By Dr. David Childs, Ph.D.
Northern Kentucky University
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines bullying as “abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger or more powerful.” Furthermore, it can be “prone to or characterized by overbearing mistreatment and domination of others.” The Encyclopedia Britannica defines bullying as “intentional harm-doing or harassment that is directed toward vulnerable targets and typically repeated. Bullying encompasses a wide range of malicious aggressive behaviours, including physical violence, verbal mockery, threats, ostracism, and rumours spread either orally or by other means of communication, such as the Internet.”
Dan Olweus (A Norwegian researcher and psychologist) argues that “A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.” However some scholars challenge Olweus’ definition because a single act of violence or verbal abuse can cause considerable damage to a person, especially a child going through various stages of development. So therefore, some scholars argue that the incident does not necessarily have to be a repeated behavior in order for it to be bullying. They also go on to argue that “additionally, not all people engaged in this interaction can be categorized as pure bullies or pure victims; research has distinguished a third category of “bully-victims,” that is, young people who are both the bully and the victim. As a result, the website stopbullying.com defines school bullying as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time… In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include an imbalance of power. Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.”
The first known use of the term bully was in 1742 according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Therefore, the idea of bullying has been around for some time. It seems to primarily be associated with schools. In the 1970’s Olweus did significant research in Europe on bullying. Furthermore, the suicide of several victims in 1983 brought even more attention to the subject. In the 1990’s, due to increased school shootings and more suicides related to bullying, much media attention was given to the subject matter.
There has long been a culture in the US to blame individuals that are being bullied as being a part of the problem. That is, it is thought that the victims’ actions or existence somehow warrant or justify their being bullied. For example, in many late twentieth century films an awkward student that excels in academics but is not good in sports is often targeted, becoming a victim of school bullies. The idea is that if the victim would somehow adopt more socially acceptable behaviors and become more “cool” they would no longer be the recipient of the violence or teasing. Many schools today tend to be a breeding ground for bullying. This culture has taken on a sinister turn, as many of the school shootings have been directly connected to bullying. That is, some of the school shooters have retaliated against their oppressors by resorting to violent resolutions. On the other hand, some of the shooters have been actual bullies themselves. Perhaps they fit the category we have mentioned earlier “bully-victims.” The Encyclopedia Britannica also points out that “A U.S. national study published at the turn of the 21st century documented that bullying and other forms of aggression affected approximately 30 percent, or 5.7 million, middle- to high-school students in the then-current school term.”
In contemporary times bullying has become a hot button issue in the US because of the increase of school shootings and suicides that seem to be directly connected to the phenomenon. Fortunately, many schools and classrooms have adopted anti-bully curriculum, that is often implemented throughout the entire campus. The resources below were identified for educators, to assist them in creating sophisticated and meaningful curricula surrounding bullying.
Curriculum/Lesson Plans
There Are No Bullies Just Children Who Bully—And You Can Help Them
National Bully Prevention Center
30-60 Minute Lesson Plan: Middle and High School, Introduction to Dynamics of Bullying
Week Long Curriculum: Middle and High School, Starting the Discussion Toolkit
Evidence-Based Bullying Programs, Curricula and Practices
Bullying Prevention Program
Violence Prevention Works: Safer Schools, Safer Communities
Open Circle: Getting to the Heart of Learning
PeaceBuilders® Creating Safe, Positive Learning Environments
Safe Schools Ambassador Program
Teaching Students to Prevent Bullying- NEA
Embedding Bully Prevention in Core Curriculum
Bullying Prevention Unit: The Power to Create a Positive School Environment
Safe School
Bully Prevention in Positive Behavior
Middle School Bully- Lesson Plans
Documentaries
“Bully” Award Winning Documentary
Too Scared For School (Bullying Documentary) – Real Stories (British Documentary)
Minnesota Nice? – A Documentary On Bullying And Suicide In Minnesota Schools
The Bully Effect | Stop Bullying: Speak Up | Cartoon Network
References
Bullying defined
Bullying- Encyclopedia Britannica
Bullying- Wikipedia
What is Bullying- Stop Bullying.gov
Dealing with Bullying
Bullying- Psychology Today
Stomp Out Bullying: Change the Culture
Bullying Facts, Statistics, Prevention and Effects
Discussion Questions
1. What are resources from above that might be most helpful to you?
2. Were you ever a victim of bullying in your own schooling experience? How was it handled, if at all?
3. What did you learn from your experience with bullying?
4. As a teacher have you witnessed bullying in your school? How has your school handled it?
5. What are strategies you have implemented to curtail bullying?
6. Do you think bullying is handled properly in US schools? Is it taken seriously enough? Why or why not?
I really like this article about bullying. I think bullying is something that needs to be a heavier subject from early grades on. It should not be something that is taken lightly by any means or argued about by definitions. Bullying is bullying and there should not be any excuses for it. Bullying happens in every school whether teachers, principals, staff, parents, or even children realize it. It needs to be taught and brought to the attention of students more than it is in schools today.
