Middle School Anti-Bullying Presentation
November 2011 Cumberland Public Schools
Benjamin Disraeli
l Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.”
Bullying is…
l Engagement of a behavior whether or not intentional in a repeated manner to gain power or control that results in: l Distress l Social embarrassment l Discrimination l Damage of their property l Or the placement of the victim in reasonable
harm, distress, embarrassment, discrimination, humiliation or damage
Examples include..
l Direct bullying l Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting l Taunting, teasing, racial slurs, verbal
harassment l Threatening, obscene gestures
Examples include..
l Indirect bullying l Getting another person to bully someone l Spreading rumors l Deliberately excluding someone from a group
or activity l Cyber-bullying (Digital Foot print)
l Cell phone (text messages) l Emails l Social networking websites l Instant messaging
Gender differences
l Typically, boys bully more than girls l Boys report being bullied by boys; girls
report being bullied by boys and girls l Boys are more likely than girls to be
physically bullied by their peers l Girls are more likely to be bullied through
rumor-spreading, sexual comments, social exclusion
Conditions surrounding bullying
l Children usually are bullied by one child or a small group
l Common locations: outside, classroom, lunchroom, halls, bathrooms, cyberspace
Students who demonstrate bullying behavior
l Get into frequent fights l Steal or vandalize property l Consume illegal substances l Frequently late or absent from school l Earn lower grades than their peers l Have a negative view of school l Quick tempered l May be bullied themselves by many children
Rough Play vs. Bullying
l Relationship among parties l Facial expressions and general
atmosphere l Balance of power l Intention
Students who are bullied.. l Have low self-esteem l Have high rates of extreme sadness l Frequently late or absent from school l May be bullied by many children l Passive targets l May be shy l Find it easier to associate with adults then students l No longer want to participate in activities they once liked l Suddenly change friends l Begin to bully siblings or family pets
Why is it not noticed?
l Bullying is not noticed because: l Most frequently occurs in unstructured school
areas l Low staff to student to student ratios
l Students who bully act in ways that adults don’t notice l Behave covertly, especially in the presence
l Adolescents are masterful at shielding their social, and anti-social lives from adults
Why is it not reported?
l Victims are ashamed, fear retaliation, believe that adults can’t or wont help
l Middle school and high school boys are less likely to report victimization
l Bystanders may not interpret what they see as bullying
l Why don’t children report? l 66% of victims don’t know what will happen
Tattling vs. Telling
l Unimportant l Harmless l Accidental l Could solve alone l Trying to get
someone in trouble
l Important l Someone being hurt l Purposeful l Needs help to solve l Trying to help
someone else
Why not fight back?
l Negative consequences l Physical injuries l Suspension l Increased bullying/retaliation l Belief that violence is an acceptable way to
deal with problems
Why so much attention?
l Students cannot learn if they fear for their safety or are distracted by rumors or harassment.
l Bullying behavior CAN CHANGE with early and proper interventions
Students who observe..
l 38% - do nothing, because it’s none of my business, it’s not me and I don’t want it to be
l 27% - I don’t do anything, but I think I should
l 35% - I try to help him or her
Framework for Prevention
l District Wide l School Wide l Classroom Level l Individual/ Small Group l Parent/Community
What We Believe In.. l Respectful
l Act respectfully toward all individuals and groups l We will try and include people who are left out
l Responsible l We will be responsible members of our learning community l We will be responsible bystanders l If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult
who can help. l Ready to Learn
l Know how to report bullying l www.cumberlandschools.org l In person with a trusted adult
l Know who you can trust, identify them and seek them out for advice
If you witness bullying..
l And intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time
l Tell the student who is bullying to stop l Help the victim walk away l Recruit friends to help the victim l Get an adult l Befriend the victim l Report the situation
Resources
l All school presentations will be available on the district website
l Links to helpful website will also be available