When the word "bullying" gets noticed, it usually focuses on children who target or harass their peers. The definition of bullying is when an individual or group of people repeatedly and intentionally causes harm to another individual, be it verbal, physical, and emotional abuse. Bullying affects those who are victims of it, those who mistreat others, and those who see the bullying taking place. Bullying doesn't just require a child to achieve his or her intentions, it can usually involve groups of children motivating each other into bullying the child. “Bullying statistics show that no action is taken in approximately 85% of bullying cases; either the incidents are not reported or the school does nothing." (Berlatsky 26) Children spend most of their time in school for about 8 hours, so if you send your child or someone you know to school where they are supposed to be safe and harmless, why is the percentage rate so high? Bullying is much more than teasing, jokes or “kids will be kids”. It could include name-calling, spreading rumors, or physically harming someone. Bullying can damage a child's self-esteem at a young age or serious thoughts of wanting to harm themselves. The child may feel as if he is no good at anything he does, even though he may be good at it without even knowing that the bully has already put the perspective in the child's mind that he is not. When children are constantly criticized for something, they come to believe it is true. Being bullied is not the victim's fault. Children often feel scared, hurt, or worthless and need encouragement to discuss the situation they find themselves in. When children are faced with the problem of bullying, they should talk to people they trust such as parents, school administrators and others. who provide the necessary help. Although sometimes this is not the case, the teacher's time is often full and they struggle to meet the ultimatum of their daily obligations or responsibilities. School officials' primary and only focus during the day is the classroom, making it difficult for teachers to pay attention to bullying actions within their classroom. Sometimes the teacher may not think anything wrong about the bullying. They grow up with the idea that "kids will be kids" or believe that experiencing the situation helps strengthen children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A bully is described as a person who needs to feel more powerful than others. At all costs, a bully will find a way in his mind to think that he is better than everyone else in his environment. For example, a bully takes out their insecurities on others by humiliating that person to make them feel inferior. One of the insecurities can be weight, not feeling intellectual, not having parents/guardians to support them, the inability to understand those who are different from them, etc. Bullying can be difficult to spot in a school setting because it doesn't always look the same, meaning the methods tend to look dramatically different between male and female bullying. “It is perhaps not surprising to see that boys are more likely to experience violence and that girls are victims of social exclusion,” she said. (Tom Bennett) Girls tend to resort more to social/verbal bullying while boys tend to turn to physical bullying. Boys bully using their male power over the victim in an attempt to gain control, engage in fights, and use the physical threat of physical violence totorture the victim. Bully girls take part in social bullying, damaging someone's social reputation or social acceptance. The form of "attack" of female bullies is rumors, teasing, gossip and insults that are less fortunate to witness in the schoolyard. Girls use less physical violence and more verbal violence so social attacks are difficult to recognize. Comparing the statistics of female bullies with those of male bullies, females have a higher percentage because their form of attack is more discreet than males being physical. A personal reference of mine, Caitlyn Morra, a 14-year-old girl who was 11 at the time, became a victim of bullying. Caitlyn had been friends with my little sister since kindergarten in 2011, a smart little girl who didn't seem to have any problems at school or at home. Her mother was the type of parent who made sure she did well in school, as she got along well with all the teachers over the years and the parents of the students Caitlyn would interact with. The days and years of elementary school for this little one seemed as easy as any other child would experience. What child doesn't enjoy primary school and all the activities and entertainment that come with play? Until she got to middle school, halfway through sixth grade to be exact, things started to change, she would be reluctant to go to school and would find any excuse not to go to school. Caitlyn's mother noticed these changes, Caitlyn became quieter, didn't want to go out anymore (shopping, going to the movies, skating, etc.), didn't eat as much and wanted to change schools. Caitlyn's mother decided that she would make temporary visits to the school to make sure everything was going well with her daughter and see if the problems were coming from the school. The hesitant behavior Caitlyn was displaying at school and also the drastic