Only recently have we begun to understand the importance of
school yard bullying. Those identified
as bullies by age eight are six times more likely than non-bullies to end up
with serious criminal records by the time they reach the age of thirty. Bullying must be taken seriously and viewed
as assault with serious consequences if we are going to create a healthy
self-esteem in our children. Not only is
bullying a precursor to greater and more dangerous violence, it also fosters
intense misery among students.
Bullying represents a chronic pattern of abuse over time and
is portrayed by students who have a false sense of superiority over
others. It is often gender based but can
also be about height, weight, sexual development such as breasts in young girls
and the family’s standing in the community.
Victims of bullying have been known to commit suicide or develop drug
and alcohol dependency as a coping mechanism.
Poor parental discipline and monitoring at home creates an environment
of hostility, causing child conduct problems.
These problems reach social circles at school and cause rejection by
normal peers, resulting in academic failure and repeated out casting.
Finally, victims of school yard bullying become delinquent
due to peer rejection. They find companionship in negative peer groups as a
result, where they often experience further victimization that can have
devastating effects on him or her. To
fully understand bullying, it is important to decipher the rituals involved,
that is, the process of casting out those who are different by dehumanizing
them, including the use of offensive names as well as provocative and extreme
violence.
Bullying must stop and we must stop it NOW.
By Alexandra Datig
By Alexandra Datig
