Bulliyng in Schools

School Bullying

Modified : December 22,2015

School Bullying is Nothing New 

Bullying has probably been around since the 18th century. It is a negative human condition that has evolved along with the mind and psyche. Bullying started with kids picking on each others or parents believing that they are teaching their kids “discipline” by beating them. Adults used to believe that kids fought only to be “best friends in the end”. Bullying also resulted from conforming to prejudiced social norms like gender stereotyping of men and women. The idea of “boys will be boys” and “girls are catty” have given way to accepting unacceptable negative social behavior. However, with awareness and strategies, bullying in school can be controlled.

 

What is Bullying?

 What distinguishes bullying from regular childhood teasing and taunting? The severity and duration of bullying can be used as its identifying markers. Kids are cruel by nature. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are mean but more in the sense of their brutal honesty. Young children don’t have the social and empathy skills that adults have. These are acquired traits. Children don’t inherit them but are influenced into becoming empathetic, kind individuals through positive role-modeling.

It is important that adults stop thinking of bullying as a normal part of childhood. They should not have believe that kids need to “toughen up”, especially when we are dealing with boys. Instead, adults should teach kids assertiveness, how to express their emotions in a healthy way and how to stand up for themselves. Bullies tend to target those with low self esteem. Fearfulness and helplessness greatly reinforce bullying.

 

What causes School Bullying?

The personality of a bully develops in childhood and is caused by hereditary factors, peer relations and in response to social situations in school and community. Lack of warmth at home, too much or too little discipline and physical punishment may contribute to bullying. An imbalance of power can occur if children are raised in non-accepting homes. Their peers would appear either superior or inferior to them in terms of how they look, their customs or socioeconomic statuses.

The child who bullies does so to gain attention and secure friends. It gives him/her a false sense of power. Negative company sometimes compels strong kids to exert power over the weak. The victim’s fear and submission reinforce the bullies’ sense of domination.

Bullies believe that bullying behavior will grant them acceptance. When they grow up, bullies are at a greater risk for embarking on criminal activity. Because bullying can escalate into violence, more often than not there will be crimes committed. A 2013 research by a group of scientists in the department of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina found out that 14 percent of kids who suffered repeated bullying will have a criminal record by the age of 18.

Some kids may bully because of their poor social skills. This could be traced to emotional or personality disorders. They may have latent sociopathic tendencies which would make them a danger to their families and societies.

 

What is Bullying in School? 

Bullying in school occurs when one student or a group of students intentionally hurt another student. This abuse may be physical, psychological, or emotional. The last type is one of the most common forms of bullying in schools, and one of the least recognized by parents. Reasons for bullying vary almost as much as its types.

§  The bully (or bullies) may have self-esteem issues and would only feel better about themselves by picking on someone who is weaker and less powerful.

§  Students may develop a herd mentality and pick on a child who does not conform to what they view asnormal.

§  Students bully other students so as to be seen as “cool” and avoid being bullied themselves.

§  In some cases, bullies are being abused at home and they take out their anger on one or more students they deem most likely to “take it” and not stand up for themselves. They might also bully students with healthy homes out of their envy for their normal and happy lives.

 

Different Kinds Of School Bullying

School Bullying is classified as follows:

§  Verbal: excessive and malicious teasing, insulting remarks, name calling, embarrassing jokes and revealing intimate information, cursing, crude and inappropriate sexual comments, threats and taunting.

§  Physical: hitting, tripping, kicking, pushing and shoving.

§  Social: ignoring a certain person, casting them out of a group, making them feel left out, spreading rumors about them and telling other kids not to be friends with them.

§  Cyber bullying: threats and inappropriate sexual comments via social media, texting, emailing and chat rooms.

§  Bullying can occur between peers at school, in the community, or in social groups. There are even cases ofteachers bullying students.

Source: https://nobullying.com/school-bullying/

      READING 2.0

Many educators are worried about how technology is affecting the amount of reading that students are doing. They notice that:

·         Students are struggling to read and comprehend longer texts.

·         Students are struggling to read deeply.

·         Many students report that they don’t read outside of school at all.

