What is bullying? Does bullying even matter? Do people still bully anyone anymore?

According to stopbullying.com, bullying comes in different formats wether it’s verbal abuse, cyberbullying, or physical bullying. Bullying is a aggressive, bothersome behavior among school aged children that inolves a real or discern power imbalance. This behavior has the pontential to be repeated over time and will continue to keep going if not stopped. Bullying can include physical abuse, verbal abuse, calling names, harming others, spreading rumors, threatning someone, and excluding someone from a group on purpose for no reason.

Bullying seems to have been around for as long as anyone can remember. Whether it’s calling someone a name, to making fun of someone, or craking a quick joke, what you say can and will have an impact on someones life.

If you were to look up the word “Bullying” in Google, different informational websites about bullying will pop up such as:

• http://www.stopbullying.gov
• http://www.Kzoo.edu
• http://www.Violencepreventionworks.org

On the website stop bullying.gov, it says students who are bullied are more likely to commit suicide, not show up to school, disconnect with others, have low self esteem, may have depression, and will feel uncomfertable everwhere they go. When people are bullying others, they tend to not have anything better to do, they are jealous, not happy with theirselves, dislike school, and love to see others in pain.

According to us.reachout.com, when bullying happens and a school does not take action, kids will automatically see that bullying is O.K., keep on doing it, and the entire climate and culture can be negatively affected. The impact on student learning and engagement can also be negative, which can lead to:

• Students not liking school
• Students feeling unwanted, feeling worthless
• The school developing an enviroment fear and disrespet
• Not caring what is being taught to them
• Not listening or following teachers instructions

As it says on the website eyesbullying.org, being a bystander, a person who witnesses bullying, is also a big problem. Chances are, those students who watch someone get treated badly, called names, and being hurt in any way, and that do not take action to step up and tell a authority figure, will get in just as much trouble as the bully.

Multiple sources say that the best way to avoid getting bullied is to walk away, surround yourself with people who care about you, stay positive, and be confident. If the person keeps bugging you, go to the closest adult you can find and tell them.

IF YOU ARE BEING BULLIED AND NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO, CALL OR GO TO http://www.reachout.com or ask your counselor, teacher, a safe adult, or parent for more sources.