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Battling the Bullying Problem by Joshua Tavares
Every day more students are affected by bullying. Intervening in bullying and not just being a bystander can help the cause drastically. What will you do to bring this to an end? Will you just watch as this problem never gets better, or do something about it and make a difference? Be brave just like Hunter Canis and others who will make the world a better and kinder place.
Bullying is like a virus. It spreads and infects anyone near it . The problem of bullying will most likely never be solved, but that doesn’t mean people can’t do anything about it. According to dosomething.org, over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year. The amount of students affected by this needs to change.
I’m willing to bet that if you ask someone if they’ve ever experienced bullying, they would say yes. Fights at schools are very common and they are handled in a variety of ways. Some teachers break it up, and in some rare cases a student does.
At Coventry High School one brave student finds that breaking up fights is the right thing to do. His name is Hunter Canis and he has broken up a total of six fights this year in school. According to Hunter, “The school does an okay job with the fights, the job they do with bullying is not the best though.” He believes that the school should have harsher punishments. For example, he thinks that “all grades should be reduced by twenty percent or more.” This may seem extreme to some people, however, others see this as the best punishment for the sole purpose of enforcing a consequence on the bully themselves. It is only fair, and Hunter believes that the bullies should in some way, shape, or form, pay for what they have done. Overall, Hunter believes that the school’s bullying policy should be better enforced by the staff for the safety of all the students.
Although the act of bullying is a huge issue in itself, being a silent bystander is something that is also a problem. When asked about his opinion on bystanders during fights, Hunter stated, “I’ve heard from many kids in school that they are upset that I stop the fights.” Not only are the students witnessing the fights silent about it, they also want the bullying to continue by encouraging people to not intervene, and to let the fights continue.
Recently, Hunter was rewarded for his bravery. Ms. Macomber gave Hunter a free meal made by the vocational culinary class and Mr. Fargnoli bought him a cake. Hunter’s response was, “I’ve never expected rewards. They’re enjoyable, but I’m more of a fan for plain respect”.
The overall message to this is what a student, teacher, or anyone who wants to help the community and school system can do to try and resolve the problem of bullying. Imagine the poor students being tormented everyday by bullies being physically and mentally harmed. All you have to do is not be a bystander and bring attention to the situation. Don’t be the person who cheers on the fights. Be the person who brings it to an end.
According to dosomething.org, “90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.” The fact that even 4th graders have to go through this pain is very disturbing as well as the fact that teachers and students are allowing this for so long. “By age 14, less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk to their peers about bullying” according to the data. Talking to peers can help the situation so much because it can make you feel safe and know you’re not in it alone. The peer doesn’t have to be a teacher. It can be your family or someone you trust that you know will have your back.
Every day more students are affected by bullying. Intervening in bullying and not just being a bystander can help the cause drastically. What will you do to bring this to an end? Will you just watch as this problem never gets better, or do something about it and make a difference? Be brave just like Hunter Canis and others who will make the world a better and kinder place.