Bullying And A Child s Confidence And Outlook On Life

Shazia Sheikh 16 May 2015 Sociology 121 Bullying in Elementary Schools It is no secret that children begin to absorb what they are presented with very early on in their childhood. Any form of abuse during the elementary school years can be particularly harmful to a child’s confidence and outlook on life because it is when they are learning and growing their social circles the most. This is a serious matter and can result in the dropping of grades, long-term withdrawal from relationships and self hatred. The question we are presented with here is â€Å"What can be done to mitigate bullying in elementary schools?† There are a number of things that can be done to reduce the social problem of bullying early on, but to do this we need to be†¦show more content†¦Those in support of bullying think that it is a social problem that can never be solved. They believe that everyone is raised and conditioned to be different; some of those people will end up bullying, some will not. Many in support of bullying cl aim that even anti-bullying policies are almost never reinforced; only put into place to scare children out of bullying. What these people do not understand is that the effect of bullying on a child at such a young age is not a short term problem, it is a long term social problem. Let us delve a little further into the effects of being bullied at a young age. Being a victim of childhood bullying can result in depression throughout one’s life. It can cause low self esteem and lead to health problems related to high anxiety and stress levels. Adults who were bullied in elementary school are proven to be more suicidal than those who were not. I read an article by Oliver Emberton, a man who was bullied in elementary school. He tells the story of a time he was nearly drowned by bullies. â€Å"I was dragged to a river where my head was pinned underwater. In the brief seconds when I was let up for air, all I could hear was the crowd laughing.† He finishes his story by saying that he pretended to drown to escape from their torturing. Emberton’s depression followed him well after he left elementary school; it followed him into middle school, high school, and college because of being bullied at such a