Final Blog

Well everyone, it has been a good five weeks of posting. So this will be my last blog on bullying. I have enjoyed talking about bullying and ways to prevent it. Though here in the end I feel like I have ran out of ways to break it down more. I feel as if I am starting to repeat myself a lot with this topic but all of what I have been saying and talking about relates back to the overall main topic on bullying. My feelings on bullying remain the same throughout this. I still feel as if more laws should be put into place against bullying. Bullying needs to be stopped, as I have stated over and over again in this blog. Bullying takes many forms and bullies also come in many different shapes and sizes. Bullies can be anyone whether it be the senior jock football player picking on the math geek, the teenage girls tormenting the shy ones, or even adults in the workplace. Bullying is a never ending cycle that starts at a young age and can go all the way through adulthood. I have listed and talked about ways to get through the horrible experience of bullying and ways to stop and prevent it. Bullying Stops Here! You could be the one that Stops Bullying There! Be active, stay positive and stand up against bullying.

Bully Block App

Technology is getting more advanced these days. Every day you may hear someone or another say “there is an app for that”. They have made an application for the Droid phones now that is called the “Bully Block App”. This application is designed to help prevent bullying. It allows you to block phone numbers that are bullying you. Along with being able to capture inappropriate texts messages, picture messages, and even phone conversations from bullies. It has a recorder that can secretly record threatening messages and conversations. It will even block those who may use unknown numbers and private numbers for bullying purposes. It saves your threatening conversations and messages all to your SD card so that you can instantly contact and send copies to the authorities, office supervisors, parents, or teachers. I think that this application for phones will help many teens in the long run. The only real downfall that I see with it is that so far it is only for the Droid phones. It has not been made available for other types of phones. So any teen that is being bullied and wants to use this application, first needs to get a droid phone. It does provide a form of safety for more teens than none though. Many teens now-a-days do have cell phones and are constantly upgrading their phones. In the past there was not an application that students, teens, or just people in general could use to avoid bullies. With technology advances it has made it possible for bullies to bully others anonymously but with this application it will help to stop this from happening. I would highly suggest an application like this for teens that are being bullied, especially if they are just being cyber-bullied. I would also suggest trying to find something like this for their computers. It seems to me like this is a way to help stop bullying and if it really works then that makes this application that much better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovo1Vfzd8to

Why it is important to stop bullying

Bullying happens all the time. It is not a funny matter or something that should be used as entertainment. Bullying can take many forms such as verbal bullying, social bullying, physical bullying, and cyber-bullying. Teens that are bullied tend to feel bad about their self and can become depressed or confused with their lives. They can become hostile and violent and want to seek revenge. They can also become depressed and distant and want to take their own lives. Some teens that are bullied can go to some extreme measures. Such measures may include carrying guns or knives to feel safe. Along with that, teens that are the bullies tend to drop out of school which may lead to alcohol and drug related problems in their future. Bullying is the start of several problems for the future of many teens. Teens that are bullied can have a hostile outlook on life and carry that with them the rest of their lives. They can start to take their past out on their children. That goes the same for bullies themselves. Did you ever think about what caused bullies to bully others? It could be that their parents were bullied at a young age and bullied them at home because their parents carried it on in life with them. Maybe a bully bullies others because that is the sort of atmosphere that they have grown up in and they do not know better. These are all reasons why we need to stop the endless cycle of bullying. Bullying is one of those things that we should be seeing more public service announcements for, instead of the ones for neglected animals that are still being fed in the pounds. Then again that is off topic. My point is that bullying needs to be stopped and more people need to become aware of the fact that it is happening and they need to do more to stop it.  

Advice from Parents

Parents need a way to get through to their kids. Some parents may recognize some of the warning signs that their child is being bullied. So I thought I would give the parents some advice they could give their children. You should set down with your child and talk to them. Let them know that you are there for them and whatever they are going through. Make sure they know that they can come and talk to you. Sometimes talking to someone else helps so that they can figure out the best way to handle their problems. If they tell you that someone is bullying them then here are some things you can tell them. They should always walk with a buddy; it is called the buddy system many kids know what this is. By using the buddy system, this reduces the risk of being bullied because bullies do not tend to attack people in a group setting. The only time that bullies like to bully in public is if they do it as a sort of peer pressure to fit into a group. They still need to travel with a buddy. Two is better than one in a group scenario. They should also know safe places on their route to and from school. Such places as public areas that they can get to easily and that way there are witnesses to the acts of the bully. Also, you should teach them how to protect themselves and to know when to walk away. Though they should feel confident and proud of who they are so that no matter what the bully says about them they do not let it affect them. Encourage them to speak up against bullying and make new friends. If they have people to back them up then they will feel a lot more confident when confronting the bully.

Things to Remember

This is a list of things to remember if you or someone you know is being bullied. First off you are not alone in being bullied. There are many people every day that get bullied in some way or another. Teens are being bullied for the way they act, dress, talk, or look. Children are being bullied for the friends they make, the color of their hair, the color of their skin, or even just their size. Adults may also be bullied in the workplace or at home. Second, it is not your fault that you are being bullied and no one should ever have to go through the pain of being bullied. It hurts to be bullied and most of the time people are bullied for no real reason, just for the bullies own entertainment. The third thing to remember is whatever you do to stop the bullying, do not hurt yourself. You may feel like it is the only way out, but it is not. You can get help and stop the bully from hurting someone else. Fourth, do not let the bully win. If you surrender to the bully and let them keep hurting you then you are not helping yourself or anyone else. You are just making it easier for the bully to get what he/she wants. Keep doing what you love to do. My fifth thing to remember is, do not bully back. What I mean by this point is just because you are being bullied; do not take it out on your siblings at home or even on the younger/weaker kids around you at school. We want to stop bullying not promote it. Stop it in its tracks do not let it continue to be an endless cycle of one person bullying another after another after another. My last thing that I think all should remember is; talk to someone you trust. If you have someone you can go to that will help you and stand up for you then talk to them. Do not try to keep the bullying to yourself just because they say they will hurt you if you tell does not mean that they can act on that if they are taken care of by an adult or authority figure.

How students react to bullying

Students can react in many ways to bullying. They can accept the bully and keep in mind that the bully may have more underlying issues that are affecting them than what they are bullying the other student with. Students can stand up to a bully; they can do this in several different ways too. Ways to stand up to a bully include: going to a trusted adult or teacher and telling them about it, standing up to the bully in person, or they could just try to avoid the bully all together. Some students that have been bullied will want to switch to a different school or have switched schools just to feel safer. They feel that if they get away from the bully then the bully cannot hurt them, when in reality if a bully wants to hurt them, they may find a way to hurt them anyways, such as cyber-bullying them. Students that are bullied also tend to avoid certain areas in school or on their way home to avoid running into the bully. They may avoid the school bathrooms all together for the fact that they are scared a bully will corner them and give them a swirly or just attack them in general.  Students would rather teachers intervene rather than them ignore the teasing and bullying. They would feel this way because usually only about twenty-five percent of teachers or administrators actually intervene, even though about seventy percent of teachers believe they do intervene, they really do not. Teachers need to intervene more often whether they believe they are or are not, they need to show it by their actions. Even if the teachers’ action was only to give the bully a detention for one day. A detention for one day may help the victim get away and make it home without being harassed.  Help try to prevent bullying, do not just ignore it. It does not go away for the victim so why push it away and out of your mind.

Should kids be tormented? NO!

Should kids be tormented through the internet or cell phones? I do not think so. Megan Meier was a girl that got caught up in the social world on the internet. She met a new guy online and thought everything was going great till he turned on her. She started getting messages from schoolmates and this new guy saying that they did not like her and the way she treated people. She could not handle all that they were putting on her. Because of being cyber-bullied this girl took her own life. Then afterwards her parents tried to contact this guy she had met online but could not get ahold of him. They could not get ahold of him because he was not a real teenage boy, but instead a woman in her late forties that was the mother of one of Megan’s’ former friends. I feel like this woman got off too easily, because back when this happened there were not very many laws against bullying. Since this happened there have been laws put into effect against bullying but since this action happened before the laws were made this woman was not charged as bad as she could have been. The laws put into effect today cannot convict on actions made before the law was passed. I think that parents should keep in mind that no matter how much they trust their kids to behave and be respectful online, that you cannot always trust everyone else in the world. Parents need to talk to their teens before they let them sign up for an account on a social network like MySpace, Facebook, or twitter. Parents, you need to let your teens know that no matter what they talk about online that you are always there for them if they are experiencing harmful threats or mean messages. No teen should feel like they do not have anyone to talk to about being cyber-bullied or just bullied in general. Teens should know that they can go to someone for help and not be afraid to.

Ways to prevent bullying

Bullying is a very common occurrence. I feel like parents and adults should know some ways that they can help to prevent bullying or to inform their children of what to do in case of a bully. Bullies tend to bully others to pull the attention off of them and hurt others. Adults should address the issue of bullying with children. Whether it be parents addressing their children or teachers addressing students, either way bullying needs to be addressed, it is not harmless. Also, teachers and parents can make rules against bullying to prevent the kids from bullying other students or their siblings. Teach kids to act aware, calm, and confident when it comes to bullies. Kids should not have to fear bullies. They should be able to walk away from the bully calm and collectively. Teach kids good denial skills, if they deny the lies against them or rumors made by the bully then they will have more confidence. They should be able to stand up to the bully or be able to have enough courage to talk to a trusted adult about it. Teach your kids to get help and to not be afraid to get help. Getting help is something that can help them emotionally and physically. Kids should also know how to defend themselves, defense in words and physically. Though, you should also make it very clear that defending themselves physically is a last resort. Fighting is never the solution, and should not be encouraged. Give kids the chance to practice the prevention of bullying. You can help them practice this by setting up scenarios, and practice situations. Along with taking them to self-defense classes or karate classes, and they should know and remember that fighting is a last resort nor is it an acceptable means of preventing bullying.

Ways to identify if a teen is a Bully

All across America and possibly other countries too, bullying takes place. Bullying is a choice that teens make. By no means is it a good choice but it is a behavioral choice none the less. Teens that chose to bully others generally are more aggressive. Some signs that your teen may be a bully to others include being violent with others, along with getting into physical or verbal fights with others. If your teen is a cyber-bully they may seem more distant. They may even lock themselves in their room for long periods of time or delete all messages in and out along with their internet history daily. Teens that bully others may do it just because their friends do it. Peer pressure has a large impact on bullying. They may be afraid that if they do not join in on the bullying that they may be bullied instead. Some bullies find humor in cruel games and violent films. This in turn gives them a feeling of pleasure in bullying others. Another way to tell if your child is a bully is if he or she has extra money or new belongings that cannot be explained. They also may be quick to blame others and will not accept responsibility for their actions. Bullies sometimes find power in bullying and they bully others because they feel the need to win or be the best at everything. By bullying others they feel like the winner and that they can over power and do whatever they want to whoever they want.  If you suspect that your teen is a bully and is bullying others then you need to find a way to confront them about it and get them help. Bullies tend to bottle up their emotions and relieve their emotions and stress as anger towards others. Don’t encourage bullying help to prevent it.

Ways to Identify Victims of Bullying

There are many signs of bullying and things or ways you can identify if your child or teen is a victim of bullying. Victims of bullying may have changes in their mood or behavior. Changes in behavior may include being frightened of walking to and from school, they may beg to have you drive them to school or become school phobic. They may pretend to feel sick in the mornings so they don’t have to go to school, or they may be doing poorly in school work. Another problem that may be a good indication of being a victim of bullying is that they may be losing weight. Losing weight from lack of food at school meaning the bully is taking their lunch or lunch money, or they may lose their appetite and stop eating all together. If they are being physically bullied they may come home with clothes or books that are destroyed along with them crying themselves to sleep or having nightmares. They may come home regularly with unexplained bruises, cuts, or scratches. Behavioral changes may include asking excessively for extra money or resulting to stealing from their parents to pay the bully. Changes in mood may include becoming more aggressive and unreasonable, along with taunting or harassing other children such as siblings or friends. Their mood may seem more distressed or anxious. They may attempt or threaten suicide because they feel overwhelmed and are tired of being bullied daily or on a regular basis. Victims of bullying need counseling and they need to know that they have friends and family behind them to support them. No one wants a teen or child to be bullied or to feel it necessary to take their own life. Bullies should be stopped and parents should not try bullying the bully because two wrongs do not make a right.

Why Teens Bully

Teens tend to see bullying as entertainment. They bully to put their hurt onto others. Some bullies have been put through bad things in their lives so they feel like others should feel as bad as they do. Bullies have hidden emotions and feelings that can turn into something more. Feelings that eventually put so much frustration onto them that they feel they need to relieve the stress by bullying others. By putting their emotions into bullying they avoid the inner problems that they have and in turn hurt others. Bullying should not be a get a way sort of activity that teens do to relieve stress. Teens should get counseling if they are having other issues. Though this may be true a lot of teens never seek help. Instead they turn to other things such as drugs, alcohol, bullying, and even suicide. There are many victims of bullying that have suicidal thoughts but I wonder how many bullies themselves have the same suicidal thoughts. Yes some bullies just bully people for entertainment but have you ever thought of how many bullies actually bully because they have been bullied themselves. Or maybe they were just taunted or teased as a child and are seeking revenge on people that remind them of themselves when they were younger. They tend to prey on the weaker teens or teens with lower self-esteem. How can we help bullies to get help if they do not want help? First off we need to find a way to let the bully know and understand that they are being a bully and that what they are doing is wrong.  Bullies may not see it as mean or they may not realize that what they are doing to others is having that much effect on them. Bullies need to be stopped and need to possibly be put through an intervention or counseling so they know that they are hurting others and that their family and friends do care about their actions.

