Bullying, Harrassment

At SJH, I need to deal with bullying and harrassment...at least in the 8th grade based on the results of the Healthy Youth Survey.

* Too often, bystanders who observe bullying do not speak out against it. In 85 percent of the bullying incidents, there were bystanders. Yet "in only 13 percent [of these incidents] did a bystander act as a witness for the kid who was being targeted—by standing up and speaking out." (Coloroso)

* There are three kinds of bullying: verbal, physical, and relational, Coloroso said. Most boys and girls who bully others use verbal bullying. A small number of boys (and an even smaller number of girls) use physical bullying. "Girls have something far more powerful in their arsenal—relational bullying," she noted. Relational bullying comprises shunning, excluding, isolating, and harming another person through rumor and gossip. "Often, we don't think of that as bullying." (Coloroso)

* Educators should also teach students to act on what's right, even when there is a cost, she said. "When your 16-year-old's friends say, 'Look at that person over there—different skin color, different religion—let's go mess him up,' I want your kid to say, 'No.' Even at cost to himself, when his friends say, 'What, are you chicken?' 'What, are you just like him?' I want him to be willing to stand up for a value and against an injustice—to act with integrity." (Coloroso)

Adult Lessons

* Because bullying stems from contempt, incidents of bullying should not be treated as "conflicts" between the bully and the bullied, she contended. "To put two kids—the target of a bully and the bully—in a conflict-resolution setting is to miss what it's all about." (Coloroso)

* To help combat bullying and other acts of violence, educators need to teach students how to think for themselves, Coloroso said. "We've got to teach kids not to use stereotypes," she urged. "When kids can think for themselves, they're less likely to be led by prejudicial thinking." (Coloroso)

Bullying Facts:
-6% of 4,743 children in grades 1 to 8 admitted bullying
others “more than once or twice” in the past six
weeks -(Pepler et al., 1997)
-15% of children reported that they had been victimized
at the same rate -(Pepler et al., 1997)
-2% reported being both bullies and victims (bully/
victims) -(Pepler et al., 1997)
-Bullying occurs in school playgrounds every 7 minutes
and once every 25 minutes in class –(Pepler et al.,
1997)
-Boys report more bullying than girls, but the discrepancy
between boys’ and girls’ rates of bullying is not
as great in playground observations –(Pepler et al.,
1997)
-Boys report more physical forms of bullying: girls
tend to bully in indirect ways, such as gossiping and
excluding.-(Pepler et al., 1997)
-11 to 12 year old students reported bullying others
more than younger (9-10 year old) and older (13 to 14
year old) students -(Pepler et al., 1997)
-Bullies tend to be hyperactive, disruptive, impulsive
and overactive -(Lowenstein, 1978), (Olweus, 1987)
-Bullies are generally aggressive towards tier peers,
teachers, parents, siblings, and others. -(Olweus, 1991)
Bullying Facts –cont’d:
-Bullies tend to be assertive and easily provoked They
are attracted to situations with aggressive content and
have positive attitudes about aggression. -(Stephenson
-Girls who bully tend to be physically weaker than
other girls in their class. -(Roland, 1989)
-Bullies have little empathy for their victims and
show little remorse about bullying. -(Olweus, 1987)
-Boys and girls are equally likely to report being victimized
-(Pepler at al, 1977)
-Victimization decreases across grade levels: 26% of
grades 1-3 children report victimization compared to
15% of grades 4-6 and 12% of grades 7-8 children. -
(Pepler et al., 1997)
-Children in lower grades are more likely to be victims
of same-age bullies. Younger students experience
more direct bullying, whereas older students
experience more indirect bullying. -(Olweus, 1993)
-Research has not supported the popular stereotype
that victims have unusual physical traits. -(Olweus,
1991)
-Victims often report low self-esteem. likely because
of repeated exposure to victimization. -(Besag, 1989)
Bullying Facts –cont’d:
-Both boys and girls who are victimized, report
symptoms of depression, such as sadness, and loss of
interest in activities -(Slee, 1995) (Craig, 1997)
-Bully/victims are the most insecure, the least likeable,
and the most unsuccessful in school -
(Stephenson and Smith, 1989)
-Bully/victims are often strong and easily provoked. -
(Besag, 1989)
-Children who are bully-victims appear to be at the
greatest risk for adjustment difficulties -(Craig and
Pepler, 1995)
-85% of bullying episodes occur in the context of a
peer group -(Atlas and Pepler, 1997, Craig and Pepler,
1997)
-83% of students indicate that watching bullying
makes them feel uncomfortable. -(Pepler et al., 1997)
-Bullying stops in less than 10 seconds, 57% of the
time when peers intervene on behalf of the victim. -
(Pepler et al., 1997)
-Boys are more likely than girls to be drawn into bullying
episodes and actively participate. -(Craig and
Pepler., 1997), (Salmivalli et al., 1996)
-In playground observations, peers intervened in significantly
more episodes than adults did (11% of episodes
versus 4%). -(Craig and Pepler., 1997)
-Bullies often come from homes that are neglectful and
hostile and use harsh punishment. Bullying may be
learned by observing high levels of conflict between
parents. Care needs to be given so that they do not
model bullying for their children. -(Olweus. 1993)
-Victims often keep their problems a secret: They feel
they should handle bullying themselves; they worry
about the bully’s revenge or other children’s disapproval:
and/or they think that adults can do little to
help them. -(Garfalo et al., 1987) , (Olweus, 1991)
-Bullying is reduced in a school if the principal is committed
to reducing bullying. Strategies -(Charach et
al., 1995)
-Bullying occurs when there is little supervision or
when large groups of children engage in rough and
tumble play or competitive sports . -(Murphy et al.,
1983)
-Bullying is often hidden from teachers. Teachers’ lack of
awareness is evident in playground observations in which
teachers intervened to stop only one in twenty-five (4%) of
the bullying episodes (Craig and Pepler, 1997)