What to take from this blog

Bullying is a topic that seems to gain steam at times in the media and then seems to quiet down. People need to know that just when bullying is off the media circuit, it has not stopped. I would like to see parents get involved with their children and have those relationships that are so important that the children are so trusted to their parents that they will come and tell them anything. Also, parents need to model the proper way to treat other people. Additionally, I would like to people advocate that schools take an active role to prevent or eliminate bullying before it turns into something like some of the news stories that show up in the media. Many children suffer on a daily basis emotionally, socially, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. No child deserves to suffer in this way. What can you do to help? This blog has sparked an interest in me where I am looking forward to continuing this topic on a continual basis when time permits. Thank you for all the comments and please help be a part of this blog and the movement to eliminate bullying. Additional topics about bullying to follow.

Adding to the Controversy

Adding to the Controversy of who is responsible, a local story in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have a student protest saying that bullying is out of control at a middle school This is showing that we have a serious problem that I believe both sides need to work harder and togther to in order to lessen and eliminated.

Parents or Schools? Who is responsible for the Bullying Problem?

Who is Responsible to help with the Bullying Problem?

            The controversial topic is where does bullying stem from?  Is it a school problem?  Is it a parental problem?  Is it a societal problem that is accepted as a part of life?  Many research articles have pointed that bullying is not an accepted norm and children deserve the right to live their life without being bullied.  How is bullying to be fixed or where do we as a society focus to help eliminate bullying? 

            Many people point to schools, since that is where the majority of bullying takes place.  Many point to school environment and lack of teacher supervision as the causes of bullying (Hong and Espelage, 2012).  Lack of proper classroom management has also been directly linked to bullying (Kochenderfer-Ladd and Pelletier, 2008).  With lower levels of adult/teacher monitoring, bullying seems to increase in frequency and children feel less safe (Hong and Espelage, 2012).  Other studies that look at long periods of time in relation of school environment like transitions from elementary to middle school show that school environment had little to do with bullying (Hong and Espelage, 2012).

            Christie-Mizell, Keil, Laske, & Stewart (2011) relate the work hours of parents and the behavior of their children.  In households where both parents work full time, there was an increase in the incidence of bullying due to the lack of interaction between parents and the children , especially when the father is working full and overtime work hours (Christie-Mizell, Keil, Laske, & Stewart, 2011).  Another study shows that parents that have anger toward their child(ren), when they feel the child is bothering them or when the parent feels their child is difficult than most others to raise, have a higher chance of becoming a bully as well (Shetgiri, Lin, Avila, & Flores, 2012).  The reason many children in these situations turn out this way is they have a hard time developing relationships like the most trusted one between parent and child (Shetgiri, Lin, Avila, & Flores, 2012).  Conversely, Shetgiri, Lin, Avila, & Flores (2012) show that parents that meet their child’s friends, help their kids with homework as well as talk about and share ideas with each other are less likely to be bullies.

The pros of focusing on schools to fix the bullying problem:

·         Numerous kids can be affected all at once to change the problem.

·         Victims see teacher intervention as a positive way to stop bullying

·         When teachers are consistent and timely when stopping bullying effect results are produced

Cons:

·         Many students say teachers are not aware of bullying going on

·         Lack of proper training

·         Different opinions of what is bullying and different/inconsistent strategies

Pros of focusing on parents to fix the bullying problem:

·         Parents are the most influential person in the child’s life

·         Children trust their parents

·         Parental involvement plays a huge parent in a child’s life

Cons:

·         Parents are in denial about their children being a bully or being the victim of a bully

·         Reaching a large number of parents with the proper information

·         Changing the way parents interact with their children – people usually do not change willingly if they do not see a problem

·         Parents need to work to support families

            Efforts to benefit all children as a whole are to focus on both parents and teachers.  Providing training sessions to school faculty during staff development is important by providing tools on how to work with the bullying situation(s) and have a consistent policy and framework for teachers to go by to help kids.  Additionally, setting up parent workshops at school(s) to reach out and help parents become aware of what to look for and how to be more involved with their children to help eliminate any potential problems that may arise.

