Cover Letter

Professor Albertson,
In writing this letter I would like to share with you the final draft of my Informative
Essay on bullying entitled A Bully Among Our Children. Through my original core reading
Indian Education by Sherman Alexie, I became inspired to write about bullying within the
school systems because it was an issue that Alexie was faced with on a constant basis. My
second inspiration came from my own unfortunate experience with a bully during my high
school years. It is an experience that I do not like to spend time remembering but I felt it was
necessary for this project. There have been several occasions when I had to take a break because
my emotions were coming through but it helped me show my passion on the issue. As advised by
a fellow classmate, through his Peer Response, I changed my thesis statement so it focused on
one specific aspect of bullying, which is recognizing the act of bullying, rather than bullying as
a whole. He felt saying bullying alone was too broad of a spectrum. This classmate also stated
that he felt like paragraph 4 was too informative and felt like he was reading an information
pamphlet. Well I may be wrong but an informative essay is to Inform and that was my
intentions. I did; however, rewrite the last sentence of paragraph 4 so it was less bias. For
paragraph 5, I converted it into two paragraphs which did make the flow much better. He wanted
me to remove the section that gave the resources available to victims and all those involved but I
just could not do it. Almost as much as the steps to prevent bullying are important, so are the
resources. I removed the questions that I used to introduce each paragraphs subject and I let the
paragraph speak for itself. Another critique was to remove or rewrite 4 sentences that showed I
was being bias. Those sentences were: These statistics are staggering and frightening, This is

why it is so important to not fear telling someone, It is crucial and imperative that we
recognize these signs, and A plan of action has got to be created. I agreed with the change and
I felt it did read much better that way. The next element I changed was adding a citation to the
end of paragraph 3 because it was unsure if someone else made the comment (Why do bullies
bully?) or if I was making the statement, which was also a peer critique. I also added Indian
Education to the Work Cited page to show where the idea came from. My main goal in revising
my essay was to become more unbiased through your advice and through one of my peer
responses. My second peer response was full of compliments, which I appreciated so much,
because it helped me keep the passion to create an essay that others would benefit from. I hope
you see improvement in this final draft of my informative and enjoy reading it.
Sincerely,
Sheila Mace

Sheila Mace
Professor Shelly Albertson
ENG111
08/November/2015
A Bully Among Our Children
School bullying is an issue of deep concern across the United States. The attention is due,
in large part, to reports indicating the association between school bullying and school shootings
(Vossekuil, Fein, Reddy, Borum, & Modzeleski, 2002), and between school bullying and student
suicides (Klomek, Marrocco, Kleinman, Schonfeld, & Gould, 2007). Because of the relationship
between bullying and each of these aspects, the issue cannot be solved by a one-size-fits-all
solution. School bullying is very complex so it needs an extreme understanding of each variable
that it is linked to. Parents and educators will need to be diligent at recognizing bullying in its
very beginning stages in hopes of preventing bullying among our children in schools. At the
same time, having an understanding of why it is happening and knowing what we can do to help
both the victim and the bully, will be necessary as well. School bullying is like a tree with many
different roots going in many different directions. Each aspect of bullying is like a single root
and until each of those roots are addressed and resolved, bullying as a whole will never cease.
In the article, Creating An Anti-Bullying Culture In Secondary Schools by Jones &
Augustine, they state bullying has become an epidemic in our schools. Haynie, et al. (2011)
reports that up to 45% of students in school were involved in bullying practices, either as a target
or as the bully. It is estimated that 25% of students are bullied on a regular basis and 20% of
students have bullied their peers (Bullying Statistics, 2013).

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In discussing the bullying epidemic, it is important to take a look at the factors that impact the
harassment in schools. Data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2013)
shows that racial bullying is one of the most tremendous challenges facing educators. The data
also shows that lower socio-economic students are at a high risk as well because of their
socioeconomic status. Students from impoverished families are at a high risk of being victimized
by others in their schools (Due, et al., 2009). Gender is another issue that plays a role in bullying.
As female students continue through school, reports of harassment for girls is much higher than
boys (NCES, 2013). A majority of girls bullying exists within high school and connects to the
mean girl phenomenon in which girls demean and discipline each other (Garandeau &
Gillessen, 2006). The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network in their National School
Climate Survey (GLSEN, 2011), show us the statistics of what some students go through on a
daily basis: 84% of students heard gay used in a negative way daily, 91.4% felt distressed by it,
71.3% heard other homophobic remarks daily, 81.9% were verbally harassed and 38.3% were
physically harassed because of their sexual orientation.
In the article A General Semantics Approach To School-Age Bullying by Katherine and
Martin Levinson, a bully is not distinguished by looks but by how they act. Bullies bullya
conscious, deliberate hostile activity intended to terrorize and harm others through the threat of
further aggression. (Coloroso, p.13). Once he or she has created the terror or fear without
retaliation, they continue to go back and back repeatedly because the victim often feels
powerless and does not say anything to anyone of the occurrence. If a bully is not stopped in the
beginning stages, the harassment will only continue. Why do bullies bully? Children seem to

