I was bullied

8/22/12 Tshawna Gonzalez

I was bullied once, ugly monkey, big ears, is what they called me. That girl who has ADHD (Attention
Deficiency Hyperactive Disorder) instead of asking you picked on her. The girl who was a Smart, "Nerdy
person you picked on her. The girl who had spots (chicken pocks) all-over her body instead of asking you picked
on her. The girl who you would see crying instead of askingyou picked on her.
What you can do if you are being bullied? First talk to your parents or an adult you can trust. Its not
useful to blame yourself for a bullys actions. But, do not retaliate or let the bully see how much youve been upset
by his or her actions or words. Then act confident youre less likely to be the target of a bully. Next try to make
friends with other students, as bullies are more likely to leave you alone if you are in a group. Do not resort to
violence or carry a weapon. Carrying weapons can make a difficult situation deadly and increase the chances that
you will be harmed. Violence (or the threats of violence) doesnt solve violent situations. (Kenneth McIntosh and
Ida walker page 119). " Classrooms, cafeterias and school buses can be places of anguish for millions of children,
as powerfully demonstrated in Bully, an insightful. Why are these particular kids under attack? Most are shy or
considered somehow "different," the victims of prejudice and ignorance."
" The adolescents were asked about experiences throughout their school years. The study group was
comprised of 119 high school students, with a mean age of 17.1 (SD = 1.2). Of the adolescents who reported, 39%
indicated that they had been bullied at some time during their school years and 28% said that they had bullied
others; 13% reported being both victims and bullies. The ages during which most students had been bullied at
school were between 7 and 9 years. Bullies reported that most of the bullying took place when they were 10 to 12
years old. The most common reason as to why individuals are bullied was that they have a different appearance.
The participants believe that those who bully suffer from low self-esteem."

" The effects of cyberbullying are similar to the effects of traditional bullying. Targets of electronic
aggression often suffer from depression, become violent or hurt themselves, and perform poorly in school. They
fear social situations, which often results in the victim not wanting to attend school or feeling too scared or
uncomfortable to learn. They also tend to have low self-esteem. As with all victims of bullying, people who have
been cyber-bullied act out through reckless behavior. This can have a profound effect on their future. Perhaps the
most devastating result of cyber-bullying is suicide." " I've looked a little bit at the differences between boys and
girls, more in adolescence, looking at some research done at a research center at Bridgewater State College, and
they've looked at this. And girls -- I wrote a story. The first story in our series was about the experience of a 14year-old girl in the Boston suburbs who was bullied during her freshman year of high school. And what happened
with her was really very disturbing."
" When Title IX applies, federal law mandates that schools take "prompt and effective" steps to stop sexual
harassment. Yet South Hadley school officials did nothing "effective" to protect Phoebe because they treated the
situation as simple bullyingwhich does not require schools to intervene." Almost all bullying falls under one of
these protected class categories and can be redressed in federal court because, as one federal appeals court recently
ruled, "intimidation by name calling" is not protected speech on campus. Schools are "expected to prevent it", the
court said, because "there is no constitutional right to be a bully.
" Sports equity is important, but the more compelling purpose of Title IX is the prevention of gender
discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence and bullying "based on" gender. " " While
aggressively pursuing the president's plan for faith-based initiatives, the Bush administration actually back-pedaled
this past December when it acknowledged that all agencies applying for federal money would have to comply with
state and local civil laws. This is a departure from an earlier proposal--H.R. 7--which would have allowed faithbased organizations receiving federal funds to discriminate against gays in hiring and employment. Currently
twelve states, the District of Columbia, and 140 cities and counties have civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination
based on sexual orientation."

