Bullying
Many children
have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day!
Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose
and the person being bullied has a hard time defending themselves. So,
everyone needs to get involved to help stop it.
Bullying is wrong!
It is behaviour that makes the person being bullied feel afraid or
uncomfortable. There are many ways that young people bully each other,
even if they don't realize it at the time. Some of these include:
Punching, shoving and other acts that hurt people physically
Spreading bad rumours about people
Keeping certain people out of a group
Teasing people in a mean way
Getting certain people to "gang up" on others
The four most common types of bullying are:
Verbal
bullying - name-calling, sarcasm, teasing, spreading rumours,
threatening, making negative references to one's culture, ethnicity,
race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, unwanted sexual comments.
Social Bullying - mobbing, scapegoating, excluding others from
a group, humiliating others with public gestures or graffiti intended
to put others down.
Physical Bullying - hitting, poking,
pinching, chasing, shoving, coercing, destroying or stealing
belongings, unwanted sexual touching.
Cyber Bullying - using the internet or text messaging to intimidate, put-down, spread rumours or make fun of someone.
What are the effects of bullying?
Bullying
makes people upset. It can make children feel lonely, unhappy and
frightened. It can make them feel unsafe and think there must be
something wrong with them. Children can lose confidence and may not
want to go to school anymore. It may even make them sick.
Some
people think bullying is just part of growing up and a way for young
people to learn to stick up for themselves. But bullying can have
long-term physical and psychological consequences. Some of these
include:
Withdrawal from family and school activities, wanting to be left alone.
Shyness
Stomachaches
Headaches
Panic Attacks
Not being able to sleep
Sleeping too much
Being exhausted
Nightmares
If
bullying isn't stopped, it also hurts the bystanders, as well as the
person who bullies others. Bystanders are afraid they could be the next
victim. Even if they feel badly for the person being bullied, they
avoid getting involved in order to protect themselves or because they
aren't sure what to do.
Children who learn they can get away
with violence and aggression continue to do so in adulthood. They have a
higher chance of getting involved in dating aggression, sexual
harassment and criminal behaviour later in life.
Bullying can have an effect on learning
Stress
and anxiety caused by bullying and harassment can make it more
difficult for kids to learn. It can cause difficulty in concentration
and decrease their ability to focus, which affects their ability to
remember things they have learned.
Bullying can lead to more serious concerns
Bullying
is painful and humiliating, and kids who are bullied feel embarrassed,
battered and shamed. If the pain is not relieved, bullying can even
lead to consideration of suicide or violent behaviour.
How common is bullying?
Approximately
one in 10 children have bullied others and as many as 25% of children
in grades four to six have been bullied. A 2004 study published in the
medical Journal of Pediatrics found that about one in seven Canadian
children aged 11 to 16 are victims of bullying. Studies have found
bullying occurs once every seven minutes on the playground and once
every 25 minutes in the classroom.
In the majority of cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers intervene, or do not support the bullying behaviour.
Students
are most vulnerable to bullying during transitions from elementary to
junior high school, and from junior to senior high school.
There is a correlation between increased supervision and decreased bullying. Bullies stop when adults are around.
What are the myths about bullying?
Myth #1 - "Children have got to learn to stand up for themselves."
Reality
- Children who get up the courage to complain about being bullied are
saying they've tried and can't cope with the situation on their own.
Treat their complaints as a call for help. In addition to offering
support, it can be helpful to provide children with problem solving and
assertiveness training to assist them in dealing with difficult
situations.
Myth #2 - "Children should hit back - only harder."
Reality
- This could cause serious harm. People who bully are often bigger and
more powerful than their victims. This also gives children the idea
that violence is a legitimate way to solve problems. Children learn how
to bully by watching adults use their power for aggression. Adults
have the opportunity to set a good example by teaching children how to
solve problems by using their power in appropriate ways.
Myth #3 - "It builds character."
Reality
- Children who are bullied repeatedly, have low self-esteem and do not
trust others. Bullying damages a person's self-concept.
Myth #4 - "Sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you."
Reality - Scars left by name-calling can last a lifetime.
Myth #5 - "That's not bullying. They're just teasing."
Reality - Vicious taunting hurts and should be stopped.
Myth #6 - "There have always been bullies and there always will be."
Reality
- By working together as parents, teachers and students we have the
power to change things and create a better future for our children. As a
leading expert, Shelley Hymel, says, "It takes a whole nation to
change a culture". Let's work together to change attitudes about
bullying. After all, bullying is not a discipline issue - it is a
teaching moment.
Myth #7 - "Kids will be kids."
Reality -
Bullying is a learned behaviour. Children may be imitating aggressive
behaviour they have seen on television, in movies or at home. Research
shows that 93% of video games reward violent behaviour. Additional
findings show that 25% of boys aged 12 to 17 regularly visit gore and
hate internet sites, but that media literacy classes decreased the
boys' viewing of violence, as well as their acts of violence in the
playground. It is important for adults to discuss violence in the media
with youth, so they can learn how to keep it in context. There is a
need to focus on changing attitudes toward violence.
Source: Government of Alberta
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