The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

The definition of bullying is the use of intimidation or strength to influence someone negatively. Bullying is repetitive and harmful. It is meant to bring someone down into a negative state. There are five categories of bullying: physical, verbal, cyber, relation, and damage to property. The Big Sandy high school has begun to recognize that about 33% of students feel bullied. Bullying can cause plenty of problems for a victim. A victim may start having poor grades, depression, start fighting or stealing, gaining a negative outlook on their future, or suicidal thoughts all due to bullying.

The most common source of bullying is verbal. Verbal abuse is known as negatively speaking about or to a victim, or by withholding any response therefore making the target seem nonexistent. Any type of bullying has real and serious effects on a victim. Verbal bullying leads to psychological problems, such as low self-esteem or depression. Verbal bullying can be difficult for teachers or other staff members to detect within the school system. In Big Sandy there has not been a recent case involving suicide. Since there hasn’t been that serious of a case plenty of people don’t believe bullying is an issue in Big Sandy.

Although bullying has become a problem in the Big Sandy schools in the last few years. Students have put up posters around the schools with the statistics of bullying in Big Sandy, the suicide hotline number, and results of bullying. These posters have been noticed by adults during games and other school events and they seem to not have any knowledge that bullying has been a problem at all. This proves that most bullying is hard to track and why verbal bullying is the highest of the statistics. Verbal bullying is hurtful to a victim and creates an aggressive and negative environment for the Big Sandy high school. Students need to begin to understand that what they say hurts and words can have power of their own. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then you shouldn’t say anything at all.

Physical bullying is not a large problem in the Big Sandy high school, but it does occur on some occasions. Physical bullying does not only affect the victim but also the witnesses around the victim. There has only been a few cases where physical bullying has truly been a problem. Most cases involve males, but some females are also involved in physical bullying. Cyberbullying is also a very common. Since technology is such an important part of a person’s everyday life, cyberbullying has become a lot easier. The definition of cyberbullying is the willful and repetitive act of negative behavior towards a victim online through technological devices.

Even though there are laws in Montana that go against cyberbullying, children still use the internet to harass others. Cyberbullying is hard for staff at schools to know about because they can’t control what students do with their phones or computers outside of school. Some students in Big Sandy high school may be a victim of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying will always be hard to control but the best way to avoid this type of bullying is by blocking the bully or reporting them on the website they are using. Rational bullying is the act of excluding a victim from a group or “click”. This type of bullying is used a lot during high school. Students are excluded, made fun of, and gossiped about by groups. This bullying causes students to feel lonely or desperate for the ability to be liked. Big Sandy Schools may have this type of bullying.

Teachers and staff members usually don’t see this type of bullying or don’t always know how to respond to it.

Some people seem to bully because they are victims in other aspects of their lives. This includes their parents, family members, stress, or other environments. Bullies feel better about themselves after they hurt a victim. Bullying is wrong and should not have an excuse but people do need to understand that people usually are mean because they are victims too. Bullying should never be accepted and it should never be ignored. So, if bullying is happening then there has to be consequences but also help for the bully as well.

The Big Sandy high school is recognizing that bullying is a problem. There is a Montana anti-bullying law that students need to know about and follow. Teachers and staff are trying with all their power to keep the high school a safe and healthy environment. If a student sees bullying going on then they should try to stand up for the victim or contact a trusted adult. As for a bully, if you can’t be nice and don’t have anything nice to say then you shouldn’t say anything at all.