There are a few contributing factors to this, technology being one and high-stakes testing being another. We could also argue that kids aren't reading less, they're reading differently.

Non-Readers, Occasional Readers and Digital Readers

Just recently, over 100 children's authors, including the likes of Judy Blume, signed a letter to President Obama arguing that "Our public school students spend far too much time preparing for reading tests and too little time curling up with books that fire their imaginations." I can attest to the fact that many of my former students rarely read novels and equated "passages" with reading. For weeks on end, teachers were only allowed to present their students with texts that resembled those on the PSSA test. This can't help but have a lasting effect on students' desire to read for pleasure or read something longer than a test passage.

A 2013 Nielsen Book survey of 2,000 British families found that "among 11- to 17-year-olds, non-readers grew from 13 percent to 27 percent between 2012 and 2013." While the study did not define "non-readers," it defined "occasional readers" as those "who read 1-3 times a month." While these numbers are alarming, Nielsen found that 33 percent of children said they were reading digitally and 28 percent said that they would like to. In response to these numbers, Jo Henry from Nielsen Book stated, "There is something around we're not making it attractive enough to do it: there's not much aspirational stuff there. We all hoped the attraction of digital reading would bring lighter readers into the market. But they're still less likely than the heavier-reading teenagers to be reading e-books and apps." Still, according to the survey, 60 percent of children report that they are reading for pleasure on a weekly basis.

So what does it all mean?

For one, many children report that they would like to read digitally, but the current digital market is not attracting new readers or making children read more. That said, a large percentage of children are still saying that they read for pleasure. Perhaps we need to take a closer look at the technologies we currently employ for young readers. There are children who love to read and want to read digitally.

Lastly, research has shown that people read differently when they are reading on the web. A reader's eyes move differently around a webpage than the page of a book. Does this change how we read, and does it affect how young people read books or e-books? Do young people now have to code-switch each time they switch from reading a screen to reading a book? This could be an added hurdle.

Recognizing the Options

So how do we engage kids as readers?

A few ideas come to mind. Many young people have taken on writing fan fiction based on their favorite books. The website Harry Potter Fan Fiction has over 80,000 stories written by Harry Potter fans. These young people are not just reading stories, but writing them, too.

Along that same thread, self-publishing through e-books or a blog can engage readers. A well-maintained and cared-for blog can easily become a book. Also, if a blogger wants more people to read his or her blog, he or she must actively read other blogs. Personal blogs tend to get their inspiration from personal interests. This can be a great way to introduce books into a young blogger's repertoire.

Many young people use social media to connect with their friends and stay on top of what's going on in the world. Teaching them how to follow articles and news events on social media can lead to deeper conversations about global and local issues. If a student has a personal interest in a particular topic or issue, there is most likely a book they could read about the topic.

Of course, the simplest way to get kids reading more is by giving them exposure to a variety of topics and genres, and by giving them time to explore their passions. Inquiry leads to research, and research leads to reading. If we're forcing students to read boring test passages over and over, and teaching them that the only purpose behind reading is to perform on a test, then we have only ourselves to blame if students aren't reading for pleasure. We also need to begin to accept new forms of reading as what they are . . . reading. Young people have more reading options today than ever before, and these forms of reading require them to read differently. The biggest, most important question is, "Are kids reading for pleasure?" If the answer is yes, then we are on the right path.

Extracted from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/reading-2.0-mary-beth-hertz

Define codes for coexistence throughout all the spaces in the school, codes agreed on according to educational criteria[1]

These are normally called rules. Often these are seen in a negative light, as we associate them with the habitual authoritarian discipline normal in traditional schools, or because, even now, it can be difficult to elaborate them with democratic criteria or they tend to form negative formulas (many come about in a reactive way while trying to respond to situations of tension). We understand rules as those agreed markers that facilitate the organization of coexistence. To facilitate democratic coexistence, they should be few, clear, agreed upon, compared, feasible, subject to change and designed in a calm and measured way, according to educational criteria. Shared rules, like any common code, give us a margin of reference and safety that facilitates people’s involvement and participation. They are a pact that has to be maintained, so there can be no impunity if someone breaks them, but nor can punishment be the response, as this is not based on educational criteria but instead used to humiliate the person, mixing them up with the problem. Mechanisms need to be sought to promote healing of the damage done, through searching for solutions to the problem while respecting the people affected. To heal, it is first necessary to recognize the damage done and take responsibility for it. The more that people who broke the rules and caused the damage are involved in this process, the easier it is for sanctioning measures to move away from punishment and towards healing, as they will be more aware of everyone’s needs and the reasons behind their actions. They will also be more motivated to search for an alternative solution to punishment. Thus, promoting negotiation and mediation processes between the affected parties are priorities during conflict transformation. To establish shared rules we have to:

• Rethink internal regulations as a consensual, practical and familiar tool for the entire school community

• Understand classroom rules as something in the service of the whole group, so they need to be effective – if they are not, they should be modified

• Stipulate participatory mechanisms that allow for the continuous monitoring of problems that may arise, relating to coexistence: classroom assemblies and student councils, coexistence committees, suggestion boxes, etc

• Establish non-violent mechanisms to solve cases of violation of the rules for coexistence through restorative practices.

---

[1] http://escolapau.uab.cat/img/programas/educacion/informe.pdf  (p.47)

Inclusion: The Right Thing for All Students

Inclusion: The Right Thing for All Students

Nov 11, 2011 · by Cheryl M. Jorgensen

Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D., is a member of the affiliate faculty with the National Center on Inclusive Education at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. In 2008 she received the National Down Syndrome Congress Education Award for her leadership and pioneering research supporting the inclusion of students with Down syndrome. She has written this open letter to Shael Polakow-Suransky, the chief academic officer for New York City schools.

It’s time to restructure all of our schools to become inclusive of all of our children.

We have reached the tipping point where it is no longer educationally or morally defensible to continue to segregate students with disabilities. We shouldn’t be striving to educate children in the least restrictive environment but rather in the most inclusive one.

Inclusion is founded on social justice principles in which all students are presumed competent and welcomed as valued members of all general education classes and extra-curricular activities in their local schools — participating and learning alongside their same-age peers in general education instruction based on the general curriculum, and experiencing meaningful social relationships.

We know inclusion works. In the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 2004 Congress found: “Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society. Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities."

The largest study of educational outcomes of 11,000 students with disabilities, the National Longitudinal Transition Study, showed that when students with disabilities spent more time in a general education classroom they were more likely to score higher on standardized tests of reading and math; have fewer absences from school; experience fewer referrals for disruptive behavior; and achieve more positive post-school outcomes such as a paying job, not living in segregated housing, and with having a broad and supportive social network. These results were true regardless of students’ disability, severity of disability, gender or socioeconomic status.

Furthermore, as the recent WNYC story states, the achievement of students without disabilities is not compromised by the presence of students with disabilities in their classrooms. Some studies even show that implementing inclusion on a school wide basis improves achievement for all students.

And just as important as academic outcomes are the attitudes and values that all students learn when they are educated together.

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network says, “How children are treated in schools often mirrors how they will be treated in later life. As with other minorities, segregated school placements lead to a segregated society, whereas inclusion in the earliest years promotes increased opportunity and greater understanding of differences for all involved. A society that separates its children [during their school years] is likely to maintain those separations indefinitely, reinforcing attitudinal barriers to disability in all aspects of life.”

Not only do we know inclusion works, we know how to make it work.There are resources for teachers and administrators from large, urban schools on how to implement inclusive education. You can find hundreds of books, research articles, guidelines for inclusive practice, testimonials from students with and without disabilities, teaching strategies, and strategies for designing instruction and assessment for all learners to help guide you and your teachers.

The city's Department of Education has been screening videos like "Including Samuel" for staff members as part of its special education reform.

Every single barrier you can think of has been addressed by others, and that knowledge is there for the taking.

Imagine what you could do for the children in the 1,700 New York City schools if the resources you are currently spending on out-of-district placements and separate special education schools and classrooms were allocated to create well-supported inclusive classrooms. It’s the right thing to do and it works for all students.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/301643-inclusion-the-right-thing-for-all-students/


Tamara González 4°A