Establishing a strong, collaborative relationship between parents and schools is crucial in addressing school violence and bullying effectively. Rather than placing blame on families, it is essential to adopt a strength-based approach that fosters trust and support among all parties involved.
Any categories of bullying can emerge from any of these parenting styles although the intrusive-overprotective and over-controlled parenting styles are typically associated with victim status and coersion tends to relate to bullying behavior.
Parental Coersion: This refers to a cold emotional environment with episodes of "heated" physical and verbal violence.
Boys tend to become bullies in relation to hostile, aggressive parenting while girls from this environment are prone to victimization.
At times, children will react to parental hostility by becoming shy, anxious, and prone to victimization.
Sarcasm, verbal attacks, power assertive discipline, and bossiness undermines the child's feelings of being loved. These children will in turn be aggressive and react in a hostile manner as they've seen their parents react this way.
Parental Psychological Over-control: Over-control referrs to the children's feelings not being validated. This invalidation leads to the loss of confidence in their own emotions and leads to children being shy and anxious.
Intrusive-overprotective parenting: Referred to as "hothouse" (set up to tightly control all factors leading to health in plants).
Children raised in an overprotective environment don't learn to acquire conflict-resolution skills. Without thse skills children experience a low tolerance for other children who have rough ways and also experience an increase in social anxiety.
Families set the stage for aggression. Children from homes with domestic violence or violence between siblings are more likely to participate in school violence.
Parent-School Partnership
It's very important to avoid blaming families for whether or not their children are bullies or being bullied. It's important to work from a strength based approach and develop trusting, supportive relationships.
Parent advocacy groups are very helpful in bridging the gaps between schools and parents. These groups should work from a strength-based model to both advocate for parents and build relationships with school officials.
School officials should take every report of bullying seriously. Many parents feel that the schools aren't supportive enough when it comes to reports of bullying, which in extreme cases can lead to bullycide (suicide as a result of bullying).
Having culturally sensitive curriculum and working with individual families strengthens the bond between parents and the school.
Parents and teachers should work together to promote anti-bullying, discuss and address violence in the media, and implement bully prevention programs.
Families should be involved with school campaigns and programs. By increasing parental involvement, the likelihood that their students will experience aggression decreases.
Categories associated with Bullying
Bullying is the purposeful infliction of psychological or physical pain on one individual by another or a group.
Proactive victims are a blend of both a victim and a bully. These students are picked on at times and at other times will pick on others. They alternate between being sad and angry.
Passive Victims (also called over controlled) tend to be shy, sad, and anxious. Chronic bullying leads to increased anxiety for these individuals.
Bullies direct their behavioral problems outward
School Personnel
Reducing bullying can occur on three levels of involvement.
Individual Level: Those who exhibit bullying behavior would benefit from being referred an to counseling and anger management classes. Students who are being victimized should be involved in friendship making and assertive skills training.
Classroom Level: There must b e clear standards and expectations for a bully free environment. If bullying does occur it must be addressed in an authoritative manner. Id addressed passively it could encourage bullying to continue. If addressed to aggressively it could model a bullying relationship.
School Level: Includes supervision during lunch, hallway time, and recess. Anti-bullying efforts should be made through school conferences, school assemblies, and mediation programs.
It's necessary for school officials to intervene when violence is initially seen in the school. If this intervention does not occur, the chances for more serious acts of violence increases.