Bullying 101

Anyone out there okay with bullying going on?  (the silence is deafening!)  Yet the estimates are that anywhere from 10% to 84% of children in school experience bullying. I found the variance in statistics fascinating - is it that some schools are more intimidating than others?  Actually, from my research it would appear that unless your child's school has an effective anti-bullying program that includes educating the teachers, parents, and kids, anonymous tip reporting, consciencious monitoring, and is dedicated to creating a bully free school culture, then probably 1 in four kids in your school is being bullied in some manner. 

So today when you pick up your child from school, just count the kids going by and when you get to four, just know that one of those kids is probably not having 'a good day'. Too severe? Perhaps you think your school is 'too nice' for that sort of thing to happen...o.k. then cut the statistic is half - count to eight and know that one of those kids is having a not so good day.

I looked at research articles working with every age group from Headstart to high school - bullying is there.  The peak period of bullying is middle school which makes sense as it is such a challenging time anyway. 


Bullying happens when someone repeatedly hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself (espcially vulnerable are kids deemed as 'different' - ADHD, obese, tall, short, thin, disabled, sexual orientation and so on).

• physical: pushing, hitting, pinching, tripping etc.
• exclusion: from lunch tables, conversations, groups, parties, activities
• verbal: name calling, taunting, teasing, spreading mean rumors
• cyber: texting, posting mean pictures or blogs, spreading mean rumors etc

Kids at your kid's school are probably being bullied today, even if is isn't your kid, it is not unlikely that your child has witnessed bullying.  What are they learning from that?


http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/