B ULLYING How to keep it out of our schools!

Q UICK F ACTS : An estimated 160,000 children miss school every day out of fears of being bullied One out of every ten high school dropouts do so because of being bullied Bullying is the most common form of violence Between 15 and 30 percent of students are bullies or victims Since 1992, there have been roughly 250 deaths in schools, mainly stemmed because of bullying 25 percent of teachers see nothing wrong with the bullying They only intervene in 4 percent of altercations

W HAT IS B ULLYING ? Bullying is a power mechanism. People bully other people in order to have power over something. Everyone bullies in different ways, and sometimes multiple ways. Bullying is not just hitting someone or calling them names, it is taken more serious than that and has even been known to cause deaths and drastic responses. Bullying is against school policies across the United States and is not tolerated whatsoever. The school place is where the majority of bullying takes place.

T YPES OF B ULLYING Physical altercations- physically putting your hands on someone else: punching, smacking, pushing, pinching, spitting, etc.. Verbal bullying- using words or verbal phrases to put down another person: name-calling, cursing, bashing, etc.. Mental/Emotional bullying- using either physical or verbal bullying that takes an emotional toll on the victim: teasing, name-calling, talking about family, talking about a disorder or disease, etc.. Cyber bullying- any form of bullying on any technological device: text messages, internet (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, ), phone calls, etc..

R EASONS FOR BULLYING Bullying can occur for many reasons: Race Sexual orientation (gay, straight, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual) Family history Diseases or disorders (cancer, mental retardation, deaf, blind, etc..) Physical appearance Religion Jealousy To look tough To become/stay with the in-crowd

W HO IS BEING BULLIED ? The kids who are bullied fall into a very diverse category: Appear week Overly smart Quiet Lower financial status From broken families Don’t look like the majority of students Not many friends (nobody to defend them) Isolated from the other students Overly attractive Too high of a financial status

W HAT CAN WE DO AT HOME TO PREVENT BULLYING ? Your child is the bully: Talk to your child about how bullying is an unacceptable behavior and that it can hurt others Discuss the effects of bullying (play a role reversal) Establish ground rules Discuss the consequences of being a bully Spend more time with your child (they may be bullying because of their own issues) Have your child explain why they bully other kids Enroll your child in extra curricular activities Supervise your child’s behaviors Work with your school counselors and administrators

W HAT CAN WE DO AT HOME TO PREVENT BULLYING ? Your child is being bullied: Teach your child to try and not retaliate Explain to your child that those words or actions are not true and that they are perfect the way they are Explain to your child the importance of telling someone even though they are scared or embarrassed to speak up Discuss the child’s positive characteristics and attributes Boost your child’s self-esteem by enrolling them in an activity they excel at Teach your child to use their voice Explain the importance of walking away Explain to your child that the bully has issues just like he does and that is why he/she is a bully

W HAT TO DO IF YOU SEE BULLYING ? Bullying is 100 percent preventable if when we see it we: Stand up for the victim: Go tell someone or try and stop the bully. Do not join in: Joining in or not telling an authoritative figure about someone being bullied makes you just as bad as the bully. Don’t spread rumors: Although they seem like something small, rumors are a form of bullying. They cause emotional issues to the victims. Offer help to the victim: Let the victim know that you are there for them and that they do not deserved to be treated like that. Encourage them to speak up and stop the bullying.

A TEACHER ’ S ROLE A teacher’s role in bully prevention is important in that we are an authoritative figure to a child. We must know our school districts policies on bullying. We must be open and warm with our students so they trust us and will tell us when there is a problem. We can teach units or lessons on the importance of bully prevention. We as teachers need to be united and on the same side when it comes to bullying. This will make it easier to keep the school a place where bullying is not accepted. We must take immediate action when we see or are told of bullying. If we do not take immediate action, we show a sense of condoning it and that is not what we want.

T HE R ESULTS OF B ULLYING It is important that bullying be stopped. It is a world wide epidemic in our schools. Serious issues and incidences can occur from the acceptance of bullying. Possible results of bullying: School catastrophes: shootings, bombs, etc.. Victims cause bodily harm to themselves: cutting, drug use, drinking, etc.. Death: victims commit suicide or kill the people who bully them. Bullies are expelled from school There are no good consequences that come from bullying. Both the bully and the victim suffer from the heinous acts of bullying. It is our job as teachers, parents, and authoritative figures to make sure that are students are not taking place in this.

R ESOURCES asp parents-anne-obrien