Bully Prevention and Intervention

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Bully Prevention and Intervention

• Bullying has been a problem since a jealous Cain
  murdered his brother Abel. Or since the first
  caveman hit another over the head.
• Bullying starts in preschool, peaks during middle
  school years and declines during high school.
  Hazing does occur in colleges and universities.

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"I hate school!" "I don't have any friends!""I'm
afraid to go to school.""The teachers don't do
anything.  I don't think they care about us at
all."

• When our students make statements like these, how
  much can we expect of them in school?  When
  students are afraid, when they do not feel safe
  in their school environment, they are functioning
  at the survival level, not at the intellectual
  level where learning takes place.

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Bullying is a learned behavior that must be
unlearned. Bullies must be taught better ways of
relating to others.

• Bullying, whether it takes in the hallways or
  bathrooms, or over the Internet as
  "cyber-bullying," can undermine all educators'
  good intentions.

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What is Bullying?

• One of the most commonly used definitions of
  bullying behavior is the one developed by Dr. Dan
  Olweus 
• "A student is being bullied when he or she is
  exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative
  actions on the part of one or more students." 

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The elements of bullying behavior are

• Intentional negative behavior on the part of the
  bullying individual, sometimes accompanied by
  "henchmen."
• Repeated activity on the part of the bullying
  individual.
• An uneven power relationship between the bullying
  individual and the victim of the bullying.

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Students who are bullied frequently show these
symptoms

• They don't want to go to school and have higher
  absentee rates than other students.
• They are more likely to report disliking school.
• They tend to earn lower grades than students who
  are not bullied.

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More symptoms

• Possible decrease in classroom participation and
  socialization with other students.
• Thoughts about suicide.
• A variety of health problems.
• Returning from school with torn or damaged
  clothing.
• Unexplained loss of property or money.

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Research

• Recent research efforts suggest that students who
  are bullied have characteristics that make them
  more likely to be victims of bullying behavior. 
  Those characteristics include children with
  disabilities and special health care needs,
  children who are obese, and children who are
  known to be, or perceived to be gay, lesbian, or
  bisexual.

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Characteristics of Victims

• Passive Victims nonassertive, submissive,
  cautious, quiet, cries easily, collapses, few
  friends, anxious, insecure, lacks humor, and
  pro-social skills.
• Provocative Victims aggressive, argumentative,
  disruptive, irritating behaviors, easily
  emotionally aroused, prolongs the conflict even
  when losing, and may be ADHD.

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Other characteristics to watch out for

• Sensitive children.
• Insecure children who lack self-confidence.
• For boys  physically weaker.
• For Girls  early maturation.
• Children who are afraid of getting hurt.
• Children who find it easier to associate with
  adults than with peers.

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Bully-Victim

• There is also the child frequently referred to as
  a Bully-Victim."  This child attracts bullying
  through his or her provocative behavior.
• Physical Bullying may be what first comes to mind
  when adults think about bullying. However, the
  most common form of bullyingboth for boys and
  girlsis Verbal Bullying (teasing, name-calling,
  threats, rumor spreading). It is also common for
  youth to bully each other through Social
  Isolation (fear, intimidation, shunning or
  leaving a child out on purpose).

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What motivates children who bully others?  There
are several factors at work here

• They enjoy being in charge, dominating others in
  a negative fashion and lack guilt.
• Parents or role model models aggression
• They derive satisfaction from inflicting injury,
  embarrassment, and suffering.
• Bully thinks in unrealistic ways, I should
  always get what I want.
• They are "rewarded" by the bullying behavior
  through the distress of the child who is bullied
  and from being witnessed by bystanders.

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Bystanders(Activate Bystanders)

• Most Children Who Bully Like to Have an
  audience.
• Bystanders Can help Stop Bullying Behavior.
  (students, teachers, neighbors, relatives, ect)
• 85 of school population- silent majority
• Desensitized over time diminished empathy
• Fear retaliation
• Dont know what to do
• Afraid they will make things worse
• Worry about losing social status
• Dont believe adults will help
•   

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What About Children Who Bully?  They also share
other disturbing characteristics.  They are more
likely to

• Get into fights.
• Be injured in a fight.
• Steal or vandalize property.
• Drink alcohol and smoke tobacco products.
• Misuse other controlled or banned substances.

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They are more likely to

• Show signs of truancy.
• Drop out of school.
• Experience lower academic achievement in general.
  
• See the school climate as negative.
• Carry a weapon.

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Bullying Affects the School

• Bullying behavior affects the entire school
  climate, which is why a bullying prevention
  program must include every person at the school.
• Bullying behavior interferes with student
  learning.
• Bullying behavior creates a climate of fear,
  indifference and disrespect.
• Non-bullying students may come to feel that there
  is a lack of control by adults in charge, or
  possibly simply a lack of caring.

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N.C.L.B.

• It is also important to consider bullying
  behavior in the context of No Child Left Behind. 
  NCLB specifically requires schools and school
  districts to maintain safe schools.  Given that
  mandate, in addition to NCLB's emphasis on
  student performance and the need to show Adequate
  Yearly Progress, it is imperative to take
  positive, proven steps to reduce bullying
  behavior.