References

Christie-Mizell, C., Keil, J. M., Laske, M., & Stewart, J. (2011). Bullying Behavior, Parents’ Work Hours and Early Adolescents’ Perceptions of Time Spent With Parents. Youth & Society, 43(4), 1570-1595. doi:10.1177/0044118X10388261

Hong, J., & Espelage, D. L. (2012). A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school: An ecological system analysis. Aggression & Violent Behavior, 17(4), 311-322. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2012.03.003

Kochenderfer-Ladd, B.  and Pelletier, M. E.  (2008).  Teachers’ views and beliefs about bullying: Influences on classroom management strategies and students' coping with peer victimization.  Journal of School Psychology, 46 (4), 431-453.

Shetgiri, R., Lin, H., Avila, R. M., & Flores, G. (2012). Parental Characteristics Associated With Bullying Perpetration in US Children Aged 10 to 17 Years. American Journal Of Public Health, 102, 2280-2286. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300725

Presentation Review

Overall I felt the presentation went well and I did find some things that I can work on in the future.  My interest and passion on this topic did not come across the way that I would think that it would, at least on the video.  I hope in the classroom that is was a little different.  In the video I seemed a little too monotone in the beginning and I guess I was not projecting enough since I did not hear myself very well on the video.  This was a little surprising since I typically do project my voice well for everyone to hear clearly.  One of my God given gifts is being loud and loud enough to hear.  As the presentation went on, there was more variation in my voice and it would make it easier to understand. 

Too many hand gestures at times.  If I had a hearing impaired audience, many of the gestures would be confusing and not going along with the presentation.  Then again some of the signs in ASL are directly related to some of the words and sayings I was trying to portray to the audience. Limiting the gestures would be more beneficial.

I believe my time was very much on track with my plan and not too long.  Moving from screen to screen in a sufficient amount of time with enough information for the audience and not too much that I lose them.  I also feel that my examples are good to explain and illustrate my points that are up on the power point.

As for what was not on the video that I felt was very good was the role play and the presentation of the role play.  This way people can get different ways of viewing how to use working with their teen on these sensitive issues.  We also corrected any mistakes or problems in the role play presentation so the audience would have a high confidence level on how to speak and listen to their children.

Video Presentation - Bullying

Bullying Video: Bullies and Suicide

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a growing problem that seems to move parallel to the technology that is becoming available on a daily basis.  Cyberbullying is when a method of technology is used to bully someone.  There are numerous ways of cyberbullying that include cell/smart phones, computers, and tablets and using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as text, chat and websites.  What will usually happen is victims are sent inappropriate or mean text messages or emails; lies or rumors are spread via social networking sites or websites, or something that is completely embarrassing to the victim like pictures or videos (Stopbullying.gov, 2012).

The big thing with cyberbullying is that it is something that kids cannot get away from.  I use to be to get away from a bully you are safe in your own home, but not anymore.  Cyberbullying is something that is 24 hours a day, every day and difficult to avoid once it starts.  Messages, photos and videos can be posted anonymously and spread quickly so other people can view what has been posted.  The next problem is getting the inappropriate material taken down to minimize exposure.  Unfortunately, other people can pile on and/or pass it along to others to view (Stopbullying.gov, 2012).

 

Stopbullying.gov (2012) provided a list of what victims are more likely to do if they are cyberbullied:

 

v  Use alcohol and drugs

v  Avoid going to school

v  Lower academic achievement

v  Experience bullying face to face

v  Increased  incidence of health problems

v  Have a lower self-esteem

 

According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance of 2011 found in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, over 16% of students were cyberbullied.  Females are bullied by this method more than males, 22.1% and 10.8% respectively, and the occurrence happened much more amongst white females ( CDC, 2012).

 

 

References

 

Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  (2012).  Youth risk behavior surveillance – United States, 2011.  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 61(4), 1-162. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6104.pdf

 

Stopbullying.gov. (2012).  What is cyberbullying.  Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html

Parents: Helpful Hints to be in Touch

As I have stated earlier in the blog, when children finally report the bullying problem, it is usually to their parents first and then teachers (Michael & Manocha, 2011).  It is very important for parents to be in touch with their children and their children’s surroundings.  I am passing along some Do’s and Don’ts developed by Michael and Manocha (2011) for parents to keep in mind when they are helping their children with bullying. 

