Bullying In Elementary Schools

Though children are often viewed as sweet and innocent; children can be harsh and curl predators on the playground and in the classrooms. Students are becoming bullies at an alarmingly young age. In fact, Children as young as three years old have been identified as bullies. Bullying can happen anywhere groups of kids meet, like at school, camp, or in an afterschool or daycare setting. Adults must address this problem by providing character education, mentoring programs, and be positive role models to minimize bullying in elementary schools. Bullying can take on many forms. In many elementary schools, the bullying often starts with exclusion from social groups, spreading rumors, teasing and name calling. Most parents teach their children not to hit, kick, or punch, but they don’t always teach them how to be nice. 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school, and it is estimated
(August 5, 2014 6:33amWes HoskingHerald Sun) Dr. Rebecca Cortes, a research scientist at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychology says, “Every¬thing is a learning experience at this age,” kids test the boundaries of acceptable behavior, looking for the limits of their power. Cortes worries that labeling behavior as bullying can have long-term consequences because a child who goes into grade school with that label may have trouble living it down. (Can preschoolers be bullies?By Kathryn Russell Selk) If society can’t accept what is going on, then we can’t address the issues and make changes. This should not be such a controversial issue. Younger children learn bullying behaviors often from older siblings and peers, if we address the issues we can help students of all