" The study discussed herein assessed the prevalence of bullying and analysed possible predictors for
bullying in a sample of urban primary school-age children. Factors considered were students' gender and age
differences as well as parents' educational level and migration backgrounds. Using a cross-informant approach
(self- and teacher-reports), bullying was assessed among 550 children between the ages of 6.5 and 10.8 years
attending 12 regular primary schools in Bremen and Lower Saxony, Germany. Overall, 10 percent of children were
classified as bullies, 17.4 percent as victims and 16.5 percent as bully/victims, with boys being bullies and
bully/victims more often than girls. Direct bullying was more likely directed at, and employed by, boys.
Indirect/relational bullying occurred less frequently and mainly within same-gender groups. Results from logistic
regression analyses showed that, apart from age and gender, low parental educational levels were a significant
predictor for a child's bullying status (bully, victim, bully/victim). Implications for bullying assessment, prevention
and intervention programs are discussed ."
" Who endure cruelty, bullying, humiliation, and deprivation because of their gender. " " scientists
from London, England, asked school nurses to interview almost 3,000 children between the ages of 8 and 9 years in
a large number of schools. The nurses inquired about common health problems (e.g., headaches, stomachaches) and
also asked the children whether they had been bullied. Overall, 22% of the children reported having been bullied in
school; the most common complaints were "being hurt" (36%), "bad words" (30%), or both (18%). " (internet)
" Thirty-five percent of school teachers in England say they have been cyber bullied--and not just by
their students. Parents are dishing out a quarter of the abuse, the University of Plymouth (England) study found.
Twelve percent came from other staffers, while students carried out 72 percent of the abuse. Much of the cyberabuse came through" (internet). "A pagan couple is suing school officials in Union County, Tenn., for $300,000
after they claimed their daughter was harassed for not playing the Virgin Mary in a school play. Greg and Sarajane
Tracy say the school district promoted religion, denied their daughter's right to free exercise of her own religion and
failed to protect her from verbal and physical abuse" (internet).

" The bullying of the disabled is endemic: in 1999, a survey by Mencap found that nine out of ten
people with learning difficulties had been bullied. Earlier this year, a survey by the same charity found that eight
out often children with a learning disability had been bullied, with the same proportion too scared to go out"
(internet). " most studies combine diverse forms of disability into one measure and assess exposure to only one
particular type of victimization. Based on a representative national sample of 4,046 children aged 217 from the
2008 National Survey of Childrens Exposure to Violence, the present study examines the associations between
several different types of disability and past-year exposure to multiple forms of child victimization" (internet). For
some reason most of my classmates took a dislike to me and they did their best to make my life miserable. I had
friends, but occasionally they would side with the bullies. I never felt like I had a true best friend as a child. Ive
Been Bullied. And it feels like the worst thing in the world. Bullying isnt necessary. If you have a problem with
someone dont harass them about it, or make fun of them, dont post rude things about them on social networking
sights such as Facebook.
" Children who bully, researchers said, were a special breed. Aggressive early in life, they cause
misery not only to others, but also to themselves, in a downward spiral of anti-social behavior that often becomes
worse when they become adults. Despite the persuasive detail of her report and the buzz it stirred, Marano was
dead-on when she wrote: "Most Americans do not take bullying very seriously _ not even school personnel, a
surprising finding given that most bullying takes place in school. "If Americans think at all about it," she observed,
"they tend to think that bullying is a given of childhood, at most a passing stage, one inhabited largely by boys who
will, simply, inevitably, be boys." So it was with relief and some amusement that Marano read the results of the first
national study of the extent of bullying, its causes and social consequences. The study, published in the Journal of
the American Medical Association (JAMA) Wednesday, mirrored her own findings that about one-third of U.S.
middle- and high-scholars have been either bully or bullied" (internet). Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in
which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form
of physical contact, words or more subtle actions.

The bullied individual typically has trouble defending him or herself and does nothing to cause the
bullying (INTERNET). According to the American Medical Association, 3.7 million youths engage in bullying, and
more than 3.2 million are victims of moderate or serious bullying each year (Cohn & Canter, 2003). Some
studies have shown that between 15 and 25 percent of U.S. students are frequently bullied; 15 to 20 percent report
that they bully others frequently (Nansel et al., 2001; Melton et al., 1998; Geffner, Loring, & Young, 2001). Over
the course of a year, nearly one-fourth of students across grades reported that they had been harassed or bullied on
school property because of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or disability (Austin, Huh-Kim,
Skage, & Furlong, 2002). Almost 30 percent of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be
involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a national survey of students in grades 6 to 10,
13 percent reported bullying others, 11 percent reported being the target of bullies, and another 6 percent said that
they bullied others and were bullied themselves (Nansel et al., 2001). Seventy-four percent of eight- to eleven-yearold students said teasing and bullying occur at their schools (Kaiser Family Foundation & Nickelodeon, 2001).
Every seven minutes, a child on an elementary playground is bullied (Pepler, Craig, & Roberts, 1998).
Why Must Bullying Be Stopped? It is more prevalent today than in the past and occurs in more
serious forms today. The intensity of bullying has increased because more students join in. More kids are
participatingand even encouraging bullies to victimize others. There have been numerous criminal cases because
of bullying.

