved, with parents often siding with their children and educational authorities prioritizing statistics over a healthy classroom atmosphere. Background and environment also play a crucial role.
Schools must not adopt a laissez-faire policy regarding violence. They must teach children to control violent impulses. While reverting to an authoritarian model is not the solution, not every behavior should be tolerated. Schools should be respected and valued by society, preventing violence from thriving. School authorities, parents, teachers, and society must work together to keep violent conducts at bay.