Intervention Strategy

Bullying is defined as intentional harm doing or harassment that is directed toward vulnerable targets and typically repeated. Bullying encompasses a wide range of malicious aggressive behaviors, including physical violence, verbal mockery, threats, ostracism, and rumors spread either orally or by other means of communication, such as the internet. A US national study published at the turn of the 21st century documented that bullying and other forms of aggression affected approximately 30 percent, or 5.7 million, middle to high-school students in the then-current school term. According to the one video, 250,000 teens report being bullied each month. Zachary Jamison is one of these teens that came forward. Zachary Jamison was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at age 8, where he had to “retire” from baseball. He was in extreme pain that he described as a pain level of ten. He had to quit sports and walk away from the activities he enjoyed most. The physical hurt was only part of it. After being diagnosed, he began walking with a limp. This is where the emotional pain began. As Zach said at an arthritis fundraiser, “When I was in school, kids called me chicken legs and other funny names because of the way I walked.” People would take his lunch and take his sweatshirts. Other students saw him as “quiet” and that he never really seemed sad about things they were doing to him. After Zach’s parents seeing this emotional speech, his parents still didn’t take the bullying serious. The seriousness of Zach’s situation didn’t come to light until he told his parents that he wanted to kill himself. Fortunately in this situation, Zachary did not kill himself. In this situation, the school had Zachary and his main bully (Jacob) sit down and talk to each other in the principal’s office. Jacob didn’t realize the extent to the hurt that he was causing Zach. Jacob says, “[I felt] very sad because I had been part of the making fun of him and leaving him out,” “How he felt, how it crushed him and he wasn’t able to do anything,” This so called “heart to heart” was a good intervention for the school to advise because it opened Jacob’s eyes as to what he was doing wrong and why it was wrong. This action from the school also showed that they were aware of what was going on. Weather it was the principal or other teachers, someone realized the severity of the situation and I think the school took proper action. I think a big part of Zach’s recovery from bullying was his parent’s involvement in getting him out of the bad situations he was in. Zachary could not participate in sport activities, so he became the manager of the cross-country team. His parents got him involved in counseling and a youth group at church that was outside school functions. Zachary found some of his best friends at this youth group and he came to the realization of how important some people could be to you life. His new friendships gave him the strength to face other challenges such as the cross-country manager. “It helped,” said Jamison. “It really did because I connected with a lot of friends.” What it comes down to, if the school system and parents have their eyes open to the signs of bullying and depression, something can be done before it is too late. Adults need to be aware of what is going on especially during non-structured activities such as in the hallways, cafeteria, and on the playground. The bully needs to know what is wrong with their behavior. Consequences need to be put in place so the behavior is less likely to occur. These consequences should consist of taking away privileges such as iPods and video games. Bullies could be made to write an apology letter or eat lunch with a teacher and not with their friends. The bully needs to see that their actions are wrong and can no longer continue. As Brenda High says, “Every child deserves to live life to the fullest.” She also says, “Some kids have incredible endurance, they can get through anything, but some kids, it’s just not in their nature.” We need to stop and prevent bullying situations turning into suicides. One third of today’s youth have a fear of walking through school gates Monday through Friday. Students need to realize that WORDS DO MATTER! Parents need to be aware of any signs that something may be going on. BE AWARE. PAY ATTENTION. bullying. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com.arktos.nyit.edu/topic/bullying Morrow, M. T., Hooker, S. D., & Cate, R. L. (2015). Consultation in Bullying Prevention: An Elementary School Case Study. School Community Journal, 25(2), 85-111. Watch The Boy, He's The School Bully. When One Of His Victim's Tells Him THIS? Unthinkable! (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from http://www.littlethings.com/zachary-jamison-bully/ Friends help boy overcome arthritis pain, social ostracism. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/friends-help-boy-overcome-arthritis-pain-social-os/nQpkb/ Bullied Boy Saved from Hurricane Raging Inside. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bullied-boy-saved-from-hurricane-raging-inside/ School Bullying. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/23799075