When the bell rings and school doors close, are your children safe sitting behind their desk? Or playing on the playground? Everyone is affected by bullying, in one way or another. With one in five school aged children experiencing bullying, studies show the impact of bullying has lifelong consequences. Present anti-bullying programs are vastly ineffective and use a reactive approach. We can no longer view bullying as kids being kids, as seen by the devastating recent school shootings like Sandy Hook and Columbine. We have identified the perpetrators had experienced various forms of bullying. The effects of bullying can last a life time. Schools need to be a safe place to send our children. The establishment of proactive programs with an emphasis on prevention is vital. We need commitment of the entire school community to have the most effective anti- bullying prevention programs with laws to provide legal support of consequences. With the development of proactive anti-bullying programs we can eradicate bullying from our schools.
The problem is, children often learn unacceptable ways to get what they want starting in early childhood. Children who use maladaptive behaviors in early childhood can turn into bullies. Bullies do not have boundaries, nor do they respect the boundaries of others (Donegan, Spring 2012). As seen, once they reach middle and high school they have perfected the art of bullying. Bullies get what they want and it doesn’t matter at whose expense it comes at. In addition, many find ways to get ahead in the competitive academic and social environments found on school campuses by using bullying strategies. These tactics may include pressuring other students to do their homework for them so they can get better grades with less work (Donegan, Spring 2012). Better grades lead to better college and career opportunities. Some...