Discrimination And Bullying In Schools

Discrimination and bullying in our educational system has been a problem for many years. Children are being bullied because of reasons out of their control, such as color of hair, clothing being worn and even the color of their skin. “It has been estimated that roughly 77% of all students are bullied either physically or verbally” (Bullying). These victims of bullying can be put down and hurt. With that being said, I plan to review ways and when to talk to the victim of the abuse about discrimination/bullying. Also, I will look into how these offended children are affected by their peer’s nasty words and actions, while lastly, providing some preventative measures to create a friendlier environment. It’s not something every parent talks about …show more content…
Some children are affected severely while others hardly at all. Some kids can overcome the horrendous words of others yet some cannot stop thinking about them, replaying them over and over in their heads. An example of this would be in a short story by Sherman Alexie called Indian Education. Alexie describes how a man killed himself because of being discriminated. He then thinks he can relate to this man and by saying, “Believe me, everything looks like a noose if you stare at it long enough.” This is an extreme example of what a person being discriminated and bullied could do. Once again not everyone has such an extreme reaction. Some students feel depressed and engage in self-harm like self-mutilation. Some children turn to bullying others. “Children who bully may be depressed, angry, impulsive or unempathetic. They may think they 're superior to other kids, or they might be victims of physical abuse” (Johnson). Some children could be mentally or physically hurt as well. Your child could come home with scratches and bruises while showing signs of distancing himself/herself. Those distancing signs could include locking you, the parent, out of their room, hiding behind books in the classroom, not talking to adults or other children and not keeping up with assignments/homework. With that being said, there are still those children who not only ignore their taunting peers but strive to prove they can be …show more content…
For example, “States have been stepping up to the problem, with some 44 laws on the books, including some that allow school officials to take action against off-campus cyberbullying that causes disruption at school” (Billiteri). “All U.S. states except Montana require schools to protect students from bullying by implementing anti-bullying education programs and tracking and reporting individual incidents” (McLeod). This means that the schools and government have been trying to take control of this horrible situation. However, the school systems cannot be the only ones to take action in such a serious epidemic. Helping to create a friendlier environment is not easy. One could start by making all children aware that bullying and discrimination is not tolerated. One could let bullies know there will consequences. “The best intervention is utilizing no-nonsense behavioral corrections with prosocial development of interventions to foster replacement behaviors for the power needs of the bully” (Garrity). Next, one could provide support programs in school for students who are being bullied and discriminated against. These programs could help children vent and make friends with the same goal of ending bullying. Lastly, parents could create an after school program to provide help with both the bullies and the victims. Some students might find it hard to turn to a teacher during