 

Do Not:

Ø  Tell your children to ignore what is going on.  Ignoring it may work the first time, but a persistent bully will not let it go and the situation will become more serious.

Ø  Point the finger at the child and assume they brought this on themselves by provoking someone else that is doing the bullying.

Ø  Encourage the child to retaliate; this usually will have the whole situation escalate into something larger and dangerous.

Ø  Disapprove on how your child dealt with the bullying.  Open communication and trust with a parent/child relationship is very important so they know someone they can go to about the problem.

Ø  Confront or contact the parents of the bully.

 

Do:

Ø  Listen to everything your child has to say.  Ask questions to see who was involved and what exactly happen at the incident(s).  Get Details!

Ø  Empathize with your child and express love to them and how proud you are he or she told you about the bullying.

Ø  Get input from your child on what can be done to help them and the situation,

Ø  Comfort your child be letting them know that you will be part of the solution to getting the problem resolved.

Ø  Immediately contact the teacher(s) and administration about the problem and work with everyone on a sensible solution.

Ø  If the bullying continues, move your concerns up the chain of command within the school district until the problem is resolved and your child is safe.

Victim Standing up for Herself

Up in Michigan, Whitney Kropp was a victim of a prank by a bunch of bullies.  See how she stands up for herself here.

Another Bullying case in Arlington, TX turned into Heighened Awareness

For those that have not watched the news or watch a different source, WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth did a news piece on October 8th on bullying and one girl, Amanda Bueno, is trying to bring an end to it.  Setting up anit-bullying rally and writing to the school board to raise awareness.

Arlington Lamar has been in the news twice within the last couple of weeks with another student being bullied on his football team and attempted suicide.

Administration has been looking into matters at Lamar and punishment will be handed out in bullying cases.  I am glad to see bullying will not be accepted.

Bullying PSA

 

Bullying in schools is a larger problem than many people know.  Kids that were surveyed from ages 8 to 15, roughly 3^rd to 10^th grade, stated that bullying is a larger problem that peer pressure to use alcohol, drugs, have sex or racism (Michael & Manocha, 2011).  According to the National Center of Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 1 in 4 students experience bullying (DeVoe and Bauer, 2011).  In terms of school, bullying victims typically have lower attendance, lower academic achievement, and poor attitude toward school.   Young people with serious psychosocial problems might experience problems associated with attention, behavior, and emotional regulation, which interfere with their ability to learn (Michael & Manocha, 2011, pp. 99).  Depending on the situation, many suffer from psychological stress and have trouble dealing with it in a healthy way.  Unfortunately, in some instances, suicide is committed to escape.

 

 

 

 

Other problems that stem from bullying are 66% of the 37 mass school shootings were committed by people that felt bullied and revenge was the main focus in their actions.  Another problem discovered from long-term studies is some adults are suffering from mental health problems due to being victims of bullying at an early age (Michael & Manocha, 2011). 

One problem many adults face is that many victims do not report abuse or bullying in fear of the situation getting worse or they are embarrassed.  In fact more than half of victims said they would not tell an adult about being bullied.  When children finally report the bullying problem, it is usually to their parents first and then teachers (Michael& Manocha, 2011).  The large problem is the majority of bullying is done at school or on the way to or home from school.  Making sure the proper information is provided to make sure that the bullying will not occur or at the very least is under watchful eye on school grounds.  The proper plan for the victims travel to and from school is very important so they are protected from the manipulation of bullies.

 

References

DeVoe, J.F., and Bauer, L. (2011). Student Victimization in U.S. Schools: Results From the 2009 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCES 2012-314). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.  Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2012/2012314.pdf  

Michael, M., & Manocha, R. (2011). Bullying - effects, prevalence and strategies for detection. Australian Family Physician, 40(3), 98-102.



Bullying Prevention Month

October is Bullying Prevention Month.  Please take special care to see if someone you know, especially a child, is being bullied and helping the Child.  Be active and part of a movement that stands up against bullying and will not allow it to be part an accepted part of our culture.  Come back soon and look at ways you can help!

To see the history of Bullying Prevention Month, please click here.

Welcome to Bullying Is A Problem

Bullying is a bigger problem than most people think. Additionally, there is a wide range of people and places where bullying occurs.  Bullying occurs to people in schools, work, and social settings.