Significant Facts:
• Forty-five states now have anti-bullying laws; in Massachusetts, having one of the strictest anti-bullying programs are mandated in schools.
• Research has shown: kids who are bullied are five times more likely to be depressed, and nearly 160,000 of them skip school each day, fearful of their peers.
• One study conducted found middle-schoolboys deemed “bullies” would be convicted of at least one crime by the time they reached 24 years of age.
• 1 in 5 students are bullied each year and an appalling 9 in 10 gay and lesbians students on top of that number.
• Sure prevention programs have been shown to reduce school bullying by as much as 50%.
My Response:
Bullying is a heart wrenching, but ever present issue we have in our school systems. This article was extremely eye opening for me, as this topic always is. I found it appalling that children take their own lives because of the words and thoughts spoken from others. This article set out with a question, “Is the notion of being bullied to death valid?” Now what do you think? Yes, I believe it is. Our youth today is so enveloped with this image society has set forth before us and wants us to portray, but I have to say, it is impossible! Our children need to be children and shouldn’t have to worry about body image and being “bullied to death” because they aren’t tall, gorgeous, or thin enough for their peers. No child should fear school because they will be bullied, but this is what has become and what the article touches on. I took every word of this article into account and thoroughly enjoyed reading the authors viewpoints in which I completely agree with. This article shows relevance to my career in nursing with children because I will come into contact with youth who will need counseling because they have had to deal with bullies and the trauma that comes with them.
Relevance:
This article impacts children and families in all different directions