One of the most severe issues in the U.S educational system is bullying. There is no check and control on how a student is treated throughout the day. It is unfair to assume that teachers are responsible for individually taking care of every kid, but it is necessary to go the extra mile to ensure safety collectively.
The bullying graph increases from grade school up to late high school, and most students experience bullying by the same gender rather than the different. Boys experience bullying 54% more by boys than girls, and girls experience bullying 31% more by other girls than boys. However, stats in terms of physical abuse are more likely to be found with guys.
Bullying can vary with different factors. For instance, non-white students experience a more hostile environment in their schools than their white fellows. They face social exclusion; sometimes, kids are stereotyped based on their ethnicities to a level that they resort to drugs, self-harm, and violent outrages.
There are various ways in which students experience bullying. Firstly, in schools where there is a check on physical bullying and hazing, students retort to calling each other mean names and creating false rumors about each other in an attempt to dismantle each other’s social life. This is a way to isolate the targeted student without attracting any actual responsibility towards self. 63 % of students reported that they had suffered verbal bullying more frequently compared to physical bullying. 27% percent of students experienced bullying throughout their complete academic duration. 2% percent of students experienced sexual and physical bullying, and such factors have affected their growth and education.
Girls and boys have experienced bullying more in areas that teachers aren’t navigating. Most girls have had an unpleasant experience with a bully in lunchrooms, but boys are more likely to encounter a bully on the playground or the field. These are areas in that teachers cannot actively prevent bullies.
To stop bullying in its tracks, there needs to be special training for students and teachers. Teachers need to be well trained in recognizing a hazing or bullying situation and approach it wisely. In contrast, students need to be psychologically strong in various ways to escape the situation.
The most challenging thing for a teacher and student is to overcome the incident with grace. Students need to be taught lessons so that they realize the consequences of their actions and not only refrain from bullying others but also deter fellow students from doing so. Teachers can only help by making students aware of the dangers of bullying.
Bullying is why isolated and psychologically impacted students take to violent means as a form of revenge. That is why school shootings have become far more common in recent years. There needs to be empathy on both ends, and through conscious counseling, students can learn how to co-exist in a peaceful and supportive environment.
Reference
Authors by Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Bullying In The U.S Schools, Clemson University, https://olweus.sites.clemson.edu/documents/Status%20Report_2019.pdf