Aggression in Schools, What Can We Do?

   

       Jamie just started 6th grade and is thrilled. She no longer has to walk in lines in the hallways or eat lunch with the students in her class. But today at the lunch table popular Marybeth made fun of Jamie’s friend Olivia. Olivia left the table crying. Later that day Jamie received a text on snapchat telling her no one in the group is allowed to be friends with Olivia. Jamie knows if she maintains her friendship with Olivia she will be ostracized by the group. What should she do? What would you do? 

     Students face many types of aggression in schools today. Boys may settle an argument using physical overt aggression, while girls are more likely to use a form of social or relational aggression. Both use cyber aggression to varying degrees. Why is aggression so prevalent in schools? Who is responsible for setting the tone? What can you do as an educator to minimize aggression and help students learn positive ways work out social conflicts? 

     Students go through many changes during their school years that are both physical and psychological, emotional and social. As they grow many of their choices and attitudes are influenced by the peer groups they are associated with. These peer groups fall into four main classifications; popular, rejected, neglected and ignored students. Aggression rises most frequently in popular aggressive and rejected aggressive students with peer groups being the main influencers of social behavior. Poor outcomes in school years result in poor outcomes as adults so it is important for educators to understand these forms of aggression and provide students with alternative paths for working through social situations. 

     Two types of hostile aggression in which the aggressor seeks to inflict harm on another individual, are overt aggression and relational aggression. Overt aggression refers to the use of threats and personal violence against another individual and is most commonly associated with use by boys in scholastic environments. Some boys who use physical aggression to gain status or possessions are viewed as popular and are often athletic. Other students view these aggressors as desirable and admire how they bully students into conformity and disregard the authority of school personnel. Student support results in the aggressor gaining popularity and makes it increasingly difficult for educators to target and eradicate overt aggression in schools. 

     Relational Aggression is most often associated with girls and occurs when social relationships are threatened or damaged through gossip, insults, taunts and ostracization. Often these threats come out of nowhere as students who were friends one day have a falling out and one student finds themselves the victim. Sometimes relational aggression occurs when the rules and attitudes of cliques or crowds the students associate with are broken. This type of social snubbing can be devastating and cause students to seek refuge on the fringes of scholastic social communities. They often result in long term effects that manifest in poor educational performance, physical disorders and antisocial or withdrawn behavior as adults. Both Overt and Relational Aggression should be addressed immediately and educators should strive to maintain an equitable, safe environment for all students to learn in. 

     Arguably, the most confusing and confounding type of aggression for educators is Cyber Aggression. Cyber aggression occurs when students use social media and other technological platforms to spread rumors, threaten and terrorize other students. Aggression spreads like lightning among school communities and before a victim is aware many other students have joined in the negative campaign of aggression, favoriting or spreading the negative message instantaneously. Cyber aggression is particularly hard to control and address as educators and parents are often not aware or part of the platforms students are using to spread their message. They just don’t see it. With little regulation or site control student safety becomes a clear danger as personal or damaging information can be shared with public communities putting victimized students at risk of being approached by predators who would capitalize on their vulnerability. 

     As educators we are responsible for creating a safe environment for learning for all students. It is not enough to conform to the notion that aggression in schools is O.K. because it is just a part of society or has always been a part of scholastic culture. 

    Educators can help students learn to solve social problems in effective non-aggressive ways. This starts by creating a safe learning environment with clear class rules that include kindness and respect, modeling a non-aggressive and inclusive approach to teaching, showing tolerance and not favoring aggressive students with rewards or protection. Educators can build in time for emotional/social learning taking a few moments before class begins to set the tone with meditative breathing exercises or movement. Teachers can have group discussions, role play, write or create video projects that model positive social interactions that will help students refine and verbalize their own attitudes towards aggressive social behavior.  Teachers should keep up on popular social trends especially those that use social media so they can identify when those mediums and their content creators are inappropriate or being used in aggressive ways. 

     Most importantly teachers can help students show their peers that aggressive behavior is not accepted. 

    With most students taking their social cues from peers a social scholastic community united in one anti-aggression voice can quickly “de-popularize” aggressive, damaging behavior and create a more productive, satisfying and successful learning environment for all involved. What have we got to lose?