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The problem with bullies: for teens all over the U.S., bullying has become a serious health crisis.


By sixth grade, Karen had experienced her share of hardships. She had just been adopted by a family in Chattanooga, Tennessee “Chattanooga” redirects here. For other uses, see Chattanooga (disambiguation).
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in Tennessee (after Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville), and the seat of Hamilton CountyGR6
, after spending six years in foster care. Naturally shy and quiet, Karen also struggled with a slight speech impediment speech impediment ndefecto del habla

speech impediment ndéfaut m d'élocution

speech impediment speech n
. She had only one good friend.

All this made Karen (not her real name) an easy target for a bully. Her tormentor, a popular girl at school, loved to taunt Karen about the way she spoke and about her home life.

"She made fun of the fact that I was a foster kid and that my mother didn't take care of me," says Karen.

Sometimes the abuse was physical. The bully might shove Karen or throw one of her shoes in a toilet. Even after the other girl received several suspensions and detentions for her bullying Bullying
Chowne, Parson Stoyle

terrorizes parish; kidnaps children. [Br. Lit.: The Maid of Sker, Walsh Modern, 94–95]

Claypole, Noah

bully; becomes thief in Fagin’s gang. [Br. Lit.
, she refused to give Karen a break.

Millions of U.S. teens understand what Karen went through. A 2001 study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that more than 16 percent of students in grades 6-12 said they had been bullied. Nineteen percent said they had been bullies themselves.

It's not just the victims who are hurt by bullying. Another study found that 60 percent of bullies in grades 6 through 9 will be convicted of a criminal act by age 24!

At one time, bullying was considered just a natural part of growing up. Today, authorities see it as a serious health crisis. It is estimated that bullying keeps 160,000 U.S. students out of school each day.

WHAT IS BULLYING?

Bullying takes many forms: gossip, snubbing Snubbing is a type of heavy well intervention performed on oil and gas wells. It involves running the BHA on a pipe string using a hydraulic workover rig. Unlike wireline or coiled tubing, the pipe is not spooled off a drum but made up and broken up while running in and pulling , put-downs, threats, and violent attacks. Its roots lie in the difference of power between the bullies and their victims. Bullies tend to be confident, impulsive im·pul·sive
adj.
1. Inclined or tending to act on impulse rather than thought.

2. Motivated by or resulting from impulse.



im·pul
 (acting on the spur of the moment Adv. 1. on the spur of the moment - on impulse; without premeditation; "he decided to go to Chicago on the spur of the moment"; "he made up his mind suddenly"
suddenly
), and popular. Victims tend to be withdrawn and have few friends. Many bullies come from homes where they are neglected or abused. Bullying allows them to exercise power that's denied to them at home.

Boys and girls boys and girls

mercurialisannua.
 bully differently. Boys tend to use threats and physical violence. Girl bullies rely more on backbiting back·bite  
v. back·bit , back·bit·ten , back·bit·ing, back·bites

v.tr.
To speak spitefully or slanderously about (another).

v.intr.
 (cruel comments), social exclusion social exclusion
Noun

Sociol the failure of society to provide certain people with those rights normally available to its members, such as employment, health care, education, etc.
, and spreading false rumors. Cyberbullying, a new form of harassment Ask a Lawyer

Question
Country: United States of America
State: Nevada

I recently moved to nev.from abut have been going back to ca. every 2 to 3 weeks for med.
, allows a bully to humiliate his or her peers with email and blog postings.

For victims, being bullied damages self-esteem. Bullying expert Marlene Snyder says that fear of bullies also makes class time much more trying for the victims. "They're sitting there trying to survive, not able to really learn," she says.

Karen, now a 14-year-old eighth-grader, says that was her experience. "I hated going to school," she told JS.

Karen's frequent complaints about the bullying finally brought her some relief. She and her tormentor were given separate class schedules for eighth grade.

