If we don’t correct the bullies in schools, they will become a menace to society. Stop it before it is too late.
Bullies themselves are more likely to
Some people think that bullying is just teasing and it is a passing phase. It is not. Bullying includes:
Bullying can lead to deadly consequence. This year, 13 million students will be bullied in USA.
Rachel Ehmke, a seventh-grade student, took her own life after being repeatedly bullied by classmates. On May 4 2012, some 1,500 people in Kasson, Minn. attended her funeral.
In September 2010, Rutgers University freshmen Tyler Clementi took his own life, after his roommate, Dharun Ravi, set up a webcam to spy on Clementi’s sexual exploits.
One death from bullying is one too many. it can be avoid if we take action.
If you want to stop bullying, stop being a bystander. If you don’t say something, you are almost as bad as the bully.
How do you know if your child is bullied? He may not tell you but you observe these signs:
1. Faking illness
If your child is avoiding class while there is no apparent sickness, he may be trying to avoid a bully in class. Do talk with the teacher to see if your child has a problem or conflict with his classmates.
2. Unexplained injuries or bruise on the body
3. Destroyed or lost personal items such as watches, phones, or jewelry.
4. Stress. Your child complains of frequent headaches or stomach aches. These are signs of stress.
Bullying is common in many countries and Singapore is no exception. Tinkle Friend, a helpline for primary school kids run by the Singapore Children’s society, received calls from 140 children last year complaining that they have been bullied.
A survey by the Coalition Against Bullying fro Children and Youth (CABCY) showed that one in 18 had experienced cyberbullying.
Why Bullying Exist
1. Anti-bullying policies are not enforced.
2. Children are not supervised
3. There are no consequence for bad behaviour
4. There are no deterrent
5. Authorities cover up to protect their reputation
6. Bystanders dare not make a stand or does not intervene.
7. Adults ignore bullying as they are desensitised to such behaviour.
8. Bullying is disguised as teasing
9. School fear to incur the fury of the bully and the bully’s parents
10. People accept it as their culture
Bullying is a reoccurring problem in today’s schools where the safety of children is unfortunately tested. It is a very serious issue that may lead some individuals toward low self-esteem and depression, as well as eventual suicide. Both of my parents taught me to have respect and show kindness toward everyone. I have always been told to treat others the way I would like to be treated. Therefore, I have never bullied another person in school, because I feel one should not put down another because they are different. In elementary and middle school, I witnessed my classmates bullying others. When I was younger, I would immediately go tell a teacher or another authority figure what was occurring so it could be stopped. However, today in most high schools, “tattle-telling” isn’t always the best solution. Most teenagers today are faced with obstacles of gaining acceptance from their peers, who are sometimes very unforgiving. To help individuals who are being subjected to spiteful and cruel treatment, schools should adopt a zero tolerance policy against bullying, and have an environment where all students feel welcomed, not fearful to come to.
- Darice Chavira, Smithson Valley High School
Credit: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Teen-Team-Teens-talk-about-bullying-911406.php#page-5
Last year, a boy on my bus was a little larger than average, and some of the older boys began to chuck bits of paper and broken erasers at the back of his head, insulting him and making crude jokes about his mother. By the color of his ears and neck and the look in his eyes, you could see he was humiliated, angry and frightened. What did these people have against him? Why wasn’t the bus driver intervening?
I remained silent, willing someone else to speak up in his defense. I certainly didn’t want to; the ringleaders of the taunting were cruel and insensitive, and I didn’t want to become a target of their pernicious remarks by speaking up to defend a boy I didn’t even know. A mix of emotions surged up inside me: shame toward myself for doing nothing, anger toward the bullies and sadness at the capacity of spite and malice I perceived in the bullies.
I wish I could go back and change the passiveness of the bus driver, the silence of other riders and my own taciturnity. Everyone has a right to happiness, and when others attempt to deprive them of that right, someone should step in and raise their voice.
- Alison Tsai, freshman, Johnson High School
Credit: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Teen-Team-Teens-talk-about-bullying-911406.php
A string of students abused against teachers have been making headlines in South Korea.
A video clip on YouTube shows middle school students making fun of their female teacher by passing sexually harassing remarks on her in class. Four male and female students jeer at the teacher, asking questions such as “When was your first kiss and first period?” and “You lost your virginity when you were a high school student, right?|
As the teacher approaches the students to scold them, they continue to tease here while laughing, and one student comments: “You are more beautiful now that see you closely.”
The teachers are calling for a stop to moves to abolish corporal punishment in schools. They are asking for protection laws for teachers’ rights.
News on Bullies