As many adult survivors can attest, childhood is not always an easy thing to endure. One of the most difficult challenges a child can face is school bullying, the deliberate intimidation of weaker children by larger or stronger children. A school bully is often a troubled child with self-esteem and anger management issues who acts out through physical and mental aggression towards those they perceive as victims or less likely to defend themselves.
School bullying is by no means a recent development. Many generations of children have experienced the wrath of a childhood bully, and for some of those victims, the emotional scars continue into adulthood. Some bullies operate independently, while others seek strength in numbers as a gang. Some neighborhood streets or sections of the schoolyard may “belong” to a gang of bullies, forcing other students to run an intimidating gauntlet or avoid the area altogether.
There are some child behavior experts who suggest that school bullying is actually a cry for help from the bully. The bully/victim relationship can be seen as two sides of the same emotional coin, so to speak. While a victim of bullying or abuse may withdraw emotionally and physically, a bully essentially vents their frustrations on others. Both the victim and the bully may suffer abuse from siblings or parents at home, but one learns to cope by remaining passive, while the other learns to cope through aggression and antisocial behavior.
School bullying is a major issue that needs to be addressed by school administrators, teachers, parents, and students themselves. Some school bullies may need professional counseling to address the circumstances that trigger their outbursts and aggressive behavior towards other children and adults. Others may need to be closely monitored for signs of escalation, such as artwork or writings depicting violence and other disturbing topics.
If school bullying is not kept in check, the results can be disastrous. Many of the school shootings in recent years can be traced back to previous episodes of school bullying. Either the victim of school bullies decides to exact revenge on those who have wronged them, or a student with an antisocial or bullying mentality decides to move from fantasizing about violence and bloodshed to the actual event. In both scenarios, early intervention could still help prevent school bullying episodes from turning into school tragedies.
On an individual level, parents who receive reports of school bullying from their children should take these concerns seriously and not dismiss them as part of a rite of passage or “boys will be boys.” Some school bullies are perfectly capable of committing sexual assaults or smuggling real weapons onto school property, so any tangible threat against a child should be investigated by parents or school authorities before threats turn into actions. Reporting credible threats to law enforcement is also a way to combat serious episodes of school bullying.
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