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Bullying...
Confronting Social Exclusion and Bullying
Edyth Wheeler, Aline Stomfay-Stitz
On the last day of school in June 2004, a young boy in Gainesville, Virginia, brought weapons to school, allegedly in a chilling attempt to replicate the 1999 Columbine events. While we have now learned how to successfully “lock down” a school building, we have not learned to create a climate of social inclusion and caring that would ensure students do not feel angry isolation. With a new school year beginning, it is a good time to consider ways to address the social exclusion, isolation, and bullying that lead to children feeling marginalized and seeking to strike back in violence. Teachers understand the importance of peer acceptance, friendship, and a sense of belonging in children’s lives. Now, more that ever, the consequences of not forming those relationships and making those positive connections are frighteningly clear.
Social Exclusion and Peer Rejection
Peer support-or rejection-is a powerful social force. Socially accepted children have high self-esteem and self-confidence; enjoy the company of others; and have mutual loyalty, respect, trust, and support. Children who are rejected by peers are often disliked and ignored. Rejected children are perceived to be aggressive in peer interactions and demonstrate inappropriate social responses. The effects of peer status is harmful both to children who are rejected and to those who reject them. Such social dynamics are minimized in a classroom community where children demonstrate caring, inclusiveness, and empathy.
Bullying in the Classroom
Bullying is repeated physical or psychological intimidation that is unprovoked and harmful. Bullying can be direct, through verbal or physical attacks, or indirect, through exclusion or rejection. A bully attempts to establish superiority and to exclude others, especially on the basis of differences in color, language, class, or physical differences, including size and disability. Girls who bully may engage in relationally aggressive behaviors that cause harm though threats to peer relationships, such as social exclusion or spreading rumors. By contrast, boys’ overt aggression involves bodily harm or threat of harm. All parties in a bullying episode are affected. Victims suffer damage to their self-esteem, and they often are afraid to tell adults, fearing retaliations. Bullies acquire misconceptions about power and ultimately experience peer rejection. Children who are onlookers also may develop a misunderstanding of power and experience helplessness unless they learn to stand up for victims.
The implications for teachers are clear: they must establish classroom strategies to create a climate that allows others to diminish the occurrence of bullying. Examples of such strategies include worry boxes, class meetings to discuss bullying, project work, and other types of group activates. Numerous published programs address bullying and provide intervention for bullies, ways for victims to respond to bullies, and ways for onlookers to find courage to act on behalf of the victim. Children’s literature also can be used to bring up the subject.
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