Bullying As A Major Issue Affecting Education - 1746 Words

Bullying as a Major Issue Affecting Education Anna Butera University of Nebraska at Omaha Elizabeth Wessling 2015 Summer- TED-8000-502: Classroom Management for Secondary Teachers July 23, 2015 Introduction More than 160,000 students in the United States missed school today (Center for Schools and Communities, 2015). They stayed home because they were afraid of being bullied. Most bullying occurs in schools, on school grounds, and on the bus, but as technology becomes more and more mainstream, cyber-bullying is now a norm. It does not matter what age, race, ethnicity, social class, or type of person a student is, many of them will experience bullying in some sort of way. In order to address bullying as a major issue affecting†¦show more content†¦Though some may think these individuals (or groups) are just joking or having fun, their actions need not be overlooked. Most people think that bullies work off of feelings of anger. Coloroso (2010) disagrees when stating that, it s about contempt (p. 20). Justification of contempt involves stereotypes and biases formed within family, school, and societal niches within the bully s life (Coloroso, 2010). Race , gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical and/or mental qualities are things bullies exploit and use as reason for why they are acting and thinking in such ways. Students bully in order to gain power over others, get attention or physical possessions, join in-groups, and/or model other behavior seen in school (StopBullying, 2015). According to research, children who bully are more likely to end up with criminal records as adults (Lazarus Pfohl, 2010). A combination of influences and experiences shape the bully s thoughts and actions. The family life of the perpetrator holds a lot of weight when considering a bully s actions. In addition, school and community situations such as poor teacher-student relationships, lack of engagement in school activities, negative or unsafe neighborhoods, and modeled violence all potentially have negative impacts on a student s demeanor (Swearer Hymel, 2015). Regardless of how a bully is