A Speech on Bullying in Schools - Assignment Example

A Speech on Bullying in Schools Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe everyone in this room has at one time or the other, been a victim of harassment or bullying in schools, classes or at home. Imagine reporting to a new school and facing coercion from the older students who are prone to mistreating others. This situation brings on board the aspect of bullying in most schools where appropriate policies do not guide against the vice. Considering this, bullying is a common habit that can affect the social skills and mental health of both the victims and the bullies. This is because of the trauma it is associated with when someone suffers without committing any offense. In this speech, I shall be covering bullying in schools in regards to the different forms of the habit, negative repercussions and the prevention measures. Bullying among students takes various forms, such as physical, emotional, verbal or cyber harassment. This implies that the victims may experience harassment in any form that is prevalent within their schools. I would like to tell the audience here that the physical and verbal forms are common with the boys while girls normally use the emotional and verbal tendencies (Langan, 2013). The cyber bullying aspect is also on the rise because of the advent of the social media networks where students interact with their peers and strangers. Similarly, both girls and boys can still apply the other forms of bullying that they like and depends on environmental and background factors. Let me also add that bullies are always known individuals, especially the popular students (Langan, 2013). They take advantage of their popularity and seniority within the school to harass others for their own personal interests. This also takes place in the presence of other students who might influence the action to proceed or be prevalent in their school. The parents should try to mold their children to embrace good manners and know how to relate with others. It is also appropriate for the teachers to encourage the students to speak out whenever something like bullying happens (Langan, 2013). Bullying poses negative consequences in schools and affects the bullies and the victims in similar measures. For instance, bullying can derail a student’s academic performance due to the psychological effects and physical injuries (Pepler, Rigby & Smith, 2004). The mental well being of a student is vital for academics and socialization since he or she feels comfortable learning in that environment. The other undesirable consequence of bullying is that it can make a student skip classes for fear of victimization. This happens if the administration does not control the bullying activities and the students feel the school is not the right place. They end up missing classes, which drops their academic performance. It can also lead to fighting that cause physical injuries to the bullies and this makes them miss class in order to access medical checkup. Bullying in schools also causes rudeness among the bullies because they think that the elders cannot punish them (Pepler, Rigby & Smith, 2004). There are instances when the bullies abuse their family members by engaging in physical or verbal activities. The adolescents also feel that they are uncontrollable by their parents and are always oppressive to commands. This habit can cause damage at schools when the bullies disrupt the peace by the constant fights against teachers. I hope people in this room are taking note of the various ways bullying is unpleasant in schools. The habit is slowing gaining prevalence in other forms like cyber bullying where students face harassment through electronic media. I will now tackle ways of controlling the prevalence of bullying in our schools, starting with the online abuses. This should start at homes in which the parents monitor the actions of their children on the internet. In order to bullying, parents need to join the teachers by ensuring that their children are disciplined and show respect others (Twemlow & Sacco, 2012). Online bullying is not always evident and may take time to notice its effects on the students. This implies that the social interaction sites should be supervised and blocked if they are exposing the students to tormentors. The other preventive action is the establishment of a learning culture that encourages acceptance, lenience and appreciation of other students. This should be the first step by teachers to ensure that the students are free to mingle and socialize with their colleagues without fear (Twemlow & Sacco, 2012). The bullies who fail to observe this school culture will be lonely since the other students will avoid their groups. It is also crucial to have policies that curb bullying by issuing punitive penalties for those involved in harassing others. For instance, it might involve suspension, expulsion or punishments to the bullies. This makes the other potential bullies to stop coercing their peers for the fear of being punished. The administration can also conduct counseling sessions in which students are prepared on how to avoid bullies or bullying activities (Twemlow & Sacco, 2012). The concept of identifying the bullying problem is a step towards showing the students that the habit is a punishable offense. Allow me to conclude my speech by highlight on the important aspects of bullying in schools learnt in this forum. It is apparent that bullying in schools takes place and both the girls and boys engage in the habit. For this reason, I hope parents and teachers are able to monitor the behaviors of the concerned students to avoid the negative consequences. The common bullying forms in schools entail physical, verbal and cyber abuses in which the schools ought to understand. The popularity of one student can influence the chances of mistreating others due to the respect and adoration they enjoy from other children. The negative impacts of this habit are the avoidance of classes, solitude, disrespect and disruption of the mental wellbeing of both the bullies and the victims. As a result, the preventive measures are the engagement of parents to help teachers understand the habits of their children and control of internet interactions. It is also essential to have policies in schools that discourage the bullying habits and instituting a school culture that encourages unity and appreciation. I pray for God to bless everyone for the time and cooperation during this speech. Thank you All! References Langan, P. (2013). Bullying in schools: What you need to know. West Berlin, NJ: Townsend Press. Pepler, D. J., Rigby, K., & Smith, P. K. (2004). Bullying in schools: How successful can Interventions be? Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press. Twemlow, S. W., & Sacco, F. C. (2012). Preventing bullying and school violence. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub. Read More