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take on bully roles due to the treatment they have received from others in their lives such as
authority figures like parents and other adult relatives. (Levinson, pg.6). Because of this
treatment on a daily basis, bullies are taught this is how you treat people, bully or be bullied.
There are three basic ways a bully will harass their victim: Verbal bullying which is easiest to get
away with, Physical bullying because they are the most troubled bullies and Relational bullying
which attempts to destroy ones self-esteem and is the most difficult to see. (Levinson, pg.6).
Parents, relatives, friends and educators can watch for signs of bullying but will need to
remember, not all victims show warning signs. According to www.stopbullying.org, some of the
signs are: unexplainable injuries, lost or destroyed personal property, frequent headaches and
stomach aches or faking an illness, changes in eating habits, not sleeping or having nightmares,
declining grades and not wanting to go to school, sudden avoidance of friends and social
gatherings, feeling helpless and decreased self-esteem, and self-destructing behavior such as
running away, harming themselves and talk of suicide. There are also signs to watch for in a
child who you suspect might be a bully: physical and verbal fighting, has friends who are bullies,
increasingly aggressive, sent to the principals office repeatedly, have unexplained money or new
unexplained items, blames others for their problems, doesnt accept responsibility for their
actions, and are overly competitive worrying about their reputation. Statistics from the 2012
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, show that an adult was notified in less than half (40%) of
bullying incidents. Kids dont tell adults for many reasons. A bullied victim can be afraid of even
more harassment for telling so they try to handle the situation on their own. While bullying is
humiliating a child sometimes feels more humiliated if others think they are weak. Some kids

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fear being judged by their parents or others; questioning if they are the ones at fault. Recognizing
these signs immediately, will help in the goal of making sure children are feeling comfortable
and confident, allowing them to report the bully.
Understanding all levels and aspects of bullying is only part of the fight against bullying.
Creating a plan of action and carrying it through among the school systems is another important
step. In the article, Bringing An End To Bullying, by Signe Whitson, according to The National
Center for Learning Disabilities (2013), school personnel notice or intervene in only 1 out of
every 25 incidents of bullying. Most teachers are very focused on what goes on in their
classrooms while bullying occurs usually in places like the lunchroom, locker room, playground,
bathroom, the hallways, the bus and now even online. (Whitson, Pg. 51). It is not a case where
the teacher ignores it, they just truly do not see it. Teachers and administrators must be more
aware and diligent in spotting bullying. An example of a small change in schools that could hold
a huge impact is the presence of more watchful adult eyes in common places at the school. The
increased physical presence detours the bully while at the same time showing the vulnerable
student they are safe. Cindy Casebeer author of School Bullying: Why Quick Fixes Do Not
Prevent School Failure, states that all practitioners should be ready to intervene each and every
time they encounter aggressive student behavior, if only to stabilize the situation and prevent
more harm. There is a possibility that even the most well intentioned interventions could cause
negative consequences. For that reason, practitioners must remain careful and mindful
considering the immediate and long-term effects of their intervention efforts. (Merrell et al.,
2008).

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There are various resources for victims, their friends, and family members to turn to for
help: Teachers, School counselor, School principal, School superintendent and the State Board of
Education. If the school is not giving you adequate results then you should contact the: School
superintendent, State Board of Education, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S.
Department of Justice. If there is a crime being committed or injury has occurred, always call
911. If someone you know is feeling helpless, hopeless, thinking of suicide, call the National
Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1-800-273-TALK.
As with any fight there isnt any one solution to stop bullying. Because of the complexity
to bullying, all aspects should be addressed in order to successfully bring an end to it. Identify
the victim, recognize the signs of bullying, identify the bully, make a successful intervention
plan, and use all sources that are available. Students and society deserve no less than a safe
environment in which all members can flourish and achieve their full potential, in short, all
members of the school community deserve a positive environment that facilitates school success.
(Casebeer, pg. 169).

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Work Cited
Alexie, Sherman. Indian Education. Atlantic Monthly Press 1993: 171-80. Web
Casebeer, Cindy M. School Bullying: Why Quick Fixes Do Not Prevent School Failure.
Preventing School Failure 56.3 (2012): 165-171 Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct.
2015
Jones, Joseph R., and Sharon Murphy Augustine. Creating An Anti-Bullying Culture In
Secondary Schools: Characteristics To Consider When Constructing Appropriate AntiBullying Programs. American Secondary Education 43.3 (2015): 73-83. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015
Liepe-Levinson, Katherine, and Martin H. Levinson. A General Semantics Approach To
School-Age Bullying. ETC: Review Of General Semantics 62.1 (2005): 4-16. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015
Whitson, Signe. Bringing An End To Bullying. Reclaiming Children & Youth 24.1 (2015). 5054. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2015
Who Is At Risk? Stopbullying.gov U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Web.
15 Oct. 2015