How does bullying affect our schools and the educational process

Introduction

Primary and secondary schools children have been or are being bullied in one way or the , by the time they reach their teens , fewer than half will tell a parent and at the very most , only a third will tell a teacher . Some children may get over an episode of bullying quickly but for others , the damage can go on for years . Children who have been bullied may suffer personality changes , can do poorly at school , may get ill , depressed or sometimes , even kill themselves . Bullying interferes with children 's learning

, concentration , and desire to go to school

Bullying can be defined as the ongoing abuse of another person through physical or mental torture . To make matters worse this torture is conducted in the presence of others . The humiliation felt by the victim is hard to understand if you have never been bullied . If it happens over a long period of time it can have devastating effects on a young person 's mental health . There are a whole lot of myths about bullying such as : It 's a fact of life . everyone is bullied at some stage ' of which to me is false

Bullying , is "physical or psychological intimidation (that ) occurs repeatedly over time to create an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse " appears to cut across all the demographics of school size place , and wealth . Bullies exist in schools big and small , urban and rural , rich and poor "Their targets tend to have lasting emotional scars and low self-esteem " Education Daily reported in October 1998 "Ten percent of eighth-grade students stay home at least one day a month for fear of another student " Not only does bullying harm both its intended victims and the perpetrators " say Limber and Nation "it also may affect the climate of schools and , indirectly , the ability of all students to learn to the best of their abilities . Bullying deprives children of their rightful entitlement to go to school in a safe , just , and caring environment

There are many definitions of bullying , but most consider it to be deliberately hurtful including aggression repeated often over a period of time difficult for victims to defend themselves against . Bullying can take many forms , but three main types are : physical - hitting kicking , taking belongings , there are verbal bullying which includes name calling , insulting , making offensive remarks , and Indirect bullying which includes spreading nasty stories about someone , exclusion from social groups , being made the subject of malicious rumours , sending malicious e mails or text messages on mobile phones . Name calling is the most common direct form . This may be because of individual characteristics , but pupils can be called nasty names because of their ethnic origin , nationality or colour sexual orientation or some form of disability

Extent of the Problem

Various reports and studies have established that approximately 15 of students are either bullied regularly or are initiators of bullying behavior (Olweus , 1993 . Direct bullying seems to increase through the elementary years , peak in the middle school /junior...