Dealing with Bullying

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Dealing with Bullying

• By Steph Gigg Kristen Towns

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What is Bullying?

• Definition A person being bullied or victimized
  when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over
  time to negative actions on the part of one or
  more persons.

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• Bullying represents a chronic pattern of abuse
  over time, not rare episodes
• They rely on aggression and power to control
  others
• They very carefully target their victims
• Children with AD/HD may also exhibit bullying
  behaviours
• Bullying is not necessarily one- on- one
  harassment it may be carried out by a group on a
  single individual
• Direct bullying involves open attacks on a victim
• Indirect bullying is often convert in nature and
  frequently takes the form of social isolation and
  exclusion from a group

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Forms and Reasons of Bullying

• Physical and verbal aggression, taunts, threats,
  put-downs, social isolation
• Boys bully physically aggressive and violent.
• Girls bully verbally and socially

Grades 8- 12
Grades 4- 8
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True of False?

• Bullying is just a part of life
• Boys bully more often than girls
• Bullies dont usually have any friends
• Bullies do poorly in school
• Bullies tend to be bigger physically
• Children learn from their parents who bully
• Bullies pick victims indiscriminately
• Kids who bully often feel sorry for hurting other
  children afterwards
• A teacher encounters a bullying situation on the
  playground the bully should be attended to first.
• Teachers should discipline bullies publicly (in
  front of their peers)

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Facts of Bullying

• Of the total Canadian school population, 10
  consist of bullies, 10-15 are bullied, the rest
  are by standers/children who witness, join in or
  are unable to step in and stop harassment
• Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Of these
  incidents 4 of the time an adult intervenes,
  11 peers do, and 85 nothing happens.
• The severity of bullying intends to increase in
  middle school
• Being bullied can produce depression, feelings of
  hopelessness and even suicide

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How to Identify a Bully in your Classroom

• Lack of interest in school
• Absence of age- appropriate anger control skills
• Persistent disregard for or refusal to follow
  rules
• Cruelty to pets or other animals
• Artwork or writing that is bleak or violent
• Talking about bringing (or actually bringing)
  weapons to school
• Obsessions with violent games and TV shows
• Depression or mood swings
• Misplaced or unwarranted jealousy
• Self- isolation from family and friends

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How to Identify Bullied Children

• Weak or small or has some physical difference
  (physical or learning disability)
• Quiet, anxious, unassertive, lacks self-
  confidence, eager to please and quick to concede
• Has difficulty controlling their emotions
• Sometimes exhibits behaviours that are annoying
  to others

• A loner or has few friends
• Has deterioration in schoolwork.
• Is clearly unhappy, distressed and
  withdrawn.
• Simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time

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How teachers can support the child being bullied

• Quality time. Having five minutes of time set
  aside each day with a bullied child helps to
  provide a sense of continued concern and create a
  safe place.
• Role modeling. Change the group dynamics by role
  modeling how to treat the victimized child.
• Put the child into situations in which he or she
  is seen to be successful. The teacher should
  provide positive public feedback.
• Effective classroom management. A thoroughly
  prepared teacher is in control of the classroom
  and can deal successfully with the childrens
  relationships.

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No More Bullies
Plan to a Bully Free Classroom

• Introduce the Bully-Proofing Unit and Group
  Discussion Rules.
• Set ground rules- clear standards and
  expectations for behaviour- and then follow
  through with appropriate punishment when the
  rules are broken
• Define Bullying and Sharing Experiences
• Create Closure Consequences and Apologies
• Identify what bullies look for
• Have students create an action plan
• Contact the bullys parents or guardians
• Help students understand the Difference Between
  Bullying and Conflict

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Bullying or Conflict?

• Billy likes to play soccer, but Jordan plays
  rough and Billy tries not to play when he's
  there. One game, Jordan tripped him during the
  game and Billy tore his pants.
• On the way home from school, Greg is chased by
  the biggest boy in his class, Steve. Steve pulls
  him behind the garbage can and tells Greg to
  bring him a recess snack tomorrow. Steve
  threatens Greg and tells him if he knows what's
  good for him, he'll do it.
• A group of girls in third grade have been friends
  since the first grade. One day, Susan tells the
  other girls not to be friends anymore with Amy.
  The other girls agree and run away from Amy at
  recess and lunch. They won't tell her why, and
  she starts to cry because she doesn't know why
  they are doing this to her.

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Marvelous Me
Plan to a Bully Free Classroom

• Conduct activities to develop each students
  self-esteem, reduce their vulnerability in
  general and to bullies in particular
• Cooperative Education classrooms can be
  organized so that subject learning is accompanied
  by lessons in cooperation and group dynamics.
• Teach pro-social skills and anger management
  techniques to students. Include lessons on
  aggression and conflict throughout the
  curriculum, including sexism and racism, impulse
  control, cooperation, peer counseling and anger
  management.
• Teachers can provide rewarding opportunities for
  the bully to behave positively.

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Plan to a Bully Free Classroom
Fabulous Friends

• Teach strategies for making and keeping friends
• Help students develop empathy for other peoples
  feelings and experiences

Conflict Resolution

• Introduce conflict-resolution techniques.
• Having students practice conflict resolution
  consistently in the classroom and on the
  playground.

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Step-by-Step Conflict Resolution

• Step 1
• Have the students let you know there is a problem
  to be resolved.
• Step 2
• Use the "my turn to talk" prompts
• Step 3
• Help Students Find and Agree on a solution

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The Whole School Solution

• For a bullying problem to be solved parents and
  teachers must collaborate. Police, parents,
  schools, the community and the students have to
  work together for any chance of success
• Include the students in creating an anti-
  bullying environment because they gain a sense of
  ownership and responsibility for making it work.
  Students can help decide the consequences for
  bullying. (Bullies may be more influenced by
  rules their peers have made)
• School wide confidential questionnaire to
  determine how often bullying happens, when and
  where

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Discussion Questions

• What forms of bully prevention have you seen in
  schools that dont work?
• Why not?
• What could make them more effective?
• What could be done instead?