BULLYING CULTURE MUST STOP
By Patrick Azadian
Glendale News Press
09/08/17/columns/gnp-margins081809.txt
Monday, August 17, 2009 8:32 PM PDT
Bullying in schools is an age-old problem and until recently, many
viewed it as a student-to-student problem. This meant students were
often left alone to resolve their issues among themselves. It is
easy to see problems with this approach, as educational institutions
beyond pre-school cater to the needs of a diverse group of students. I
went to school when taking care of yourself was still the predominant
culture. If someone bullied you, the best advice you could hope for was
to be told by your father that you have to stand up for yourself. Yet,
telling parents or teachers about the bullying was frowned upon. In the
old days, only the "weak" told on their schoolmates to their parents.
I did not experience much bullying, whether it was at my private
Armenian school or at the public high school I attended in
Sacramento. Attending the private school from first grade helped; I
was an insider. On one occasion my best friend did play a dangerous
practical joke on me. He sharpened his pencil and placed it to the
side of my vision and tapped me on the shoulder. The pencil barely
missed my eye ball, but made a nasty wound in my eye socket.
Even then, I was reluctant to tell the teacher, which wasn’t in the
code of conduct among classmates. It was only after some bleeding
that the teacher asked me to see the principal and the nurse.
My friend was suspended for a week, but I felt bad for him because he
had shown great remorse. If I could, I would have hidden the accident
from everyone. That was the code of conduct.
At the public high school where I graduated, besides isolated
derogatory remarks about my country of origin, I was never thrown
off guard. There was bullying, but the student-to-student culture of
handling it was the same as private school.
This is probably why I was witness to frequent fights in the quad area
that pitted students belonging to different race and ethnic backgrounds
against one another. For better or worse, there were no Armenians
at my school, so I never got roped into choosing a side. Despite
their differences, students at our high school rarely told on their
classmates and many refused to back down from their respective
positions — hence the problem with the student-to-student approach.
Student violence in recent decades, including the Columbine school
shooting, has highlighted the serious and deadly consequences of
bullying. Now educators and politicians are turning to experts in
understanding bullying and victimization.
Dan Olweus of Norway, one of the pioneers of research on bullying and
victimization, defines bullying as repeated negative, ill-intentioned
behavior by one or more students directed against a student who has
difficulty defending him or herself.
Most bullying occurs without any apparent provocation.
In his 1993 book, "Bullying at School: What we know and what we
can do," Olweus identifies the characteristics of students who are
most likely to become bullies and those who are more likely to be
the victims.
Bullies tend to have a strong need to dominate and subdue other
students and to get their way; they may also be impulsive and easily
angered. In addition, they are more defiant and aggressive toward
parents and teachers, as well as show little empathy toward students
who are victimized. Male bullies are often physically stronger than
the rest.
According to the same research, those who are bullied can be cautious,
sensitive, quiet, withdrawn and shy. They are often anxious, insecure,
unhappy and have self-esteem issues.
They may also be depressed and engage in suicidal thoughts more than
their peers.
They may have few good friends and relate better to adults than their
peers. Male victims may be physically weaker than their peers.
Bullying is a global phenomenon; it is not an alien concept to our
schools here.
About 50 local students recently gathered at Maple Park to take
action against bullying through an event sponsored by the city,
the Glendale Unified School District and the local group Community
Action Against Bullying.
Many of the attending students raised their hands, admitting that
they had either been bullied or bullied others.
Awareness about bullying is the first step; the school district, the
city and local activists seem to be at the forefront of addressing
this issue.
Yet without active institutional intervention, we should understand
that educational and awareness programs can only help victims in a
limited way.
A culture of bullying is self-perpetuating and will undoubtedly
generate more bullies — and victims.
BPATRICK AZADIAN is a writer, Glendale resident and the director of
admissions at Mt. Sierra College in Monrovia. He may be reached at
respond@fromthemargins.net.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress