Saying no to bullying is easier said than done. When we are actually put on the spot to stop bullying, we opt to blend into the onlooking crowd of bystanders rather than to speak up and halt the bullies. To combat bullying, we have to understand why one bullies in order to oppose and prevent ourselves from bullying others.
The people and the environment surrounding us contributes greatly to driving a person to bully someone. Lack of attention and care from parents may be one of the many factors that cause a child to become a bully. Aggressive behavior performed by parents can be learned by children and imitated at school (STOMP Out Bullying, n.d.). At the same time, in order to gain social respect and attention from other people, children start to bully others. The things one sees and plays such as movies and video games can also play a role in a child’s bullying behavior. (Silva, 2014) Bullies try to target “weaker” people because they crave power and attention. Regardless, no matter the reason, bullying is wrong!
To avoid bullying one has to learn how to approach a bully, avoid situations where bullying may occur and seek out for help to deal with bullying. Bullies target victims who do not assert themselves, so the first step of getting rid of a bully is to say no. Never let a bully take control of how you act. Showing confidence and making eye contact with a bully displays confidence and aplomb, which might cause the bully to reconsider themselves. Remember that you are priceless and you have every right to expect people to treat you with respect! (Geoghegan and wikiHow, 2020). Try out some activities that will allow you to feel in control or relieve stress (YoungMinds, 2020). Do whatever works best for you and take things at your own pace. You do deserve help and things will get better!
Our school has incorporated many activities to bring awareness and educate about bullying. Since we approach the month of November, each class was instructed to make a creative video to preach and broadcast about anti-bullying. Each house color also made posters to inspire others to cut off and obviate bullying. Some sang songs, others made short skits and one class even made a rap song that was very catchy! Moreover, each house color made posters to inspire others to cut off bullying and provide actions to obviate bullying. Throughout this anti bullying week, many posters were hung up on the school walls to always remind students that bullying is bad!
As Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” To halt bullying it starts with each one of us. Bullying is never ok. It does not make you a better person. Bullying kills, so make the right choice to stand up against bullies and show compassion to others. Step up so others don’t get stepped on!
REFERENCES
Silva, N. (2014, December 7). What is Bullying and How To Stop Bullying at School (With Bullying Facts and Statistics). HubPages. Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://discover.hubpages.com/education/What-is-School-Bullying-and-How-To-Stop-Bullying-With-Bullying-Facts-and-Statistics
STOMP Out Bullying. (n.d.). Why Do Kids Bully? Retrieved December 2, 2020, from https://www.stompoutbullying.org/why-kids-bully
Geoghegan, N. and wikiHow. (2020, November 10). How to Stand up Against Bullying Without Getting in Trouble. wikiHow. Retrieved December 5, 2020, from https://www.wikihow.com/Stand-up-Against-Bullying-Without-Getting-in-Trouble
YoungMinds. (2020, November 16). How to stand up against bullying. YoungMinds. Retrieved December 5, 2020, from https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/how-to-stand-up-against-bullying/