Physical Bullying

Bullying can take many tolls on teens. One way that teens are bullied is physical bullying. Being physically bullied is not a good thing; it causes fear and pain to those who are victims of bullying. Teens that are physically bullied experience a bad and hostile environment. They can be bullied at school by being stuffed in a locker, having to give up their lunch money, and in the process they may get possible bruises or broken bones. Those are just a few examples of how teens are physically bullied. Some bullies use physical abuse to threaten their victims. They literally beat their victims to get what they want. This in turn has negative effects on the victims of physical bullying. Victims of physical abuse and bullying are scared to go to school or walk home alone; they are afraid that the bullies will harm them when no one is around to protect them. Victims of bullying do not always talk to anyone about being bullied. They are generally afraid that if they say anything that the bully may attack more aggressively or harass them more. Another negative effect of bullying is that victims of bullying also tend to let their grades slip. This can be caused by the victim doing the bully’s homework instead of their own, along with not wanting to go to classes in chance that they might run into their bully. Bullies tend to repeat actions that they have experienced or seen somewhere else. Some bullies also find humor in what they do, when they do not realize that what they are doing can hurt others whether it is emotionally or even physically. Even sometimes to the point of hospitalization. Physical abuse, bullying, and harassment are not something to find humor in. It is a serious matter that happens every day in some schools and most of the time it goes unseen.  It needs to be prevented and not supported by the bully’s followers.

Emotional effects from bullying

Bullying causes lots of problems amongst teens. One major problem is the emotional effects or strains it puts on teens. Emotional strains such as insomnia, fear, hyperventilation, and suicidal thoughts. Bullying can cause teens to lose sleep or in other words, become an insomniac. It can also instill enough fear in a teen that they have bad thoughts and are scared for their life, or make them feel like there is no point in moving on with life. There are bullies that come up with odd things to torment others with. They can even make the others feel like they are whatever the bully says they are, when in reality they most likely are not as bad as what the bully makes it out to be. For example a bully taunting another teen by saying they are ugly or that they are fat. When in reality most teens that are tormented for being fat usually are not fat and turn to anorexia. A bully can make a teen feel subconscious; they can cause a teen to think that they are ugly, and that they are fat. When really the teen is perfect in their own way and they do not need to change anything to fit into a bully’s perfect world. Bullies tend to try to instill fear into their peers, they feel like they should be the Alfa dog or that they are superior to others.  Bullying is cruel and unusual punishment. Teens that bully other teens need help to understand why bullying is wrong. Teens that are bullied need help to get through the bullying and to get the bullying to stop. I feel as if the only reason a teen becomes a bully is because they have a bad past, a harmful home, or some other underlying problem that is an emotional or psychological thing that makes them angry enough to be a bully.

Being Bullied

There are many different ways that teens can be bullied. Bullies generally do not see it as hurting someone, they more or less see it as entertainment. Teens can be bullied emotionally, physically, and through technology. Over half of teens today are bullied in some way or another. The majority of victims’ parents do not even know that their child has been bullied. There is a large majority of parents that find out from suicide notes left behind by the child or by reading the child’s personal journal. Over the next few weeks I will be discussing the different types of bulling, ways to recognize a victim of bullying and ways to recognize teens that are the bullies themselves. Along with the emotional effects it has on teens, the physical results from bullying, and ways to help or prevent bullying.  Bullying isn’t the least bit funny or entertaining; it can be really hurtful to others and can ruin people’s lives. In most cases bullying is a tactic to cover up some underlying problem. Most bullies have other issues in their lives that prompt them to put their feelings onto others. I feel like there needs to be more awareness programs against bullying. Along with more places that teens can go to receive help from being bullied. Whether it be counseling programs, hotlines, websites, or just a safe house for them to get away from the stresses of being bullied. I also think there should be some sort of program or counseling to keep kids from bullying. That way when or if a parent or advisor finds that a teen is bullying others that they can refer them to get help to stop them from harming others.

1st Blog

Hey Everyone,
I am starting this blog for my Writing as Engagement class and I was put into a group to talk on the topic of bullying. So for the next five weeks I will be talking about the different types of bullying, how we can help to prevent it from happening, and my thoughts and feelings on the subject of bullying. I will also be talking about the effects of bullying on teens whether it is their emotions or physical abuse. I will also list some possible advice for parents. The advice may include things such as how to talk to your children and teens about bullying if they are the bully, and how to talk to them if they are the victim. I will talk about why I think it is important to stop bullying and ways to prevent it. Bullying happens every day in many different places. It can happen in the schoolyard, in the hallways, at home, and at work. No matter how old one is, you cannot always avoid being bullied. Now-a-days they have come out with an application to avoid cyber bullying. There are also things that you should remember if you are being bullied. Things to remember may help you to know that you are not alone. Bullying needs to stop and through this blog I am putting out information on ways to help prevent it and not encourage it. So follow my blog and let others know how you feel on the subject of bullying. My main purpose for this blog is (1) for my class, and (2) to raise awareness about bullying and basically to inform, prevent, and help. Bullying Stops Here! Stop it where you’re at too! Do not encourage it but instead prevent it!