We have all heard the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me” on the playground or school bus ride home. The phrase was normally thrown out to bullies during a fight in the schoolyard, pushes in the hall, food thrown in the cafeteria, or during the endless teasing and taunting on bus rides to/from school.
According to a national survey conducted by the National Center for Education Services, U.S. Department of Education in 2002, 32% of students in grades 6-12 reported being bullied. Only 9% reported injuries or needing medical attention.
Fast forward to 2011 when these same victims of traditional bullying are now college-aged. After suffering the detrimental effects of their traditional bullying experiences, these same individuals now face a new form of bullying with the help of technology: cyber bullying. With the help of high-tech methods of communication, bullies are targeting their victims in non-traditional forms; not with a push or punch thrown, but with words.
Words, after all, do have meaning. “If they didn't, there would be no such thing as understandable communication. If words did not matter, why would anyone write a poem, a book, an article, or song lyrics? Why would we try to talk to each other, if words did not matter? Why do advertisers go to such pains to develop the right phrases in order to sell their products, or songwriters and authors spend time rewriting and rewriting until they get their ideas expressed in just the right way? Words are what we use to convey deeply held feelings, beliefs, and ideas.” (Whittemore, 2009)
Words can cut like a knife through our souls and leave scars for a lifetime. Who has not been hurt by a loved one who spouted off in a fi...
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15. "Bullying Statistics / Cyber Bullying Statistics / School Bullying Statistics." How to Stop Bullying: Stop the Harassment before It Causes Permanent Damage. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. http://www.how-to-stop-bullying.com/bullyingstatistics.html
16. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (April 24, 2001)/ Survey finds bullying widespread in U.S. schools.
17. National Association of Attorneys General. (2000). Bruised Inside: What Our Children Say About Youth Violence, What Caused It, and What We Should Do About It.
18. Whittemore, Becky. Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones (But Words Can Do Even More Damage. Associated Content. 17, March 2009. 15 February 2011. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1571788/sticks_and_stones_may_break_my_bones.html?cat=41
For the school year of 2012-2013, there were about 98,328 public schools in the nation, that would mean that in each and every elementary, Middle, and High school in the nation, an estimated two students do not show up to school because of the fear of being bullied. “Further, students who are being bullied may begin stealing money or being dishonest about being ill” (Levine, 2014). “Children who engage in bullying from a young age may be involved in what is known as precursory bullying. Precursory bullying has implications for future bullying, and is understood as ultimately destructive and damaging” (Levine and Tamburrino, 2014). There is no doubt about this, we’ve all heard about adults that have been bullied as children and are not successful members of society.
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
The definition of bullying uses broad statements to define the actual meaning. Because of this, people may view the definition differently than others. Bullying can range from physical violence to verbal abuse to even cyberbullying. Most people do not realize how common cyberbullying actually is. Over half of teens and adolescents have been bullied online and almost the same number have engaged in the bullying (“Cyber Bullying Statistics”). Cyberbullying is becoming more and more prominent throughout this time period because of the technology continuing to expand around the world. Each year this statistic increasingly grows due to the technology
After reading “People First Language” by Kathie Snow, the first thing that came to my mind was the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I have never agreed with this saying because words can inflict pain just like sticks and stones. Words really do matter.
Bullying has become a major problem facing the United States today. The American Psychological Association reports that roughly 40% to 80% of children are involved in bullying on some level during their time in school. (APA, 2014) The magnitude of the problem can be observed in the statistics. In the United States, a total of 4,080,879 children between the ages of five and 18 have been the victims of bullying compared to 3,892,199 who have reported that they have engaged in bullying someone else. Additionally, 851,755 said that they have been both the victim and the bully. That's a whopping 8,824,833 people in the United States that have been involved in bullying behavior on one level or another. (High, B., 2000 Census)
With this unfortunate circumstance, schools need to put a stop to bullying. Informing the school and the community on the issue of bullying is the first step in ending it. To continue, the next is to make rules that will prevent kids from wanting to bully other students. Also, creating an anti-bully committee and a bullying report office in schools will help reduce bullying. With cyber bullying being so difficult to detect, we inform parents and students about safe internet use and ask parents to monitor their child internet usage. Bullying is
The crisis of bullying has grown dramatically in the past years. Bullying surrounds everyone, from daily harassing insults that are thrown around in the hallways, to bruising from shoves or punches, and even to lethal bullets. Never before have there been large amounts of horrendous cases of bullying with fatal results – the growing prevalence i...
The act of bullying has been present in children’s life throughout time. It has been seen in movies, books, and even real life situations. In recent years there has been in increase in the use of technology and the Internet. As a result a new type of bullying has been introduced to today’s generation of teenagers. This new type of bullying is known as cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has a negative impact on the lives of the teenagers that experience it.
Bullying within an elementary school begins right from the very first day of school. By the end of Kindergarten, over 20% of students report being bullied within that year. By the end of elementary school, 9 out of 10 students report being bullied at one time or another. The students, who bully during elementary school, are more likely to have it carry on with them for their middle school and school years. The aggressive and violent behaviors towards students in elementary school not only carry on after graduation from high school, but they end up having criminal records.
Zande, Irene Van Der. "Bullying Facts and Solutions: Upsetting Statistics and 4 Actions You Can Take." Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower International. N.p., 16 June 2016. Web. 16 June
McQuade, III, Samuel, James Colt, and Nancy Meyer. Cyber Bullying: Protecting Kids and Adults from Online Bullies. First Edition. Road West, Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2009. 47-49. Print.
Schools in today’s society harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and astonishingly 2.7 million of their victims, 1 in 7 students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying. Bullying can cause long-term and short- term psychological impacts / effects on someone. It usually starts at the early stages of life. Bullying can result from being raised by an aggressive tiger mom or even an attached mom.
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do. Malden,
“Words can poison, words can heal. Words start and fight wars, but words make peace. Words lead [people] to the pinnacles of good and words can plunge [people] to the depth of evil.” - Marguerite Schumann
The Youth Voice Research Project conducted a survey and 13,000 students in grades 5-12 took this survey during the 2009 academic year. The survey showed that 73% pretended it did not bother them while 67% told a friend or friends. Majority of students stated that telling the bully to stop themselves actually made the situation