Vung Sang
Professor Hammett
English 1302
Argument proposal
8 Mar 2023
Word Count: 1158
Bullying is Contagious
In this 21st century, people take the idea of having “Freedom of speech” too lightly. People say whatever's on their minds without thinking about how others might have felt. Students in school were taught not to judge others and accept others the way they are. However, students do not seem to realize how easy it is to hurt others' feelings and that could easily turn into a constant routine that can turn into bullying. It is not wrong to say there are many high schoolers still facing bullying in school. Children in school can be victims of bullying, which can cause emotional and physical damage. The first study was conducted to examine “high school students experiencing frequent bullying behaviors are at risk for later depression and suicidality” (Klomek et. al). That shows children are emotionally drained and want to get out of this situation. Another research done by scholars has indicated that “results demonstrated that depression mediated the association between bullying/victimization and suicide attempts” (Bauman et. al). Based on those two research done by scholars, results have indicated that victims of bullying are at great risk for suicide attempts. To prevent high school students from facing bullying, schools should implement solutions to cease or reduce this social epidemic.
Bullying in high school can happen for many reasons. High School is the year teenagers start to change for the better or the worse. It is their era to find themselves who they are and be the best people they can be. However, some teenagers in high school are reckless and do not care about other students' feelings. They might not have meant it to be that rude but some meant it and that is how bullying starts. Someone having pleasure from making fun of other people to make themselves feel better is the start of bullying. And often high schoolers are guilty of that. Scholars have found that “According to literature, school bullying can be caused by differences in race, sexuality, religion, disabilities and abilities, weight, height, or anything that creates a difference between one child and another” (Noboru et al). That means if someone looks different than another person, they are more likely to be a victim of bullying.
In order to prevent highschool bullying, one effective solution is schools need to promote to students how important it is to understand behavior expectations in school. SWPBIS is short for “School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports” (Bosworth et. al). School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports are commonly known worldwide for it to help students with safety in schools, fewer behavioral problems, less bullying, etc. Bosworth et. al also mentioned that the School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program's purpose is to create a positive school environment by reinforcing positive behavioral norms. This program will be effective for students because they know there will be consequences if they do not follow those norms. This method of programming to prevent bullying in school has also been researched and tested. However, males and females have different ways to cope with bullying. What if the School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports works for one gender but not the other well? On the other hand, it is too broad to say that that program to prevent bullying works for all childrens in school. Therefore, a School-wide Positive Interventions and Supports program might not permanently stop bullying but rather, prevent less bullying.
Another effective solution schools can also teach is also teachers to create a strong relationship with students. That will make students comfortable around their teachers. Teachers will be able to assist students with their needs and act accordingly. That will also help students with struggles or stress they are going through instead of just bottling it up and taking it out on someone else in the end. According to Northwest Missouri State University professors Teresa Long and Kristina Alexander, the "HA HA SO" acronym gives students a method to evade bullying "victimization”. Whether a student has experienced bullying or not, or is the bully, this acronym can be taught to every student. The acronym “HA HA SO” is a strategy to help students deal with bullying better, bully, have been/are victimized, or have no experience with bullying:
Help - Seek assistance from an adult, friend, or peer when a potentially threatening situation arises or when other strategies aren't working. Assert Yourself - Make assertive statements to the bully, addressing your feelings about the bully's behavior. Humor - Use humor to de-escalate a situation. Avoid - Walk away or avoid certain places in order to avoid a bullying situation. Self-Talk - Use positive self-talk to maintain positive self-esteem. Own It - "Own" the put-down or belittling comment in order to diffuse it. (Long, Alexander)
This strategy was meant to benefit students being bullied and the students who are bullying other students. The opposition side might ask if there is a grade limit for this acronym strategy because the strategies might work on certain age groups but would not in different age groups. Parents all know the age development skills in children.
Creating an anti-social club in school can also be an effective solution to prevent high school bullying. In highschool, many students are involved in different types of clubs to help the environment in a different way. They have different types of projects such as donating to food banks, helping at a retirement center, etc. That is why schools should promote anti-social clubs. Clubs are shown to be effective if they are active. If a club has a lot of projects they are working on to prevent bullying then it is more than enough to prevent less bullying. Also if the club is actively working on its projects, it will also help reduce bullying in high school. Since many high schools have other extracurricular activities outside of school such as sports, work, etc.
Professors from the University of London, Peter Smith and Fran Thompson have suggested creating lunchtime clubs; “Lunchtime clubs are a non-stigmatizing way of access to peer support, with a general application” (Thompson, Smith). Lunchtime clubs have access to deeper conservations because it will avoid public exposure.
Last but not least, there seems to be a continuity in bullying. A person does not just become a bully overnight. It is because they have done it before and it just gets easier for them. Even people who are the victims of bullying in highschool, middle school, or elementary school can become the bully in college. A study conducted in a scholarly journal discovered that “of 25 who were bullied in college, 18 (72%) had been bullied in high school and elementary school” (Chapell et. al). The fact that these studies conducted by scholars show there is a correlation between being a bully throughout elementary school to college. Bullying is a major issue that some students face in their everyday school life. That’s why schools should take major implementations to prevent bullying furthermore.