changes she was developing were a wake-up call to Caitlyn's mother. During one of her temporary visits, she realized that her daughter was not out interacting with the other students during recess, so she went to consult with one of the teachers about why she was not out with the other children during social recess. The school teacher told the mother that the teenager had said he was just "having one of those days" where he didn't want to go out during break, Caitlyn's mother seemed alarmed as Caitlyn was already giving her mother excuses for don't go to school. Caitlyn refused to tell her mother what was happening at school and would tell her, "it's okay mom, don't worry," and go straight to her room. Caitlyn's mother knew at this point that something was wrong, but in order not to overwhelm Caitlyn with questions and worries she would keep her distance but keep an eye on her. A couple of months had passed, Caitlyn would continue to display this type of behavior, one afternoon in February 2018, Caitlyn was home alone, her mother had gone shopping down the street when she returned, she couldn't believe what she had prevented him from attending. Caitlyn had attempted suicide, she had left a written note for her mother to read but, fortunately, her mother had arrived in time. Caitlyn's mother quickly admitted her to the hospital to make sure no harm had been done, while as far as she was concerned, she needed answers as to why her daughter would want to do such a thing at such a young age. Caitlyn's mother went to school to ask questions about friends Caitlyn would hang out with and if she had any friend-enemies, the school administration told her that nothing was happening and she had no idea why Caitlyn would want to do that . A companion ofCaitlyn's class was aware of the situation, had witnessed, and had consulted with Caitlyn's mother about her daughter being bullied at school. She was being bullied at school by a group of 5 children, the children would shame Caitlyn and call her names, the other students at school were aware of this but no one wanted to come forward and tell any authorities at school. Caitlyn's mother requested a meeting with the children's parents and confronted them. She asked their children to stop the bullying and told them what consequences her daughter faced. Caitlyn's mother didn't want her daughter to get hurt and go through what she was experiencing, so she made changes in Caitlyn's life to keep her safe and out of danger. Caitlyn was hospitalized after her experience and is doing OK. Caitlyn's mother visits her daughter every day and hopes that Caitlyn will grow up with great self-esteem and forget the pain she suffered in the two months that were dark for her. Caitlyn to this day has improved her well-being and has not thought about her bullying experience or the incident she was facing. This is an example of bullying among young people, of how with the simple "insulting" children feel entitled and think it is right to humiliate other individuals. The school administration should have intervened more in the problem and become concerned when they see a change in a student. This is important because children spend most of their time in school, the administration should make a child feel safe for the 8 hours they spend in the environment, it should be a school safety zone. School officials should be available so that children feel free to talk and open up to a teacher, counselor, playground worker, etc. about the situation they are encountering. Bullying can also operate among children with disabilities and special needs, another problem children face. in elementary school. “Although only 10 studies have been conducted in the United States on the connection between bullying and developmental disabilities, all of these studies found that children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be victims of bullying than their non-disabled peers.” . (Disabilities: Insights From Across Fields and Around the World; Marshall, Kendall, Banks & Gover (eds.), 2009) A child with a disability or special needs is an easy target for bullies because these children are already victims of their problems of health therefore they become vulnerable, and it is easy to blame them. Children with special health needs are often bullied by having their medications taken away, meaning they are thrown around or hidden, as well as exposed to allergic substances by their bullies. Children who need medications such as an asthma inhaler or Epi-Pen need them with them or a school official without the difficulty of accessing them at all times, because at any time they may be needed. Having a special need for medication is not the only way to be bullied by children. When bullying is aimed at a child because of their disability, it creates an opposing environment at school and this behavior can become “disability harassment”. Children with disabilities face barriers to participation in school and activities due to their health care needs. Physical bullying in lower grades, such as elementary school, begins with children's use of offensive words and leads to physical altercations through pushing, kicking, shoving, and other forms of physical violence. A child with disabilities or special needs is an easy one.