Bullying Continues To Be A Problem In Public Schools

As you may know, I am a parent whose children are students at Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY. 

Except for one year of Christian school when they were younger, my children have always been a part of the public school system. I can't say that I've been impressed with the results of their public school education. 

Bullying has been a big problem for one of my children. He is currently in sixth grade. Last year, he was in fifth grade, and attended an Elmira school. Each week, it seemed like he came home with yet, another story about being bullied while he was in class. One of the things that surprised me, however, was that it wasn't always only the boys who were doing the bullying. On many occasions, he told us that one of the girls in his class threatened to punch him in the face and break his glasses. This behavior continued all year long, and I continued to get reports from him that there were problems with various students in his fifth grade class.

The bullying he experienced made it difficult for him to make any real friends at school. He actually showed a real distaste for school, and even getting him to do his homework posed some real challenges. He would come home and have to be told to do his homework, and sometimes it would take him hours. If you were to ask him how he liked school, he would tell you that he "hated it." 

The bullying my son experienced was one reason I felt prompted to find another education alternative for him. I desperately wanted him (as well as my two other children) to go to a private school. However, we didn't think we could afford a private school education for our children at the time. A quick peek online at other local private schools told us that the tuition was far out of our reach. We felt trapped. 

Bullying is a serious problem in public schools, and Business Insider lists some staggering statistics about it that many parents probably aren't aware of: 

• Bullying affects nearly one in three American schoolchildren in grades six through ten.
• 83% of girls and 79% of boys report experiencing harassment.
• Six out of ten teenagers say they witness bullying in school once a day.
• It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. 
• 35% of kids have been threatened online.
• Bullies often go on to perpetrate violence later in life: 40% of boys identified as bullies in grades 6 through 9 had three or more arrests by age 30.
• One of every 10 students who drop out of school do so because of repeated bullying.
• 75% of school shooting incidents have been linked to bullying and harassment.
• 64% of children who were bullied did not report it.
• Nearly 70% of students think schools respond poorly to bullying.

Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY has changed my son's mindset about school. My daughter commented to me one day, "Mom, I've never been in a place where everyone loves each other. We all just love each other at school." That made me very happy. 

As far as my son's issues with homework and "hating" school, those issues are gone. He looks forward to school every day, and I have not had to remind him once to do his homework. In fact, he has an essay due at the end of this week, and he has all ready written six pages of it. I am so thrilled with his progress, and I love what Foundations Christian School has done for his confidence, self-esteem and work ethic.

If you have a child who is experiencing bullying at school, please know that there is something you can do to change that. Foundations Christian School is an excellent, affordable alternative where your child will not only be cared for and loved, but he or she will thrive in the type of environment the school offers. If you'd like more information about Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY, please contact us! 

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