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Types of Bullying

• There are different types of bullying, all of
  which can cause serious harm to the victims. 
  Traditionally, we have focused on two major
  types  Direct Bullying and Indirect Bullying. 
  We have provided information on four specific
  categories, because each category is unique and
  requires unique approaches. 

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• DIRECT BULLYING  This is sometimes referred to
  as "traditional" bullying, because it's the kind
  that most people are familiar with.  Direct
  bullying involves physical contact, such as
  hitting, pushing, throwing objects, destroying
  property and spitting.  Playground extortion --
  making the victim give the bully money or
  property -- also falls into this category. 
  Teasing is also a form of direct bullying.

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• INDIRECT BULLYING  Sometimes referred to as
  "social bullying," this includes more subtle
  activities, such as shunning, rumor-spreading,
  and passing notes with negative information about
  the victim.  The victim is sometimes the subject
  of cruel practical jokes.

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• CYBER-BULLYING  This involves the use of modern
  technology, principally the Internet, to harass,
  humiliate, threaten, or embarrass the victim. 
  Technology used in cyber-bullying includes social
  websites, instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms,
  personal websites, and cell phones with cameras.

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• TEACHER BULLYING  In a recent survey, 45 of the
  teachers surveyed admitted to having bullied
  students.  While there are not many studies on
  this issue, there is a great deal of anecdotal
  evidence and a growing body of literature that
  suggests this area of bullying is more serious
  and more common than most of us realize. Modeling
  aggression, demeaning behaviors, and sarcasm all
  lead to bullying.

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Survey

• A survey published in the Journal of the American
  Medical Association in 2001 showed the following
  results (15,600 students in grades 6-10 were
  questioned)

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Results

• 19 of students reported bullying others
  sometimes or more often during the school term.
  
• 17 reported being bullied sometimes or more
  often.
• 6.3 reported bullying and being bullied.

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Parents of children who are bullied by others can
help them deal with the situation by

• Helping their child to develop his or her own
  unique talents and positive characteristics.
• Encourage the child to make contact with friendly
  students in their classes.
• Encourage the child to learn how to get to know
  peers in new situations.

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Reporting

• Parents should also encourage the child to report
  the bullying behavior if it is repeated and
  severe.  They should also consider reporting the
  behavior to school authorities themselves, even
  if the child does not want to report the
  behavior.  Sometimes parents have to override the
  wishes of the child.  Parents should NOT
  encourage the child to "fight back" and they
  should never confront the parents of the child
  who is allegedly doing the bullying.

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School Code of Conduct

• We will not bully others.
• We will try to help students who are bullied.
• We will invite students who are easily left out
  of activities to join us.
• When we know somebody is being bullied, we will
  tell an adult at the school and an adult at home.
  

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School Wide Approach

• Needs assessment kids, parents, teachers
  (survey, interview, class discussions)
• A plan that defines the problem, how to address
  it and who does what.
• Classroom lessons (teacher or counselor)
• Counseling services (refer to mental health)
• Train all stakeholders ( parents, teachers,
  staff)
• Focus on victims, bullies, and bystanders

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Strategies for Helping StudentsIntervention and
Prevention

• Bully Prevention Programs
• Conflict Resolution Skills
• Peer Mediation Programs
• Peer Leaders Listening
• Social Skills Training
• Self-Esteem Building
• Safety Training
• Stress Management

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Strategies with Victims(Support Targets)

• Use supportive, fear reducing style
• Reduce self-blame by identifying cruel behavior
• Demonstrate compassion and empathy
• Connect victim to helpful peers
• Mobilize caring majority with in classroom
• Teach and model strategies
• Counsel friendship skills, social skills,
  self-esteem, empowerment, decreasing isolation

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Meeting with Students Who Bully(Counsel Bullies)

• 1. What did you do that caused you to be sent to
  this office?
• 2. How did you feel while you were being mean to
  this student?
• 3. How do you think this student feels about what
  you did?
• 4. How do you feel now about what happened?
• 5. What are the consequences of your choice to be
  mean to this student?
• 6. Will you stop being mean to others from now
  on? Explain why.

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You Make A Difference!!

• As a Counselor, youre shaping young lives. When
  you notice your students, reach out to them, and
  treat them with kindness and respect. All
  children need Positive Attention from a caring
  adult. When you model and teach acceptance and
  tolerance, youre leading the way for them to do
  the same.

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To Learn More

• Dan Olweus, Bullying at school
• Dorothea Ross, Childhood Bullying and Teasing
  (sections on bullying)
• Nan Stein et al Bully-proof Flirting or
  Hurting Quit it!
• Linda Sanford, Strong at the Broken Places
• Visit http//www.stopbullyingnow.com for more
  information about bullying

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Questions/Comments?

• Philomena M. P. Bernard
• Professional School Counselor
• Central Middle School /Highland Elem.
• pmb2809_at_slp.k12.la.us
• 337- 457- 5895 / 337- 457- 5161