STOP! Bullying Prevention Program Jaime Tessier

What is Bullying? A student is being bullied or victimized when exposed, repeatedly over time, to intentional injury or discomfort inflicted by one or more other students. (Skiba & Fontanini. Early Identification and Intervention, Bullying Prevention. 2000) 1.Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions. 2.Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time. 3.Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength. It is INTENTIONAL & HURTFUL!

Bullying Behavior Survey How many of you have seen bullying in school this year? Where have you seen this happen? Hallway KIVA Cafeteria Classroom Bathroom Outside School

Types of Bullying Physical – hitting, kicking, pinching, punching, scratching, spitting. Verbal – name calling, insulting, making racist, sexist or homophobic jokes, remarks or teasing. Indirect – spreading rumors about someone, excluding someone from social groups. Cyber Bullying - There are 7 types including: 1. Text message bullying 2. Picture/video clip bullying via mobile phone cameras 3. Phone call bullying via mobile phones 4. bullying 5. Chat-room bullying 6. Bullying through instant messaging (IM) 7. Bullying via websites

Bullying Facts Less than 15% of students intervene when they see bullying. Only 5% of middle school students will report bullying 81% of boys and 72% of girls report being bullied One bullying incident occurs every 7 minutes!

Bullying at School Quiz: True or False? Bullying doesn’t happen at our school FALSE! 70% of students nationwide report being bullied in school, 15% on a regular basis Bullying is a natural part of childhood FALSE! The height of bullying occurs between the 3rd & 8th grades. It is not natural, but is mean & cruel “Sticks & stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Children can work it out on their own - through simple retorts like this FALSE! The emotional abuse of name-calling can lead to depression and even suicide

You’re a tattletale if you complain: this goes for kids and adults FALSE! It is not tattling to protect and assert your right to not be bullied. Most bullies are boys FALSE! Most physical bullying occurs among boys. Most verbal bullying is caused by girls. Bystanders are present in 1 out of 10 bullying incidents FALSE! Bystanders are present in 70% (7 out of 10) of bullying incidents Bullying at School Quiz: True or False?

Bullying Affects ALL Students Negatively! Depression Low self-esteem Health problems Poor grades Suicidal thoughts This violates constitutional and personal rights!

Suicide remains among the leading causes of death of children under 14. And in most cases, the young people die from hanging. (American Association of Suicidology) A new review of studies from 13 countries found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied, and suicide. (Yale School of Medicine) Since 2002, at least 15 schoolchildren ages 11 to 14 have committed suicide in Massachusetts. Three of them were Carl's age. ("Constantly Bullied, He Ends His Life at Age 11," by Milton J. Valencia. The Boston Globe, April 20, 2009) In 2007, 119 children in the age group committed suicide. (AAS)BULLYCIDE

Roles of Bullying BullyBully TargetTarget BystanderBystander Follower: assists or reinforces bullyingFollower: assists or reinforces bullying Passive Bystander: avoids or refuses to intervenePassive Bystander: avoids or refuses to intervene

Bystanders Are NOT Innocent! Their actions can encourage bullying (ex: laughing) Their actions can encourage bullying (ex: laughing) Their actions can be seen as giving permission to bully (ex: not objecting or ignoring) Their actions can be seen as giving permission to bully (ex: not objecting or ignoring) It’s OK to tell! It’s OK to tell!

The TRIPLE D’s of Bullying DANGEROUS Someone might get hurt Someone might get hurtDESTRUCTIVE Someone repeatedly teases or bullies other people Someone repeatedly teases or bullies other peopleDISCRIMINATORY Someone’s core identity is ridiculed Someone’s core identity is ridiculed

You Decide: Joking? Teasing? Or Bullying? Jessica recently moved to Worcester and just finished her first week at Claremont Academy. At 5 ft 6 in, she towered over most of the students in her 8th grade class. While looking for a place to sit, another student called to her, “Hey, Shorty, there’s a spot over here!” Jessica paused for a moment and another girl from the group waved her over. “Don’t pay attention to her, that’s just the way we talk to each other. They call me Einstein because I got all C’s on my last report card.”

You Decide: Joking? Teasing? Or Bullying? On Tuesday, Craig decided to hang his campaign posters around the school, which read, “Vote Craig for Student Council President.” On Wednesday morning in homeroom, he found one of his posters taped to the board in the front of the classroom. Someone had crossed out the word, “President,” and replaced it with “First Lady.” One of Craig’s classmates pointed to a girl in the first row, indicating that Jennifer had altered the poster. Craig glared at her as he tore down the poster while Jennifer and the others laughed.

Wrap-Up & Review With your groups, list three ways to complete the following sentence: Teasing has crossed the line to become hurtful when…

References 9/04/20/constantly_bullied_he_ends_his_life_at_age_11/ =232&name=DLFE-245.pdf