 |
| (Google Image) |
By
Terry Orr
Understanding that bullies (and imitators)
have been around for ages – they need to be dealt with immediately – hopefully in
a positive and corrective manner. It has
been my misfortune to have been around them since grade school, while in the military
and during my consultant careers. All too often, the apple does not fall far
from the tree. This cycle truly needs to
be broken.
Last February, we shared
information regarding reporting bully behaviors to appropriate officials;
educating kids about bullies early on; what to do when someone is being
bullied; and working to prevent
bullying.
 |
| (Google Image) |
What Is Bullying?
Bullying
is behavior that hurts or harms another person physically or emotionally.
Bullying can be very overt, such as fighting, hitting or name calling, or it
can be covert, such as gossiping or leaving someone out on purpose. It is
intentional, meaning the act is done willfully, knowingly and with
deliberation. The targets have difficulty stopping the behavior directed at
them and struggle to defend themselves. [Source: phillyBurbs.com]
 |
| (Google Image) |
Facts
that everyone should know about bullying:
71 percent of
students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.
90 percent of
4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.
Every day, 160,000 students skip school because they are afraid
they will be bullied.
The most common reason cited for being harassed is a student's
appearance or body size. Two out of five teens feel that they are bullied
because of the way that they look.
57 percent of students who experience harassment in school never
report the incident to the school. Ten percent of those who do not report stay
quiet because they do not believe that teachers or staff can do anything. As a
result, more than a quarter of students feel that school is an unsafe place to
be.
Nine out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at
school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
41 percent of principals say they have programs designed to
create a safe environment for LGBT students, but only 1/3 of principals say
that LGBT students would feel safe at their school.
One in four teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will
only intervene 4 percent of the time.
A victim of bullying is twice as likely to take his or her own
life compared to someone who is not a victim.
Only one in 10 victims of cyberbullying tell a parent. Fewer
than one in five cyberbullying incidents are reported to the police.
25% of bullies have a criminal record by the age of 30
Bullying is the most common form of violence in our society
25% of teachers see nothing wrong with bullying or putdowns and
consequently intervene in only 4% of bullying incidents. [This fact is
terrible truth.]
 |
| (Google Image) |
Types of Bullying
Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes: Teasing;
name-calling; inappropriate sexual comments; taunting; and threatening to cause
harm.
Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting
someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes: Leaving
someone out on purpose; telling other children not to be friends with someone;
spreading rumors about someone; and embarrassing someone in public.
Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying
includes: Hitting/kicking/pinching; spitting; tripping/pushing; taking or
breaking someone’s things; and making mean or rude hand gestures.
Cyber bullying this type of bullying can be chat rooms, online, instant
messaging, on a mobile phone; social networks; and e-mails
 |
| (Google Image) |
What needs to be done?
Early
intervention: Researchers advocate intervening in elementary or middle school,
or as early as preschool. Group and building-wide social skills training is
highly recommended, as well as counseling and systematic aggression
interventions for students exhibiting bullying and victim behaviors.
Parent
training: Parents must learn to reinforce their children’s positive
behavior patterns and model appropriate interpersonal interactions.
Teacher
training: Training can help teachers
identify and respond to potentially damaging victimization as well as to
implement positive feedback and modeling to address appropriate social
interactions.
Attitude
change: Researchers maintain that
society must cease defending bullying behavior as part of growing up or with
the attitude of “kids will be kids.” Bullying can be stopped!
Positive
school environment: Schools with easily understood rules of conduct, smaller class
sizes and fair discipline practices report less violence.
We as parents, guardians, members of the community –
together need to work together to reduce bullying and that it is not acceptable
behavior – regardless of ones age.
 |
| (Google Image) |
References and Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment