Bullying has long become one of the biggest problems in the field of education. According to stats, over 3.2 million students experience violence and become victims every year. And, the situation seems to only get worse with time.
If you have experienced the problem yourself or know someone who has, speaking up about it can be tough. But, in this article, we are going to tell you how to deal with it!
1. Is There Bullying Beyond School?
Being a college student is not easy in so many ways. On the one hand, this period in every person’s life is often considered a brand new chapter and the beginning of something fun and exciting. But, on the other hand, there are also so many problems students face from day one at college. These problems include academic struggle.
A growing workload, a more intensive curriculum, and more complex assignments than what they’re used to often make freshmen and even seniors feel anxious. Students perform at the verge of their abilities yet do not always reach the best academic results. The good news is that there is an easy way to handle all sorts of school issues. An essay writing service, such as WritePaper, can give the support and help you need to start getting straight A’s with ease.
Yet, some issues aren’t that easy to handle. Namely, there are problems with the constant lack of free time, stress, and burnout. The truth is that bullying is often believed not to be one of these problems. And that’s a terrible misconception.
Though bullying is mostly considered the problem of K-12 schools, in reality, it goes far beyond that. The unpleasant situation is that most students say they’re witnessing violent behavior at college. Some are even openly reporting being victims of this issue.
The issue is real and shouldn’t be ignored. Bullying—verbal, physical, sexual, and cyber—occurs in all educational facilities, not only in schools. But, how can educators and students themselves fight with it? Let’s look at a few most effective ways.
2. Understand the Nature of Bullying
The first and most important thing to do in order to end bullying is to understand its nature and the key triggers that drive it. Realizing the triggers of violence will help find the right strategies for preventing and stopping it.
This basically means that we should really spread awareness about this issue among educators and learners.
3. Ignore the Aggressor
Psychologists claim that ignoring bullies is one of the ways to deal with the problem. Aggressors tend to get the most enjoyment from getting an emotional response from their victims. Often, if there is no reaction, the victim becomes unappealing, and violence stops.
It’s obvious you can’t solve the problem simply by overlooking it. There is a fine line between ignoring harmless insults from somebody and accepting the position of the victim, and letting the bully get away with it. Thus, the situation and motives play a huge difference.
4. Stand Tall and Proud
Another possible solution for students who are being victims of bullying is to stand up for themselves. However, be sure not to get this wrong. Trying to protect themselves from harassment, many people tend to answer it with even more aggression. You have to understand that this is not the way to address the problem, and it will only bring forth even more violence.
To stand up for yourself rather means showing the bully that their words don’t mean a thing to you. Showing such confidence can also make you an unappealing victim.
5. Get Support
Now, if the situation you are in is not getting any better, the only wise solution is to talk to someone and get help. Unfortunately, that’s where the biggest problem lies.
The thing is that, unlike high school, a college is a place where students feel self-sufficient and independent. That’s what often holds them back from talking openly about the violence they are experiencing. Nevertheless, getting help from adult authority figures is the right thing to do, especially if the aggression doesn’t stop or you believe that it might also harm other students. Remember that supervisors, counselors, professors, and other adults in your college have much more authority and means for addressing the problem, so this might be the best solution.
6. Clearly Communicate Campus Policy on the Issue
While the previous tips were mainly meant to help students who happened to be the victims of bullying, this tip is for schools. In order to stop and prevent violence, colleges have to create a well-defined policy on bullying and clearly communicate it to students, faculty, and staff.
Your goal is to show students that they will be taken care of in any situation. Also, your policy must clearly define the punishment for such behavior. This is required to indicate that aggression in any form is not tolerated on campus and that one can’t get away with it.
7. Provide/Receive Special Training
Another tip for dealing with unacceptable behavior on campus is to ensure that both staff members and students receive clear training on the issue. Typically, such activity is meant to spread awareness, explain different types of bullying, identify the methods that aggressors use, and provide clear instructions for addressing the issue.
8. Encourage Victims to Get Help
Whether it is your student, family member, friend, or yourself who has become the victim, it is vital to show that you do care and encourage them to seek help. Often, it is the disregard and the lack of support from people around that holds victims back from seeking help and talking about the problem.
The Bottom Line
So, now you can clearly see that the problem of bullying is real not only in schools but also in colleges. And, though facing violence in any form is never a positive experience, now you also know that there are ways to address the issue and make a change.
