Cyber Bullying & School Bullying

Many adults probably have seen and heard bullying happening around them, but they are not sure the best way to stop bullying. Here are some tips that can help you to make the best out of the situation.

1. Stop the bullying immediately. Separate the children. But don’t ask the reason yet.

2. Tell the bullies that their behavior was bullying and let them know it is against school rules.

3. Make the bullied child feel supported and safe.Talk to him or her in private later on.

4. Never encourage the children to sort things out. Bullying is not a conflict.

If you see bullying happening , take action and let other adults such as teachers and counselors know.

To effectively reduce bullying, the climate of the school and other social places need to be changed.  School staff and other students, not just teachers and administrators must all take actions to notice and help a child who’s being bullied. The school needs to promote the norm which is “cool” to help out.

Non teaching staff such as bus drivers, nurses, school resource officers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and school librarians, all parents should become aware of the importance of setting the norm.

Source: www.ask.hrsa.gov

To help a student or young person who were bullied, mental professionals such as counselors need to understand that bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. Children who were bullied need support and encouragement to tell what has happened to them and to talk about their feelings. They also need protection from future bullying.

By establishing a strong, positive relationships with adults and peers, bullied children can fee where they belong and stop blaming themselves for the bullying. In extreme cases, bullied children need support with post traumatic stress symptoms, even after the bullying has been stopped.

Source: www.ask.hrsa.gov

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Children with disabilities and special needs are at higher risk being bullied by peers. Some research has been done and found out that there is a growing number of bullying cases.

The special needs children who are being bullied include children who have learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), obese children, children who have diabetes, and children who stutter.

Parents, teachers, and counselors should work together to prevent bullying from happening to the special needs children. All parties should be made aware that bullying behavior may cross the line to become “disability harassment to these children. Bullying can happen not just in classrooms, it can happen on the bus, in the cafeteria, in hallways, and on the playground.

Source: www.ask.hrsa.gov

Bullying can happen anywhere to anyone. It can happen in school or after school environment. If a child hurts or scares another child on purpose, it’s bullying. If the bullied person has hard time defending himself, and you see it and want to help. Can you help? Bullying isn’t always easy to notice because it can be hitting or name-calling, but sometimes it can be saying mean things to people in person or behind their back.

If you notice those behaviors and want to help. Make sure you do the following:

• Don’t just stand there. . . say something or tell an adult;
• Tell the bullying that it isn’t funny or cool to bully someone;
• However, don’t bully back which can make things even worse for the bullied and for yourself.

But be sure that you feel safe to do the above. If you don’t feel safe, then tell an adult such as a teacher, a school counselor, a school nurse, the principal, the bus driver, or your parents.

Source: www.ask.hrsa.gov

First, you should explain to your children what bullying is. “Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose”. Tell them that bullying usually happens more than one time.

Show your children that sometimes bullying is easily noticeable but sometimes it isn’t. Both boys and girls can bully and can be bullied.

Teach your children what they can do in a bullying situation:

• Tell you or other adults.
• If the bullying happened school, tell the teacher, school counselor, or principal.
• Don’t fight back. Trying to bully those who bully you will just make matters worse.
• Try not to show anger or fear to the bullies.
• Calmly tell the student to stop. Walk away from the bully.
• If they can, try to avoid bullying situations:
  • Avoid areas of the school where there are not
    many students or teachers around.
  • Make sure you aren’t alone in the bathroom
    or locker room.
  • Sit near the front of the bus.
  • Don’t bring expensive things or lots of money
    to school.
  • Sit with a group of friends at lunch.
  • Take a different route through hallways or
    walk with friends or a teacher to your classes.

Source: www.ask.hrsa.gov

If parents notice their children being bullied in school, or if their children tell them, they should notify the school immediately and work with the school. You should keep a written record of each incident and write down as much details as possible including where, when, and where. Speak with your children’s teacher right away. But be nice. Discuss with the teacher to see whether he/she has some ways of prevention. Be sure to follow up with the teacher and keep a detailed written log of each meeting. If no improvements after a few weeks, then ask to speak with the principal.

There are many things that parents can do to help their children become more resilient to bullying. Enroll your children in music lessons, develop talents. Facilitate athletics and art activities. Help the child become more confident among his peers. Provide environment where your children can make friends with friendly students and meet friends outside of the school. Make your home a happy and loving place for your child to feel secure and seek shelter.

Parents should take school bullying seriously and often they are the first ones to detect the warning signs. However, some parents hesitate to tell the school teachers when they find out that their children are bullied in school. There are few reasons for parents to hesitate. One of them is that they are afraid that they might make the situation worse by telling the school. Or the parents feel embarrassed to tell the teachers fearing that the teachers might think of them as overly protective. Often times, the bullied children ask the parents not to tell the school and want to solve the problems on their own.

But children need parents’ help to prevent and stop school bullying. Call the school as soon as possible if the parents see any bullying warnings signs.

Parents’ involvement in bulling prevention and detection is essential in the battle of stopping bullying. But how do you find out if your children are being bullied if they are too embarrassed or too afraid to tell you. There are a few warning signs that parents should pay attention to:

1. If your child comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings;
2. Has unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches when the child come home;
3. Complains frequently of headaches, stomachaches, or other physical issues;
4. Has trouble sleeping;
5. Shows a loss of appetite;
6. Appears anxious and suffers from low self-esteem,
7. does not have any friends or very few friends to play with;
8. Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus, or taking part in organized activities with peers;
9. The child has no interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school;
10. When your child comes home appearing sad or moody.

Talk to your child if you see any of the 10 warning signs.

Source: U.S Department of Health and Human Services