For this report, we interviewed Dr. Gary Geffken, associate professor of psychiatry and chief of the division of medical psychology at the University of Florida. We also interviewed Kathleen Mahoney, a 24-year-old substitute teacher at P.K. Yonge Elementary School in Gainesville, Fla., who witnessed bullying and decided to do something about it.
Geffken discussed at length the pervasiveness of bullying in all phases of life. Childhood bullying is as prevalent as it has ever been, but peer victimization is no less significant in adulthood. Geffken explained that bullying may result from the group mentality of cliques, or that it may spawn from children's ability to exclude a classmate because of a unique characteristic. However, one trait that formerly exposed children to ridicule has been phased out in recent years.
Mahoney discussed a "peace program" she developed with another intern at an elementary school in Fort Myers, Fla., which encouraged children to find common ties with each other and in other aspects of their lives. Mahoney said she believes bullying is inevitable for children and they should be taught to address it themselves. In the audio clip, Mahoney explains how supportive teachers and families can help address a bullying problem that is unavoidable for children in every type of school environment.
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