STOP ACTS OF AGGRESSION/BULLYING Taylor County Middle School TOGETHER Preparing Our Youth for the Future

What do you know about bullying? True/False Quiz Bullying is just teasing. _________ Some people deserve to be bullied._______ Only boys are bullies.________ People who complain about bullies are babies._______ Bullying is a normal part of growing up.______ Bullies will go away if you ignore them.______ All bullies have low self-esteem._______ It’s tattling to tell an adult when you’re being bullied.____ The best way to deal with a bully is by fighting or trying to get even._________ People who are bullied might hurt for a while, but they’ll get over it._________

Definition of Bullying Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, hurtful and persistent. It can include verbal, emotional and physical victimization Bullying can be physical, verbal, social or relational It can include teasing, harassment, isolation & assault. Cyber bullying

Frequency Up to 58% of students have reported being bullied 5 million students are bullied every year Middle School is the peak period for bullying 3 out of 10 students report seeing bullying occur in their school at least once a day 80% of students stated that they had engaged in bullying in the past 30 days There has been a 46-59% increase in reported bullying behaviors of students

Types of Physical Bullying Hitting, slapping, elbowing, shouldering, kicking Pushing, shoving Taking/stealing, damaging or defacing property Restraining, pinching Inappropriate touching Sexual harassment

Verbal Bullying Name-calling Insulting remarks Repeated teasing (it’s not just teasing if you hurt someone) Racist or sexist remarks Threats and intimidation Whispering behind their back-starting rumors

Social and Relational Bullying Manipulating relationships (mean girl cliques) Destroying Reputations (gossiping, spreading rumors) Making someone look foolish (humiliation) Ranking (excluding someone because you feel superior) Writing mean or nasty notes about someone Social Isolation (don’t be her friend)

Being Inappropriate On-Line Includes chat rooms or services like Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram, Twitter,instant messages, e-mail, websites and web pages Pre-teens usually say things on-line that they would not say to someone face to face. Virtual messaging affords a sense on anonymity 60% of 4th-8th graders have had mean or hurtful things said to them on-line Almost 1/3 have been threatened

What Kids Reveal On-Line

What Can You Do If a Bully Targets You? Tell a friend what is happening. It is harder for the bully to pick on you when you have support Say STOP IT or NO FIRMLY and walk away Try not to show that you are angry or upset-bullies thrive on getting feedback from their actions Look confident and use assertive body language Ask them to repeat what they have said-this gives you control of the situation Remove yourself from the situation-if it is happening by the water fountain, don’t go there Try to think up funny or clever replies in advance Respond with a non-defensive question to the bully (Why would you say that? Why are you trying to hurt my feelings?) Don’t retaliate Find an adult to report to Have a friend report it anonymously Keep a diary or log of the activity

Are You a Bystander or an Upstander? Bystanders ignore what is happening around them Upstanders try to diffuse the situation-ask the victim to walk with them, help them get away from the situation, tell the aggressor to stop, tell an adult Bystanders listen to gossip or ignore online messages that are unkind or laugh and/or add to the story Upstanders stop untrue or harmful messages by telling the speaker or sender to stop and that spreading rumors is wrong. They can also change the subject-ask the person to talk about something else. They make it clear that talking about someone else is not cool or funny behavior Bystanders ignore a person when they know they are hurting. Upstanders say hi to someone who looks down, invites someone who is being isolated to eat with them or sit by them Bystanders don’t care what is happening, as long as it is not happening to them Upstanders lead by doing and showing others how to be of strong character Bystanders are part of the problem Upstanders are the main solution and role models of good character and leadership

http://www.pacer.org/bullying/video/player.asp?video=50 http://youtu.be/bO7FQsCcbD8