There have been numerous lawsuits because of bullying. It creates a fearful school climate. Other students worry
they may become victims. Twenty percent of students are scared throughout much of the school day (Garrity, Jens,
Porter, Sager, & Short-Camilli, 1997). It causes confusion and fear in bystanders (Pepler, Craig, Ziegler, & o
Charach, 1993). It intensifies normal fears of being laughed at, losing what they have, rejection, fear of the
unknown, and exposure. It is a common theme in school shootings as students retaliate for the bullying. It is a path
taken by students who retaliate: they are hurt, are fearful, overwhelmed by anxiety, angry, and filled with hate and
rage, and have a desir for revenge. Roughly two-thirds of school shooters felt persecuted, bullied, threatened,
attacked, or injured by others (Bowman, 2001, p. 11). It causes stress in students. It causes a lack of trust in oneself
to cope appropriately, in adults to help, and in life to be good to them in the future. It causes toxic shame, which
is destructive to ones sense of worth (Garbarino, 1999). It causes some students to harm themselves, cutting
themselves, for example. Thirty percent of all child suicides can be directly related to bullying (Hawker & Boulton,
2000). It may raise suicide risk in bystanders who are considering suicide for other reasons. Every environment is
social, and there seems to be no escape. Every day of school can be a new social mine field (Simmons, 2002).

Rejected students may withdraw and commit social suicide, and in the process they are robbed of
opportunities to develop needed social skills. It encourages students to run away from home, when they are rejected
at home and school. It encourages gang membership. Victims may find acceptance, security, and a sense of family.
Bullies who over time lose their peer group status may seek association with other aggressive students found in
gangs (Cairns, Cairns, Neckerman, Gest, & Gariepy, 1988). Some victims join a cult, drug group, or hate group to
find acceptance and a sense of belonging. It encourages teen pregnancies. Rejected girls may seek someone to
love, and someone to love them unconditionally. It encourages dropping out of school. Ten percent of dropouts do
so because of repeated bullying (Weinhold &Weinhold, 1998). It contributes to poor school attendance. According
to the National Association of School Psychologists, 160,000 students per day stay home from school because of
bullying (Fried & Fried, 2003). Seven percent of eighth graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies
(Banks, 2000). Twenty-five percent of girls grades 8 to 12 dont want to attend school and stay home or skip classes
because of sexual bullying (American Association of University Women, 1993). It leads to loneliness, low selfesteem, depression and anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress, eating disorders, and other long-lasting harmful
emotional effects in the adult years (Olweus, 1993; McMaster, Connolly, Pepler, & Craig, 1998; Rigby, 2001).
It has a negative impact on student morale and learning and achievement. Fourteen percent of
surveyed students in grades 8 to 12 and 22 percent in grades 4 to 8 reported that bullying diminished their ability
to learn in school (Hoover & Oliver, 1996, p. 10). Seventeen percent of students said bullying interfered with
academic performance (Hazler, Hoover, & Oliver, 1992). It is a root cause of discipline problems for both the
victim and bully. Bullied students have behavior problems after the bullying, and those problems get worse over
time (Schwartz, McFayden-Ketchum, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 1998). Hostile children are more likely to develop
diabetes and develop cardiac problems as they age (Elias, 2002). It prevents the full inclusion of students with
disabilities.

It creates societal problems. Bullies identified by age eight are six times more likely to be convicted
of a crime by age twenty-four and five times more likely than non-bullies to end up with serious criminal records by
age thirty (Maine Project Against Bullying, 2000). Sixty percent of students characterized as bullies in grades 6 to 9
had at least one criminal conviction by age twenty-four and 40 percent had three or more arrests by that age (Banks,
2000; Olweus, 1993). Chronic bullies often bully in their adult years, which hinders their ability to develop and
maintain positive relationships (Oliver, Hoover, & Hazler, 1994). Bullies may grow up to abuse their spouse,
children, and coworkers (Beane, 2008).