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There is evidence that bullying is a serious problem, consider the incident from Strathroy Ontario where a 15 year old boy killed himself due to relentless bullying (Daily News, 2004). Another incident that occurred in Halifax in which Emmet Fralick committed suicide because he was allegedly bullied by a group of girls that forced him to shoplift and give his money to them (Chronicle Herald 2002). Some parents have taken their children out of the school, in which they are being assaulted at, an example of this is the recent 2005 Clint Sock incident in which the boys mother took him out of the school he was attending due to bullying (Daily News 2005). Many parents believe that it should be the bullies that should be taken out of the school and not their children, however, according to Halifax Regional School Board spokesman Doug Hadley “…the board can’t remove a child from school indefinitely”(Daily News 2005) and in order to move the bully to another school they need the parents of the student to consent. So the question arises on what can be done to prevent bullying. Would changes such as the introduction of uniforms, or the installment of cameras and metal detectors in schools help for example. It is clear from the examples mentioned previously, that bullying is a problem across Canadian schools, at all levels, but perhaps most serious at the Junior High level. How to maintain discipline in the schools and on school property, how to install respect among young adolescents for the rights of each other and their teachers and how to ensure safety for all at the school is a serious challenge for parents, school administrators and teachers. The continuing rise of bullying has many serious consequences all of which undermine the ability of the teacher to teach and the student to learn. It is difficult to focus on teaching and learning when the fears of violent outbursts, both verbal and physical, are evident. Students with this fear have been known to have mental health problems such as higher rates of social anxiety, depression, withdrawn behavior and even aggression. The worst impact of this fear and depression can lead to long lasting mental health problems such as low self-esteem or resort to the decision to commit suicide. A failure to address the issue of bullying also has affects on the teaching staff. In which, they spend more time policing their students rather than teaching them. A failure to address bullying also has the possibility of public schools simply becoming storage area for the disadvantaged and for the most disaffected students. Parents who want order, safety and education for their students may resort to private schools, start to home school or even send their children away to boarding schools, just to protect their children and their future. In light of these concerns and the evidence of serious consequences for all those affected, I have been ask by the parents of a young teenager who had to be taken out of school due to bullying and who sadly committed suicide anyway, to make recommendations regarding better ways for Junior High Schools in Nova Scotia to undertake the problem of bullying. In order to reach my conclusion the following answers will be answered: · What kind of programs have Nova Scotia school tried to initiate in order to stop bullying? · What programs seemed to work the best? · Do school uniforms or metal detectors achieve anything? · Does the presences of police or undercover police help deter bullying? · What is considered bullying? My research will be conducted using the following sources: -Interviews -Books -Newspaper/Journal articles -Internet Sources -Annual Reports In particular, I will rely on my interviews that will be conducted with students, staff and teachers at two Junior High schools. I believe that using these interviews will prove to be beneficial because of the contrast of a school that believes they do not face the problem of bullying compared to the school that knows that bullying occurs and what measures each school takes in order to prevent or solve the bullying problem. I will also rely on the information provided on Bullying.org website which is an Alberta based website. This website provides a useful list of resources such as recommended books, articles and research with regards to bullying. Post a comment in response: |
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