Bullying

Guardian Angels Education Guardian Angels Education AcademyAcademy

Bully Prevention in SchoolBully Prevention in School

Presented byFrank SchindelheimEducational Facilitator- Alliance of Guardian Angels

Author:RELIEVING CLASSROOM STRESS- RELIEVING CLASSROOM STRESS- A Teacher’s Survival Guide ©©

FACTBullying interferes with learning

In recent studies, It has been reported that 88% of junior high

and high school students have experienced being victimized by

bullying in school.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

Bullying has many names

• Hazing • Initiation rites

• Extortion• Gossip

• Exclusion• Rejection • Teasing• Assault

• Harassment

Bullies are cowards

They tend to bully others when teachers and adults are not watching.

They tend to bully and intimidate others when they have an audience of “friends”.

They tend to look for weakness in their victims.

Bullying in school. Everyone suffers.

The Victim• Fear of being bullied leads to higher rates of absence and truancy.

• Victims develop a loss of self esteem, depression and isolation.

• As students and later as adults, victims may be hesitant to take social, intellectual, emotional and vocational risks.

• If the problem persists, victims occasionally feel compelled to take drastic measures, such as vengeance in the forms of fighting back, weapon-carrying or even suicide.

• Victims are more likely than nonvictims to grow up being socially anxious and insecure, displaying more symptoms of depression than those who were not victimized as children.

• Grades may suffer because attention is drawn away from learning.

Bullying in school.

Everyone suffers.

Bystanders

• Afraid of associating with the victim because they fear retribution or becoming victimized themselves.

• Fear reporting bullying incidents because they may be termed a “snitch”, “tattletale”, “rat”, etc.

• May experience feelings of guilt or helplessness because they did not stand up to the bully on behalf of their classmates.

• Are drawn into bullying behavior by group pressure.

• Feel unsafe, unable to take action or a loss of control.

Bullies Suffer• Bullies are more likely to drop out of school

• Delinquency

• Criminality

• Bullies tend to develop violent tendencies

WHY SOME KIDS BULLYWHY SOME KIDS BULLYHi Ronald! You are a 12 year-old sixth grade male currently attending Cedar Hill Middle School. The school is located about three blocks from your apartment building in which you live on the third floor with your Grandmother, Aunt and two younger siblings. You like to “fool around” with kids in your class and often like to show off in front of them. For that reason you have developed a reputation among the adults in your school. They think that you have problems. You generally do not like the adults in Cedar Hill. They are always calling your Grandmother and trying to get you into trouble. You have had these problems since the first grade. You have always found it very difficult to learn and, especially, take tests. The school suggested to your Grandmother that you should be tested for special ed. placement, but she told the school that you are smart and refused placement.

Last Thursday, during lunch, you got into a fight with Billy (he’s in the homeroom next to yours). It always appears that Billy is trying to please the teachers at school. Even when you call him names and push him, he doesn’t do anything about it. During the fight, the other kids were yelling and cheering. You felt good about that and when Billy ran to the teacher’s on duty, he was crying hysterically. You felt important in front of the other kids. You like the feeling of being a “tough guy”. You were suspended for fighting (2 days). When you came back to class, you failed the social studies and math test, but you just don’t care. You hate school; the kids and especially the adults. They're always lecturing you and telling you that you better shape up and that they never saw a kid like you. You shrug your shoulders, and tell them that you just don’t care.

1. Have you ever encountered a student like Ronald?

2. If you answered yes, what sort of behavior(s) did that student elicit?

3. Do you think it is unusual to have students like Ronald in your class?

4. What strategies do you use when you have a student like Ronald in your class?

EFFECTIVELY DEALING WITH BULLYING

Establish a school wide zero tolerance for bullying behavior

1. Assess the awareness of bullying problem in your school and classroom

2. Closely supervise students in large areas (cafeteria, play yard, auditorium, halls, etc.).

3. Post rules in large play areas (rules should be school wide and taught to each student on a regular basis).

4. Establish a confidential reporting system that allows children to report victimization and that record details of bullying incidents.

5. Establish a pupil personnel team to educate the students on issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination.

6. Act on bullying reports immediately.

7. Assure victims that you will follow up on reports and take appropriate action.

8. Do not blame the victim.

* SAMPLE RULES THAT MAY BE POSTED IN HALLWAYS, CAFETERIAS, PLAY YARDS

1. Do not run

2. Keep hands and feet to yourself

3. Respect others space

4. Do not litter

* Rules should be established to suit the needs of each school

Strategies for Classroom Teachers

• Be the counselor

• Provide classroom lessons about bullying behavior

• Develop a classroom action plan to ensure that students know what to do when they observe a bully/victim confrontation

• Take immediate action when bullying behavior is observed

• Confront bullies in private (Challenging a bullies publicly may be just what they are seeking)

• Notify parents of all parties immediately

• Refer victims and aggressors to counseling when appropriate

• Create a buddy system for victims

Student Strategies

• Seek adult help

• Do not participate in the harassment of the victim

• Offer kind words to the victim

• Do not become involved in rumors and gossip

• If you can effectively communicate with the bully, tell the bully that he is doing inappropriate things

• Do not become involved in physical or verbal fights with a bully