Bullying in Schools

In gathering information for my debate, I was surprised on how bad bullying has gotten for middle school and high school kids. There is statistics saying the violence in schools has been decreasing since 1998. Yet, there is an increase in bullying leading to suicides of children and adolescents. Is it because the bullying incidents are getting documented more in schools than in the past? Is it due to the increase articles focusing on high levels of violence in adolescents in schools?

The media focuses on the most violent tragedies to write about, because those are what sells. You rarely see something printed that is not high violence related these days. Either way, bullying is a real problem in schools, including the trips from home to school and back again.

When I was in high school, bullying was definitely present, but not as brutal as it is now. I was the Deputies daughter growing up, so there was some incidents of harassment towards me. It was the worst in the seventh and eighth grade, but it never was any worse than name calling or jokes. Actually, I have never really classified it as being bullied, just referred to it as teasing. I had a reprieve from it, because when I went home it all ended. I had no cell phone or internet at home. They could not reach me when I was there. I know this helped me cope with it better. My parents were very supportive and listened to me when I talked to them about it. Then, they would explain to me why the other kids were so mean and how the best way was to handle it. I know that this saved me.

Now, due to the advancement of technology, bullying can reach victims at their homes. So the victims have no relieve from the tauntings. Even 8 year old kids carry cell phones now and have internet access. What is the best way to handle this? My feeling on this is not to let my child have a cell phone so young. I think the parents should have rules and motoring controls over the use of the internet when child is home. That way the child has some reprieve from the kids at school. I would make sure their is good communication and support for my daughter. So she would feel free to talk to me about anything. I know for me, growing up with my parents support and them communicating with me, helped me cope with the school pressures.