Joel being subject to "prolonged bullying" indicates crucial failures of attention and concern of parents, of the district, and particularly of the school.
High school bullying
According to Tara Kuther, associate professor of psychology at Western Connecticut State University, "...bullying gets so much more sophisticated and subtle in high school. It's more relational. It becomes more difficult for teens to know when to intervene, whereas with younger kids bullying is more physical and therefore more clear cut".
Statistics
Bullying is a common occurrence in most schools. According to the American Psychological Association, approximately "40% to 80% of school-age children experience bullying at some point during their school careers". Regardless of the grade level, socioeconomic environment, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, bullying can happen to anyone. However, various studies point out that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more bullied than students from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Most children experience bullying at some point in their academic careers. The following is a list of statistics that illustrate the severity of bullying within classrooms:
* 20-40% of bullying victims actually report being bullied
* 70% of middle school and high school students experience bullying in school
* 7-12% of bullies are habitual and pose a serious threat
* 23% of 9th graders have carried a weapon to school recently[18]
* 5-15% of students are constantly bullied
* 27% of students are bullied because of their refusal to engage in common sexual practices
* 25% of students encourage bullying if not given proper education and support in anti-bullying techniques[15]
Due to the low numbers of students who actually report incidents of bullying, teachers need to have a certain level of awareness that will thwart any potential problems. This awareness starts with understanding bullying.
Short-term and long-term effects
See also: Post traumatic stress disorder and Psychological trauma
Dombeck says that as a forty-year-old man, he still feels the effects of the bullying he received as a ten-year-old. Every day, he would dread riding the bus home from school because he was bullied by the older children on the bus. Dombeck defines some common short-term and long-term effects of bullying. These include, but are not limited to:
Short-term:
* depression
* suicide (bullycide)
* anxiety
* anger
* significant drop in school performance
Long-term:
* abiding feelings of insecurity
* lack of trust
* extreme sensitivity (hypervigilance)
* need for revenge
School bullying is a major cause of school shootings. 71% of the attackers were motivated by being bullied and picked on. School shooters that died or committed suicide left behind evidence that they were bullied, including Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, Nathan Ferris, Edmar Aparecido Freitas, Seung-Hui Cho, Wellington Menezes Oliveira, and Jeff Weise.
Complex dynamics of a school bullying culture
Parsons identifies school bullying cultures as typically having a web of dynamics which are much more complex than just considering bullying amongst students. These dynamics include:
* some students bully other students; some of these student bullies are themselves bullied by other student bullies; some of these student bullies bully teachers
* some teachers bully students; some teacher bullies bully other teachers; some teacher bullies bully parents
* some office staff bully teachers, students and parents
* some principals bully teachers, office staff, students and parents
* some parents bully teachers, office staff, principals, and their own children.
Strategies to reduce school bullying
Researchers (Olweus, 1993);[22] Craig & Peplar, 1999;[23] Ross, 1998;[24] Morrison, 2002;[25] Whitted & Dupper, 2005;[26] Aynsley-Green, 2006;[27] Fried-Sosland[28] provide several strategies which address ways to help reduce bullying, these include:
* Make sure an adult knows what is happening to their children.
* Enforce anti bully laws.
* Make it clear that bullying is never acceptable.
* Recognize that bullying can occur at all levels within the hierarchy of the school (i.e., including adults).
* Hold a school conference day or forum devoted to bully/victim problems.
* Increase adult supervision in the yard, halls and washrooms more vigilantly.
* Emphasize caring, respect and safety.
* Emphasize consequences of hurting others.
* Enforce consistent and immediate consequences for aggressive behaviors.
* Improve communication among school administrators, teachers, parents and students.
* Have a school problem box where kids can report problems, concerns and offer suggestions.
* Teach cooperative learning activities.
* Help bullies with anger control and the development of empathy.
* Encourage positive peer relations.
* Offer a variety of extracurricular activities which appeal to a range of interests
* Teach your child to defend him/herself verbally. Fighting back physically may land the bullied in school trouble or even legal trouble.
* Keep in mind the range of possible causes: e.g., medical, psychiatric, psychological, developmental, family problems, etc.
* If problems continue in your school, press harassment charges against the family of the person who is bullying you.
* Adjust teacher preparation programs to include appropriate bullying interventions to use in their classroom.
"Many states, including New York, have passed laws requiring schools to develop anti-bullying curriculums and to take action against students who harass others"
was very disappointing as every state and every school should, by now, have strictly enforced anti-bullying programs in place, including professional development programs for teachers.
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