New laws, media attention and public awareness campaigns
have placed a greater emphasis on bullying in recent years than perhaps ever in
the nation’s history.?Yet bullying remains a stubborn problem with far-reaching
effects.
More than one in four students, 27.8 percent, report being
bullied during the school year, according to a 2103 report by the National
Center for Educational Statistics, but most victims never tell an adult.
That’s one reason it’s crucial that everyone – not just
school officials – get involved in the battle, says TV personality Cindy
“Rodeo” Steedle, who founded an anti-bullying initiative called Imagine NoBullying Now and often speaks on the subject at school assemblies.
“It’s so important to me because I was bullied as a child,”
says Steedle, who rose to fame in 2007 as a contestant on VH1’s “Rock of Love”
and subsequently has made numerous other TV appearances.
Steedle recalls as a teenager enduring the taunts of other
girls because she couldn’t afford the nice clothes they wore. The bullying
didn’t stop with words.?“They would hit me on the bus,” Steedle says.
The impact of bullying can be devastating. A 2012 report by
the Centers for Disease Control said students who experience bullying are at
increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties and poor school adjustment.
Read more:
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Bullying is bad for the bullies, as well. The CDC reported
that students who bully others are at increased risk for substance use,
academic problems and violence later in adolescence and adulthood.
“How many times have each of us witnessed an act of bullying
and said little or nothing?” Steedle asks. “After all, it wasn’t our
responsibility. If our kid wasn’t involved, we figured, it’s none of our
business.”
That’s the wrong attitude, Steedle says. She offers keys to
facing up to bullying and doing something about it.
• No one should make excuses for bullies. Some people
claim bullying is simply a part of life. If no one is physically hurt, they
will say, “What’s the big deal? It’s just boys being boys and girls being
girls.” Those people are wrong, Steedle says. “We must make it clear in our
actions and our words that bullying will not be tolerated,” she says.
• Parents should monitor their children’s cell phone
and Internet use. Bullying takes many forms and it’s not always in person. Text
messages and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can become sources
of bullying.
• Schools must be at the forefront of the battle. Too
many schools don’t take bullying seriously. School officials need to recognize
the depth of the problem, and implement and enforce strong anti-bullying
policies.
• But the problem goes beyond the schoolhouse doors.
If we want to eradicate bullying in our communities, we can’t rely on schools
alone, Steedle says. All public and private institutions need to do more to
demonstrate that bullying is simply unacceptable in our workplaces and in our
homes.
“This is not a failure of one group of kids, one school, one
town, one county or one geographic area,” Steedle says. “Rather, it exposes a
fundamental flaw in our society, one that has deep-seated roots.
“Until now, it has been too difficult, inconvenient — maybe
even painful — to address. But we can’t keep looking away. We have to stand up
and say, ‘No more!’ It’s up to us all to get more involved.”
About Cindy “Rodeo” Steedle
Cindy “Rodeo” Steedle rose to fame in 2007 as a contestant
on VH1’s “Rock of Love,” captivating viewers with an appealing charisma that
landed her further appearances on seasons 2 and 3 of “Rock of Love.” Her other
TV appearances include the VH1 series “I Love Money” and “Rock of Love: Charm
School” with Sharon Osbourne. Three years ago, to bring awareness to bullying,
Steedle founded an initiative called Imagine No Bullying Now.