Bullying is a social problem that can affect everyone; those who are bullied, those who

bully, and those who witness bullying. Many students or people experience bullying at schools,

online, through text messages, and in many other ways. Bullying is a very common, serious

problem that plagues students from all ages. It is a major issue today especially now that social

media plays a huge factor. Unfortunately, bullying is an unavoidable part of life for children and

people and most people today can say that have experienced some form of bullying in their

lifetime.

To begin, bullying is something future teachers and current teachers should be aware of

and educated on. Students should have the opportunity of feeling safe at school and not the

opposite. In many of the articles I have shared on this website, there was a common factor that

stated bullying starts in the younger grades and carries on throughout the older years of school. If

teachers can stop the bullying before it gets far too worse for the student, we can essentially save

our students from having a negative school experience. For example, I am above average height

for a woman. I have always been taller than the boys and the girls growing up in elementary

school. I used to get made fun of everyday for how tall I was. My peers would call me, “tall

person”, instead of calling me by my name. They would also make comments such as, “You will

never find a boyfriend since you will be taller than him”, “how’s the weather up there”, “big

foot”, and so many more. Since this started in my elementary school years, I have always been

insecure about my height since it was the first and only thing people noticed about me.

Furthermore, I believe teachers today can overlook bullying in elementary schools. I

teach preschool today and do see signs of bullying with some of my students. I as well

overlooked it because I thought they were too young to understand what they are saying and how
it can affect someone. One of my students in my class has a speech IEP. When I call on him

during discussions or circle time, my other students will say things like, “he does not know how

to talk do not call on him”, or “he speaks another language do not talk to him”. Although, my

students do not understand that he is just behind in his speech, they still show signs of bullying

that need addressed. If they are not addressed now, they will think it is normal to speak of

students in that manner.

This community issue relates to the course material because schools are apart of the

microsystem in which children develop. A school’s function as a socializing agent is that it

provides the intellectual and social experiences from which children develop the skills,

knowledge, interests, and attitudes that characterize them as individuals and that shape their

abilities to perform adult roles. If children develop negative attitudes towards school and their

experience, these characteristics can be hindered.

Schools can also be apart of the chronosystem through health and safety. School violence

is a subset of youth violence. Youth violence refers ton harmful behaviors that may start early

and continue into young adulthood. It includes a variety of behaviors such as bullying, slapping,

punching, and weapon use. Victims can suffer serious injuries that include, significant social and

emotional damage. To have an optimal environment for learning, schools must be safe.

Violence/bullying transcends all socioeconomic levels of schools and communities.