Bullying
Bullying in schools is a relatively common phenomenon affecting most education systems throughout the globe. Statistics indicate that between 20 and 25 percent of youths have been involved in bullying as perpetrators, while another 9 to 25 percent are involved as victims (Junoven & Graham, 2014). Bullies take advantage of their strength and social standing to coerce supposedly weaker students into submission, sometimes using force in the process. Bullying has some deadly consequences on occasion, like school shootings and suicides by victims (Junoven & Graham, 2014) and affects both boys and girls (Hymel & Swearer, 2015). A debate has been raging over whether bullies should be expelled from school or not. However, before determining whether students found guilty of bullying their colleagues should be dismissed, school authorities should consider how such an action would impact on the lives of the students. Expulsion disrupts the progress of the guilty students and pauses their education unnecessarily for offenses that can be mitigated in school, causing more harm than the school intends to visit upon the student. Thus, students should not be expelled for bullying.
One might use the result of some bullying incidents to argue for the expulsion of bullies. For instance, violent behavior associated with a reaction against bullying is to blame for some fatal school shootings and suicides (Junoven & Graham, 2014). At the same time, victims of bullying might lose the sense of safety at school and sink into depression or deteriorate academically. Despite the gravity of the matters, research does not exclusively link victimization from bullying to depression (Kaltiala-Heino & Frojd, 2011). The authors do argue, however, that traumatic events related to peer relationships, such as being bullied, could cause trauma severe enough to lead to depression. Moreover, instances of fatalities arising from bullying are relatively rare. Thus, proponents of expulsion rely on unconfirmed statistics to push their agenda.
Bullying can be solved through better family management in the home setting. Some bullies use violence on other students as a way of expressing frustration they might be facing at home in the hands of parents and other adults. A study conducted by the University of Hampshire indicated that some children bully others because they experience the same from their parents; thus, they believe their behavior is the correct way. Others copy the behavior they witness at home (University of Hampshire, 2013). The report suggests that children who bully others can get remedies at home, which are less punitive than expulsion from school. The parent of the offending child bears the burden of training the child to behave well by instilling certain values in the child. For example, the use of corporal punishment at home may make the child resort to the same at school. Parents must, therefore, ensure that spanking is not used as a form of punishment in the home.
The report further recommends that parents should help their children learn the values of empathy and caring so that they understand their actions can hurt others. Additionally, the parent can look into the child’s social skills ability. Often, bullies lack social skills that can enable them to make friends (University of Hampshire, 2013). Consequently, their deficiency causes them to act in ways that hurt others. Although the report focuses its approach on elementary school children, it is logical to assume that bullying behavior in high school starts at the lower levels before the bully graduates to a higher level. Schools should realize that some bullies do not hurt others for fun, but as an expression of they have grown accustomed to in the family set up. Such students do not need punishment to rectify their situation. Instead, they need rehabilitation, a process that heals and restores them to a state of health and responsible behavior. As a way of addressing the bullying problem, schools can play their roles in different ways. The first step is to admit that bullying happens at the school. Then, a school should seek to implement anti-bullying programs, which might help reduce the number of bullying incidents. The school can adopt either a preventive measure or an interventionist approach in case the bullying has happened.
Other than responsible parental behavior at home, bullying can also be stopped through appropriate teacher behavior. Rigby & Slee (2014) advise that by training the teacher to become a better classroom manager. This approach includes preparing the students not only on academic matters but also on an array of social issues that shape behavior. For example, the teacher should teach and inform the students of what they should achieve, and that goes beyond the student’s academic work. The social relations of a student are critical in molding their behavior. Thus, the teacher can step in when a glitch occurs w in academics or social life. The role of the teacher, though underrated, is critical in the child’s ability to mitigate the effects of bullying. Among the most overlooked strategies for reducing bullying is by creating a classroom environment in which every student feels motivated and interested in their work (Rigby & Slee, 2014). Teachers can achieve success-oriented classroom environments and learning experiences by acting decisively to create and set expectations for inclusive and respectful behavior. By creating a conducive environment that does not exclude anyone, teachers are setting the stage for cooperation among students on an equal footing. Such cooperation prevents incidents of bullying and saves the school the shame of expelling students over petty aggression.
School anti-bullying programs that do not include expulsion have been reported to be successful. Rigby & Slee (2014) document case studies from countries that have adopted the programs and state that they are modestly effective. In the United Kingdom, for example, a jury composed of student leaders is set to hear cases brought before it by offended students, and they listen to determine the punishment for the offender. In England, Australia, and the US, the concept of restorative justice is used to address bullying. The measures under the system entail attempts to restore acceptable relations between the offender and the victim. Restorative justice is not punitive but is designed to direct the offending party to recognize the need for the restoration of relationships, by making an apology and engaging in positive behavior towards the victim after that (Rigby & Slee, 2014). Restorative justice is a system that does not seek to mete punishment on the bully. Instead, it aims to bring back the initial state before the incident occurred.
Expelling a student for bullying is akin to taking a retributive action in a case where rehabilitation would work better. Another reason for not taking any drastic measure is the possibility that the action is due to a learned behavior that the child uses as a defense mechanism or as a projection of frustrations a child is undergoing at home. The report by the University of New Hampshire indicates that perpetrators of bullying might be the victims of violent parents (University of New Hampshire, 2013). School authorities must look into the welfare of children and students not only during school hours but also back at home where they might be going through situations that affect their wellbeing in school. When young children from the elementary school bully each other, a deep search for the problem’s roots is the most effective way of addressing it.
Expulsion of students from school is a negative way of dealing with bullying. Students accused of being bullies still have a right to public education when they are expelled from school (DeRidder, 1990). Thus school authorities should find amicable ways of solving problems without sending children home. DeRidder further explains that students who quit school do so on the back of broken homes, unhappy families, poverty, and limited parental education. It is, therefore, against logic to expel a student for bullying, only to see them on the streets having failed to find modest accommodation at home due to violence.
Schools have a variety of options to choose from when dealing with cases of bullying. The most effective way is by employing both the prevention and intervention measures as well as encouraging parents to do their part in the fight against the vice. Parents, teachers, and the school have the responsibility of ensuring every child receives public education without unnecessary disruptions. Expulsion is perhaps the surest way of disrupting learning, but schools should allow bully students to stay so that they can receive direction before restoring relationships with the offended persons.
References
DeRidder, L. (1990). The Impact of School Suspensions And Expulsions On Dropping Out. Educational Horizons, 68(3), 153-157. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42924830
Juvonen, J., & Graham, S. (2014). Bullying in schools: The power of bullies and the plight of victims. Annual review of psychology, 65, 159-185.
Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu & Fröjd, Sari. (2011). Correlation between bullying and clinical depression in adolescent patients. Adolescent health, medicine, and therapeutics. 2. 37-44. 10.2147/AHMT.S11554.
Rigby, Ken & Slee, Phillip. (2014). Interventions to reduce bullying.
The University of New Hampshire. (2013). Why do Some Children Bully Others? Bullies and their Victims. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cornell.edu/dist/6/3363/files/2013/07/NH-Why-Do-Some-Children-Bully-26s07gn.pdf
Hymel, S., & Swearer, S. M. (2015). Four decades of research on school bullying: An introduction. American Psychologist, 70(4), 293.