Teens Against Bullying Mrs. Harry’s Advisory Class

Bullying is defined in the dictionary as a verb meaning to treat abusively. Wikipedia states bullying is an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally.

Bullying is different from a disagreement or the usual conflicts. What is different? It’s bullying if: one person is hurting another with words or actions it’s on purpose the person doing it has more power

Bullying can begin as early as preschool, it increases in elementary, peaks in middle school and then decreases in high school. The types of bullying are different over the years, but the effects are the same.

Each school day 160,000 students in the US stay home from fear of being bullied. This means they lose the opportunity to learn. It’s not just the target of the bully who suffers. The bully may act this way because they have been bullied at home and haven’t been taught any other way or they do not get positive attention at home.

Bullying behavior can have negative consequences for both the bully and the victim. Students who bully grow up to have a greater risk of getting into trouble with the law. Studies have shown that boys identified as bullies in middle school were four times as likely as their peers to have more than one criminal conviction by age twenty-four.

Children who bully are more likely to engage in other criminal and anti-social behaviors, such as: Fighting Vandalism Truancy Dropping out of school Stealing Smoking Alcohol and/or drug abuse

Bullying can take lots of forms. Here are 4 common types of bullying. Physical – This one’s easy to recognize. Examples include pushing, shoving, hitting, kicking, spitting, hair pulling, inappropriate touch, breaking objects or taking and damaging another person’s things.

Verbal – It is really common because it is quick, direct and easy to do. Examples include teasing, name calling, threatening, intimidating, demeaning jokes, rumors and gossip.

Emotional – This type of bullying is more sophisticated. It’s calculated and often done by a group. It hurts people’s feelings and makes them feel bad about themselves. Examples include leaving someone out on purpose, telling lies to hurt someone’s reputation and humiliating someone publically.

Cyberbullying – Using technology to bully. Examples include sending mean text messages, posting videos, stories or photos that ridicule someone and spreading rumors through social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, MocoSpace, etc.)

Until recently, bullying was accepted. People used to say things like: Boys will be boys Girls don’t bully Words will never hurt you Bullying is natural Some people deserve it It will make you tougher

If you are the bystander… And you do nothing, you are promoting violence! Over half of bullying situations stop if bystanders step in. What would you do if you saw a bank being robbed? Or a house on fire? Or a car accident? It might not be safe to rush in to the scene, but you would call 911. It’s like that when you see bullying. You can tell an adult, a friend, or convince others to help you stand up to the bully.

If you are the target… Many students who are bullied feel they somehow are to blame or created the situations. Kids who bully will threaten that things will get worse if you tell. But really… if you don’t tell it will probably get worse anyway. So, talk to a trusted adult. Nobody wants to be a snitch. But really…telling isn’t snitching. You tell to protect yourself or someone else. You don’t want your parents to worry. But really.. They love you. They can’t help you if they don’t know what’s going on.

If you are the bully… What’s fun or cool about hurting someone? A lot of kids bully because they have troubles at home and use bullying as a way of taking out their frustrations. Are you jealous of someone and want to feel powerful? It’s not too late to change, find a trusted adult and start talking.

What can the school do? Schools should make sure their computer Acceptable Use Policy and Student Code of Conduct specifically bans online bullying. They should also make sure that teachers as well as parents and students are educated about the seriousness of online bullying. Make sure teachers, parents, and students can recognize bullying and can take steps to prevent and stop bullying.

What can you do? Youth can do their part to stop bullying now by showing younger students that bullying is not OK. By setting an example of stepping in when younger students bully others. Simply saying “That is not how we treat other people” could instill a sense of power in younger students to step in and change the acceptance of bullying.