Educational Leadership School Duties



Educational Leadership School Duties

Introduction

Many people consider bullying to be a normal part of childhood, something that at one time or another most children will have to deal with. A commonly accepted statistic suggests that perhaps as many as 20% of students are being bullied. With the increasing severity of bullying and the accompanying media attention that bullying cases have received, it is not surprising that adults, especially teachers, are now regarded as a first line of defense against bullying. The Ontario Ministry of Education has introduced various measures to combat school-based bullying, including a provincial registry of effective bullying prevention programs, making such programming mandatory in every school, as well as the Safe Schools Act (Bill 81), which allows for suspension or expulsion of a student-based on bullying offenses.

Many people enter teaching due in no small part due to their desire to enrich the lives of the students they teach. Be it through engaging conversations, fascinating lessons, or memorable experiences, teachers wish to reach their students and create a lasting impression on their young lives. Issues related to bullying fall outside of what a teacher initially foresees when thinking about a career in education, but having to deal with it is an unfortunate reality for many teachers. As Mishna, Scarcello, Pepler, and Wiener (2005) observe, teachers are influential in students'daily lives, which includes recognizing and responding to bullying incidents and implementing programs.

Discussion

Teachers are aware of the many different roles they must play, such as disciplinarian to the bully and supporter of the bullying victim, but are often unsure how to best go about carrying out said roles and providing a safe, nurturing environment for students to learn, grow, and flourish. It has been my experience that teachers strive to provide the best for their students, including a safe learning environment. Countless professional development days have been devoted to safe schools initiatives, as have numerous government policies and a myriad of anti-bullying programs. Without a doubt, interest in the bullying issue is growing, both from an academic perspective and across the school system.

Bullying is widespread in American schools and studies have revealed that more than 16% of U.S. school children have been bullied by other students at least once. A study carried out by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development appeared in the April 25, 2001 Journal of the American Association. Part of their study showed that overall, 10% of school children have been bullied by other students but had not bullied anyone. Another part of the study also revealed that 13% of students have bullied others but had not been bullied. Bullying is deemed a public health issue by a host of medical professionals.

Although a myriad of people deem being bullied as a horrid and unpleasant rite of passage throughout childhood, it should never be condoned or ignored. It merits attention and those who are a bully's victim, can suffer from low self-esteem, depression and suicidal ...