Bullying has become a serious issue over the years and seems to be only getting worse. With social media becoming more popular it is becoming easier for bullies to follow their victims everywhere. Our phones are always with us and those hurtful post/messages etc are right at our fingertips. I have not been bullied but I have seen others be bullied. It is hurtful to walk the halls of today’s schools and hear how the students talk to each other.
Bullying has been an issue that continues to arise more and more today, especially in schools and on online social media sites. I have seen it first-hand multiple times. I do believe though that we are more aware of bullying today than ever before. Curriculum was provided throughout my educational career to inform us on what bullying is and what to do if you ever see someone being bullied. When it comes to determining whether or not something is classified as bullying, I personally am someone who would challenge Olewus definition. I believe that a single act of violence or verbal abuse can cause considerable damage to a person, especially a child going through various stages of development.
When I was growing up, bullying was almost described to me as some sort of rite that everyone went through. It was present in the television shows I watched as a youth, and it was present thoughout my schools. Social media has enhanced bullying in ways that many adults do not yet understand. People aren’t comically being shoved into lockers anymore. They are being dehumanized sometimes anonymously, and almost nowhere is considered safe. Unfortunately, students will not feel safe within school, and teachers need to make their classroom an environment that is both tolerant and welcoming.
Bullying has always, and always will be an issue in schools. Its seen everywhere. It happens to many children everyday, and often goes unnoticed by teachers unless students who are bullied feel comfortable telling them. Bullying is even worse now with social media available. Students can now bully online. So if a student is bullied at school, it doesn’t just have to stop there anymore. Some children are bullied around the clock and don’t have a safe place away from it.
I like the resource of a lesson plan on bullying being taught in the classroom. As I have learned, middle school students face bullying on a wider range. I believe have candid discussions about bullying may aid in ceasing bullying throughout our school systems. When I become an educator, I will be open with my students and inform them that I have been a victim of bullying before. I believe having transparence with students will allow them to feel more comfortable sharing their own experiences. When I become a middle school teacher, I will have 0 tolerance for bullying in my classroom or throughout my school. Students are committing suicide at alarming rates due to bullying. I believe that schools are making an effort to stop bullying but we’re living in the age of technology which makes it harder to contain bullying.
I think it’s interesting to read about the numerous definitions of bullying from various sources. I feel like bullying can often be misinterpreted and is hard to put a definition on. I agree with the definition stopbullying.com provides, however I don’t think a behavior should have to be repeated. Like Olweus discussed, a single instance can cause trauma to a person and therefore should fall under the category of mistreatment or domination. Looking at the first date the term bullying was used, 1742, kind of took me back for a second. Although I’m aware of how common and predominant this issue has become, I never really thought of how long it’s truly been around. For decades people, especially children in schools, have dealt with bullying. It makes me sad to think about the percentage of students who have experienced bullying and as a future teacher I know the power I have to change this statistic. By creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, I can instill friendship and empathy in my students, which may help the stigma that schools are a “breeding ground for bullying”. If all teachers thought this way and truly tried to implement or focus on the anti-bully curriculum, there could potentially be less suicides or school shootings. As a future teacher, I want to use the information from this article and other sources to shape my classroom into a place that discusses anti-bullying and truly pushes to end the school stigma.
This article brings some fascinating information that I had no prior knowledge of. I had no idea that the term bullying has been around since the 1700’s, I’ve often had this mindset that this was something that started in the 70’s and 80’s. One thing that I have noticed as a young adult who recently graduated from high school is that physical bullying has possibly taken a backseat to cyber bullying. With amazing technology advancements, there becomes flaws within those advancements, and unfortunately cyber bullying is one of them. It’s important to remind ourselves as future educators that bullying takes various forms, and we must be alert for the safety of our students and ourselves.
As someone who was bullied in middle school I really enjoyed reading this article and hearing the different definitions. At my middle school bullying was not taken seriously, especially in my case. My guidance counselors assumed people were exaggerating events most of the time and never truly looked into bully claims/situations. The next year at my middle school they finally began to take bullying seriously but unfortunately this was only after one student in my grade took their own life.
I personally think that schools are making good progress but not enough progress. Students can be so heavily impacted by bullying especially when it is repeated for long periods of time. Mental health is something that needs to be taken much more seriously and starting at a young age is important. Learning good mental health care habits from a young age can set routines for a lifetime that help individuals to grow and be healthy mentally.
Bullying has always been something that has been a very talked about topic around kids and teenagers. This topic has gotten worse throughout the years. It is a big problem in schools that leads to very sad outcomes. I do think that many schools are working to fix the problem, but then there are many people who don’t see it as a problem. I agree with your statement about in our culture people blame the individuals that are being bullied as the problem. I have heard and seen many people believing this. People need to continue to work towards fixing this problem to help these kids. The outcomes of these situations are devastating and need to be fixed.