- Bullying usually involves more than the bully and the victim – 85% of bullying episodes occur in the context of a peer group.
- Children helping other children is a powerful experience which can build self-esteem and resilience.
- Children dislike bullying in their schools and want to help stop it.
- Children and adolescents are not aware that they may feed the problem by not intervening.
- Peers need to be taught how to intervene.
- Teachers and parents are relatively unaware of bullying episodes – bullying is an underground activity, hidden from adults.
- Teaching children different and effective strategies to achieve social approval from their peers may reduce aggressive behaviour.
- A bully's triumph over the victim is the reward, and a lack of negative consequences may increase the likelihood of other children being aggressive.
- They are struggling with their own hurts.
- They are acting as primary supports for their peers.
- They are responsible for other children in their communities as baby-sitters, coaches and leaders of youth groups.
- They are making major life decisions about who they are and the quality of their relationships.
- They are capable of breaking the cycle of violence.
- They are preparing to become the parents of the next generation.
- Find your friends and make sure that none of you is either bully or victim. If you don't have a lot of friends, try joining a school club and become part of a group that way.
- Stop teasing or otherwise participating in bullying behaviour.
- Stand up for the child who may be different and find a new friend.
- Report bullying to an adult when you see it.
- Speak up to a teacher or other adult you trust if you are being bullied. Expect that adult to help you.
- Stay safe. Avoid isolated parts of the school.
- If you are being bullied, try to ignore it. The bully wants a reaction. If you don't react, the bully is more likely to lose interest.
- Younger children, in kindergarten through Grade 4, look to adults for protection from bullying. By Grade 6, they think bullying cannot be stopped. By Grade 8, children are beginning to understand the personal dynamics of bullying and have a more sophisticated view of anti -social behaviour perceiving it as a symptom of a child's troubled environment.
- To influence children's behaviour it is important to develop understanding within the context of strategies children can use to solve the problem.
- The best intervention is one which addresses the social context in which bullying occurs – the culture of the school. It must be a collaborative effort of teachers, parents and students.
- The first step in such an effort is a school policy with clearly stated rules against bullying. Classroom discussions are also essential as they serve to sensitize children to the problem, help them to identify the consequences for bullying and in coming up with ways to help the victims. Also necessary is increased adult active supervision of playgrounds.
- Expose bullying – name it – provide a way for your children to understand what is happening when they witness or experience bullying.
- Raise awareness – reduce victim isolation and increase the likelihood of reporting.
- Speak in the language of young people.
Bully B'Ware Productions
http://www.bullybeware.com/
Another web site to see: http://www.bullying.org/
Totally devoted to bully prevention, this website is out of British Columbia and takes a look at the impact of bullying as well as providing tips and strategies on how to deal with bullies.
Adapted from, "Bullying" in Addressing Barriers to Learning, (Vol. 6: #4), Fall, 2001. The Newsletter of UCLA’s Center for Mental Health in Schools. (http:smhp.psych.ucla.edu/news.htm).
POSTED BY : KONG CHEAH SHIEN
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