Bullying in our schools
Bullying is a prevalent form of youth violence, particularly in school settings. […] it is defined by aggressive behavior (i.e., behavior that is intentional and mean) that occurs repeatedly over time and within the context of a power imbalance. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The students learn by example. If the school’s community behave as bullies, it should be blamed for all the wrongs that happen in school. If the community behaves toward each other with care and compassion, we can witness a safe, nurturing space. This sounds utopic, but if we work hard and commit to build a school environment that follows these criteria, it will happen. It is important that the students that are victims of any kind of bullying in our schools, learn to jump from an attitude of fear to one of love, compassion, and leadership. How can we do this?
Bullying is part of the social illness that erupts from egoism that has been growing from generations ending up in aggressiveness and violence. Violence comes from lack of empathy and from and ego dominated by personal interests that do not want to be corrected. It creates victims that may not recuperate from the trauma of being abused repeatedly in front of their classmates.
The healing of the victims’ hearts may be long and painful. Requires the development of good environment and correct communication between the whole student body. The school administrators, students, parents, teachers, and the Board of Directors need to implement regulations aiming to the eradication of the hatred showed by bullies. If this cancer is not eliminated, violence will intensify diminishing the hope of creating spaces of learning that are safe, peaceful, and friendly for students and projecting these values toward the society. This is an unnecessary pain! Schools need to build communication between different groups of students, teachers and parents immersed in values of unity, brotherhood, and mutual concern. With this goal in their minds and in their hearts, this kind of catastrophic event would never happen in the sacred space of learning. From this collective commitment, the students will be ready to face the world and build a more compassionate society.
We, the society, cannot allow that this unfounded hatred from some students toward others continue ruining the basic fiber of our nation’s youth. We need to be willing to face the problem and commit to become a beacon of light and make our schools safe havens for our children. By uniting and facing this plague, we will awaken a force that will bring balance and confidence to our school system. Let us engage the people through our social platforms and demand the end of cynicism, intolerance, bickering, bullying, and abuse. Let us eliminate victims from bullying in our schools by creating a safety net that protects them from unnecessary abuse and pain. Let us try to help the bullies develop an attitude of love toward their fellow students, instead of allowing their violence impulses arise and harm others. Only together we can repair and eradicate the problem of bullying in our schools.