Karen believes the other girl may also have been threatened with expulsion EXPULSION. The act of depriving a member of a body politic, corporate, or of a society, of his right of membership therein, by the vote of such body or society, for some violation of hi's. . Whatever happened, the bully now ignores Karen. Life is easier to handle. And yet the bullying has left its mark.

"School's still stressful," Karen says. "I'm always on the watch to see who's coming toward me."

STOPPING BULLIES

Is there bullying at your school? If so, here are some tips to help with the problem:

1. Talk to a trusted adult. Don't be ashamed to ask for help when you or someone you know is being bullied.

2. Realize that you don't deserve to be bullied. Nobody deserves to be put down or pushed around. Never directly confront a bully, but do something that can help resolve the problem.

3. Step in when an individual is being bullied. Kids can't watch others get hurt and teased tease  
v. teased, teas·ing, teas·es

v.tr.
1. To annoy or pester; vex.

2. To make fun of; mock playfully.

3.
 and do nothing about it.

In recent years, many schools have implemented effective anti-bullying programs. Denny Middle School Denny Middle School is a middle school in West Seattle, the southwest portion of Seattle, Washington. Operated by Seattle Public Schools, Denny Middle School opened in 1952. It is named for David T.  in Seattle, Washington This page is protected from moves until disputes have been resolved on the .
The reason for its protection is listed on the protection policy page.
, launched such a program last September. Already there have been signs of progress. Last December, Craig Little, 13, saw a new student being taunted by a group of fellow seventh-graders. The lead bully wouldn't let the boy pass.

Instead of standing by, Craig acted. He said, "You guys leave him a alone, and let him go." Craig then escorted the boy away from the group. The lead bully and the new student have since made up. "I talked to both of them [later], and they're all fight with each other," Craig told JS. "They're kind of becoming friends."

Your Turn

THINK ABOUT IT

What would you do if you saw a kid bullying someone at your school?

LESSON PLANS

OBJECTIVES

Students should understand

* Bullying is viewed as a serious health crisis in many schools and affects both the victim and the aggressor AGGRESSOR, crim. law. He who begins, a quarrel or dispute, either by threatening or striking another. No man may strike another because he has threatened, or in consequence of the use of any words. .

TEACHING STRATEGY

Encourage students to share any experience they or someone they know has had with bullying. How was the situation resolved?

BACKGROUND

According to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 the Indiana Education Policy Center, most incidents of bullying occur in places with little adult supervision. Studies show that a well-designed in-school prevention program can reduce or eliminate bullying. These programs can also help reduce incidents of vandalism, fighting, and truancy.

THINKING SKILLS

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: What are the differences between boy and girl bullies? (According to' research, boys tend to use threats and physical violence, while girls bully through social exclusion and the spreading of false rumors.)

MAKING INFERENCES: Why is bullying no longer considered to be a natural part of growing up? (Education and health authorities consider bullying to be a serious health concern. According to statistics, about 160,000 students skip school each day to avoid being bullied. Bullying in school affects learning, damages the self-esteem of its victims, and can lead to greater acts of violence.)

DISCUSS: Do you agree with the suggestion that other students should intervene and try to stop an act of bullying? Would you? Why or why not?

ACTIVITY

BULLY PREVENTION: Divide the class into small groups or pairs. Instruct each group to create bully-prevention posters or to perform a skit illustrating antibullying measures.

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Individual development and identity: Understanding the motivations behind bullying and the responsibility of each individual to try to stop it.

* Civic ideals and practices. How adults and students can create clear rules in order to effectively deal with bullying.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Beane, Allan, The Bully Free Classroom: Over 100 Tips and Strategies for Teachers K-8 (Free Spirit Publishing, 1999). Grades 5-8.

* Olweus, Dan, Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do (Blackwell Publishers, 1894). Grades 5-8.

WEBSITES

* Bully Prevention www.safechild.org/bullies.htm

* Stop Bullying Now! www.stopbullyingnow.com
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No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
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Author:Price, Sean
Publication:Junior Scholastic
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Feb 9, 2004
Words:1078
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