Bullying, Victimization and Sexual Harrassment during the Transition to Middle School Bullying in the schools has negative

effects on individual students and on the school climate as a whole. Bullying can cause long-term problems for both the victims of bullying and the bullies themselves. To explore the effects of bullying on adolescents, we will define bullying, identify the characteristics of bullies and victims, outline the extent and consequences of bullying, and present resources for further information and assistance. Bullying is any behavior that is initiated by one or more students against a victim or victims that causes physical or psychological intimidation.Bullying is a problem all over. Many children and teens have to deal with more than one school bully, and sometimes even friends can bully. I believe a school should create an environment whereby children understand from the moment they start school that bullying, aggression and violence are not acceptable. It is often the absence of such an ethos that potential bullies perceive as acceptance of their aggressive behaviour. A policy is a start, but it must be more than just words on paper, it has to be a proactive policy, not just a rule book which is dusted down in the head's study after aggression has resulted in injury. Any anti-bullying policy or anti-bullying advice which fails to mention of accountability for the bully and for the responsible adults who are failing in their duty of care is likely to meet with at best limited success. I also believe that a wholeschool policy should also support both parties. The target is taught assertiveness skills (this will not solve a bullying problem but enables a child to learn emotional and verbal selfdefence), whilst the bully is taught how to deal with their aggression and how to interact in a socially responsible manner with other children. I believe children should be taught at the outset to show dignity and respect to other children regardless of whether they are "in" or "out", and to be proactive in their relationships to other children, especially those who "do not fit in", for whatever reason. Conformity is high in the list of children's priorities, and rejection, for whatever reason, is particularly painful. Sadly, many children do not learn the best interaction skills at home, and this is where schools can make a big difference. Bullying prevents children from undertaking their studies and results in grades which are lower than they would otherwise be which means that the school appears lower down the league tables than they otherwise would. If a child learns how to bully, and gets away with it, there's a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest they leave school and carry on their bullying in the workplace. I think it's important not to immediately blame individuals. And especially not teachers. There are a few bullying teachers (it's surprising how often these get promoted to positions of management), but most teachers are hard-working individuals who dedicate their lives to educating the next generation. The problem, as so often, lies further up the management chain.We all have a collective responsibility, and bullying is the result of a number of factors. I believe the way forward is to identify all the factors and especially the causes, then begin to modify our education system so that in 25 or 50 years time, bullying is no longer a problem.

In conclusion, direct observations are expensive. Long periods of time are needed in the field to observe a relatively infrequently occurring behavior. For this reason, diaries are useful.Diaries have been effectively used with early adolescents to record their interactions (including bullying) with peers and adults (Pellegrini&Bartini, 2000a). Diaries are most effective when they are used systematically (e.g., every Monday morning) across a sustained period (e.g., a whole school year). To conclude, we have documented the problem of bullying as youngsters make the transition form primary to middle school. Based on extant theory and data, a preliminary model was presented that can be used to stimulate future research in this area. If we, as educational psychologists, do not set the research and policy agenda in this field, someone else will.

Special Section on School Violence

There is reason to believe that with the cooperation of communities, agencies, schools, counselors, teachers, and students the problems can be significantly reduced. Schools should explore the implementation not only of programs that assist bullies and aid their victims but also of those that strengthen the positive relationships between teachers, bullies, victims, and all other students who also lose a sense of security and academic accomplishment as a result of being bystanders to bullying As defined by Olweus (1994), bullying occurs when a student intentionally inflicts, or attempts to inflict, injury or discomfort on another student. Bullying has a direct negative impact on students, teachers, school property, the community, and the educational process (Espelage & Holt, 2001; Oliver et al., 1994; Swearer, Song, & Frazier-Koontz, 2001). Childhood bullying is a complex problem. Bullying behaviors are learned and reinforced through different environmental contexts, that is, cultural, societal, school, familial, and individual.In examining how to change the cycle of aggression in schools, one factor that appears to be of great significance in reducing bullying is the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the child. Children miss school each day because of fear (Lee, 1993). Bullying, a major cause of this fear, keeps children from perceiving school as a safe environment. Unfortunately, many of these children are reluctant to request aid from school staff for fear of reprisals and because of inadequate protection. School for many is not the safe, learning environment it was intended to be. Many students are anxious about witnessing bullying and fear that they may become victims of bullying if they have not already been targeted. Many teachers ignore bullying because they believe they lack adequate skills and training to intervene (Stephenson & Smith, 1989), they fear that intervening in a bullying situation will only add fuel to the fire, or they fear that their involvement would force the problem underground Teachers play a critical role in sanctioning the bullying behavior that occurs in the schools, either intentionally or unintentionally. Hence, bullying will never be eliminated

unless teachers and children become partners in this crusade against cruelty (Fried & Fried, 1996, p. 107). The most effective means by which teachers can manage the problem of bullying is by developing increased knowledge and awareness of the problem; by ensuring that there are minimal opportunities for acts of bullying to materialize; and by offering student support, training, and education aimed at attacking the root causes of the bullying behavior. Efforts by teachers to help create a safe learning environment, where students are comfortable, feel confident, and are able to express themselves and their individuality, greatly facilitate student learning and personal comfort at school. This suggests that teachers intervention could be effective in reducing and preventing the impact bullying is having on todays youth.