1. Facts About Bullying

2. Ann Marie Jakobsen- Byrd School Learning Center Teacher Linda McElroy- Central School Music Teacher Chrisanne Moger- Coleman School Kindergarten Teacher Charlie Holmgren- Hamilton School PE Teacher Jeff Kurland- Middle School Music Teacher Joe Sutera- High School PE Teacher School Anti-Bullying Specialists

3.  100% of children are touched by bullying as either a victim, perpetrator or bystander.  According to Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing and Sexual Harassment in School, (2001) in a national sample, 83% of boys and 79% of girls said they had been bullied.  76% of this was nonphysical  60% was under the teacher’ nose! Bullying is a reality!

4.  Most bullying incidents happen in less than a minute and often in front of adults  Hazler, Miller, Carney and Green (2001) analyzed recognition of what constitutes bullying in schools.  Results: physical conflicts were more often rated as bullying, even if they didn’t fit the definition  Repetitive nature of bullying is easily overlooked if it is perceived as a fair fight  Bullying is purposeful- intended to injure and involves both physical and mental components and an imbalance of power. Bullying happens in front of adults!

5.  Girls- band together to isolate through exclusion, gossiping and teasing usually according to social status/popularity  Boys- exclude peers from the group usually according to athletes vs. nonathletes. Bullying is generally more of a physical nature. Both boys and girls are involved in bullying

6.  About 160,000 students skip school daily for fear of being bullied or teased at school Bullying is a violence and human- rights issue

7.  Teachers intervene in only one in 25 incidents.  Students don’t tell teachers because they think the adults won’t do anything or they may actually make the situation worse.  Bystanders, both adults and peers, don’t step in to assist because they don’t know what to do. The average episode of bullying lasts only 37 seconds

8.  Insert state definition  Teasing and taunting are bullying when the behavior is not reciprocal!  Bullying lowers another’s self-esteem and is one- sided.  Research supports that bullying interferes with the learning process.  Bullying is done with intent to harm  Imbalance of power Bullying is different than “normal” childhood teasing!

9.  Not all conflict is bullying—adults as well as children need to know the difference.  Bullying can be direct- hitting, pushing, kicking and general hurtful threatening behaviors/gestures  It always involves an imbalance of power!  Always consider balance of power when determining if you are dealing with bullying, roughhousing or just fighting.  Not all bad behavior is bullying. If the peers are truly equal, the behavior is not bullying. Friends can have disagreements that escalate into a fight. Important to know the difference between bullying and other types of conflict between children

10.  Indirect bullying includes getting someone else to bully a victim.  Difficult form of bullying to pinpoint, but it needs to be taken very seriously. It includes:  Getting another person to assault someone  Spreading rumors  Getting someone to deliberately exclude someone from a group or activity  Cyberbullying by second parties  Mean gestures such as eye rolling or averting eyes to ignore someone  Getting someone to steal or hide a person’s belongings Bullying can be indirect—gossip, rumors and damaging another student’s reputation.

11.  This is the amount of time it takes for a student to be victimized by an eye roll or sharp look.  It happens so fast that a teacher or adult never sees a thing. 7 Seconds

12.  Adults intervene when bullying becomes physical.  Key to reducing this form of bullying is to intervene long before it happens.  The process of escalation is often gradual. Can begin with a look or gesture or an indirect act such as deliberately excluding another student.  Because the process of escalation is gradual, it erodes the bully’s feelings of empathy and makes the act more satisfying and rewarding. Physical bullying is the most common and most likely to demand a response from adults

13.  Includes:  Name calling  Insults  Making racist comments  Constant teasing  Easiest to inflict on other children  Quick and to the point  Can occur in the least amount of time Verbal bullying

14.  Children are bullied and teased for different reasons  Physical appearance  Being quiet or passive  Standing out among peers for whatever reason  Social status  Athletic abilities  Academic abilities  Bullies isolate or exclude them Victims

15.  Students who have been victimized and then revert to inflicting the same behavior on others.  Feel a sense of entitlement to perpetuate the behavior, especially when there are no consistent consequences for bullying. Bully victims are students who can be both a bully and a victim

16.  Lack empathy for their victims  Children who consistently bully have no concept of the pain they are imposing on anther child.  Especially true with cyberbullying because it takes place in an anonymous atmosphere. Bullies

17.  If the bullying behavior is allowed it will escalate.  As long as the bully gets his/her needs met, the behavior will continue.  There is no incentive to stop. Bullying behaviors are learned!

18.  Some reasons adults don’t intervene:  Don’t know when the incident happens- remember the average bullying incident takes only 37-seconds.  Too busy to handle a bullying situation  May consistently respond to physical bullying but feel it isn’t necessary to intervene when bullying is verbal. Lack of adult intervention reinforces bullying

19.  84% of a school population comprise bystanders  Students must be taught how to respond to bullying situations  Need to encourage them to report the incident to the nearest adult  Help the victim walk away; sit with them if they are being isolated  Need to teach the difference between tattling and telling! Bystanders

20.  They may be afraid to help the victim for fear that they will be next  If the situation is safe and the student doesn’t feel apprehensive about stepping in, a simple, “Hey, leave him alone!” or “Let’s get out of here!” can be a good way to help the victim. Often kids who watch bullying feel uncomfortable because they feel it is wrong and they don’t know how to respond.

21.  Specific form of bullying  Deliberate and intentional act that happens through electronic means  When the victim isn’t in front of the bully the bully gets braver and is willing to send or forward mean messages.  Perpetrators don’t usually have to face consequences because there is generally very little reporting of cyberbullying incidences.  Children fear that reporting cyberbullying may result in a reduction or removal of Internet privileges. Cyberbullying

22.  Bullying is a problem regardless of where it happens, because it impacts how a student feels when they are in school.  Student learning is directly impacted when they do not feel safe in school. Schools have a responsibility to students even when the cyberbullying happens after school or at home

23.  Relational aggression is easy to describe but difficult to recognize. It is when one student deliberately and maliciously manipulates others to exert control or to destroy relationships.  One of the most sinister and subtle forms of bullying  Target can be devastated and isolated because of the nastiness of another student. Relational Bullying

24.  Difficult to tell the bullies from the popular students  To feel that they belong, some students go to extreme measures to be accepted and popular in their social circle.  They want to ‘fit in.’ Relational bullying is very common

25.  We need to make it quite clear to children that the right of free speech ends with the first insult! There is no freedom of speech when it comes to bullying

26.  Takes time and determination, but you can make a difference!  Best Practices in Bullying Prevention  Focus on the social environment- foster a respectful and caring atmosphere  Assess bullying- Olweus Survey  Garner staff and parent support  Form a group to coordinate the school’s bullying prevention activities- School Safety Teams  Staff training in bullying prevention  Establish and enforce school rules and policies related to bullying  Increase adult supervision in hot spots where bullying occurs  Intervene consistently and appropriately in bullying situations  Focus some class time on bullying prevention  Continue these efforts over time. Bullying Prevention

27. IT ONLY TAKES ONE!