Anti-Bullying Resources

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  • Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.
  • In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
  • An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power-such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity-to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
  • Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

There are 3 types of bullying:

  • Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying includes:
    • Teasing
    • Name-calling
    • Inappropriate sexual comments
    • Taunting
    • Threatening to cause harm
  • Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone's reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
    • Leaving someone out on purpose
    • Telling other children not to be friends with someone
    • Spreading rumors about someone
    • Embarrassing someone in public
    • Whispering in front of someone to make them uncomfortable
  • Physical bullying involves hurting a person's body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
    • Hitting/kicking/pinching
    • Spitting
    • Tripping/pushing
    • Taking or breaking someone's things
    • Making mean or rude hand gestures
  • When is it friendly, and when is it teasing?

FRIENDLY PLAYING

VS

HURTFUL TEASING

equal power between friends

vs

imbalance of power between friends

neutral topic

vs

sensitive topic

purpose is to play and smile

vs

purpose is to upset someone else

funny

vs

sarcastic

everyone is included

vs

someone is excluded

  • Alot of times bullying and teasing happens during lunch, on the bus, or during recess. If it is happening to your child, reinforce the advice they learned in school:
    • If you're unhappy, talk to someone!
    • Ignoring works best if it's used from the get-go.
    • Look bored with it all and stay cool
    • Make a positive comeback
    • Make a change - if the group you're in doesn't make you happy, what are you doing there? NEVER trade away happiness just to fit in.
      • If you have "being-left-out-iTis," Here's what to do:
      • Understand that a triangle of friends can be difficult...it takes effort to make everyone feel included.
      • Your first reaction is to BLAME the third person in the triangle or make your friend choose...but DON'T! It makes it worse.
      • Instead, TALK to your friend and let them know you are feeling left out. Your friend should make an EFFORT to make you feel BETTER.
      • There is no limit on how many friends someone can have. There must be a reason they like the new friend... so MAYBE you can to!
      • If they REALLY don't want to be friends anymore and they have a reason, then try to "play it cool." Friendships change and so do we, but time will pass and you will always know that you were a good friend and still are.

       

      HIB Incident Reporting Form

Additional helpful resources for children and parents:

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