Bullying

Bullying:  Take a Stand!  

What does bullying mean?  Bullying is deliberate and hurtful behavior meant to belittle, frighten, hurt, or exclude someone.  Bullying usually does not happen just once.  It continues to happen over and over. There are no good excuses for bullying.  No one deserves to be bullied no matter how different they may be.  

Common Forms of Bullying: 

1. Physical bullying:  hitting, shoving, kicking, poking, breaking someone's belongings, giving mean looks, or making threats. 

2. Verbal bullying:  teasing, lying to get the victim in trouble, name calling, or taunting. 

3. Social bullying:  ignoring or excluding the victim, encouraging others to dislike the victim, spreading rumors and gossip.  

4. Cyberbullying:  using technology to harass, threaten, spread gossip, or even impersonate

WAYS TO STOP A BULLY

1. Avoid the bully.  Avoid places you know he/she will be.  

2. Ignore the bully.  Walk away; bullies want a reaction.  Don't give them one. 

3. Be confident, not aggressive.  Use a firm voice to tell the bully to "Stop."

4. Practice - Work with a friend or adult to practice how to best handle a confrontation.  

5. Hang with friends who will stand by you.  Join school activities to make more friends.  Stand up for your friends if they are bullied.   

6. Believe in yourself.  Good self-esteem helps you cope with bullies. 

7. Distract the bully by changing the subject or making a joke.

8. Don't bully back.  Fighting back will likely get you into trouble.

9. Remain calm.  Self-control gives you power. 

10. Avoid places where no adults are present. 

11. Leave expensive items at home. 

12. Don't be afraid to yell; the bully won't be expecting that. 

13. Tell a friend or a trusted adult. 

14. Have your parents help you block the bully from your e-mail. 

15. If the bully makes serious threats, in person or online, ask an adult to contact the police. 

Don't Stand By - Speak Up 

What can you do if you see someone being bullied?  Ignoring or tolerating bullying makes the bully think what they are doing is acceptable.  Believe it or not, when a bystander speaks out and tells a bully to stop, many times the bully actually stops.  Follow these tips:

    - Don't join in or encourage the bully; 

    - Do your best to calm the situation; 

    - Offer your support to the bullied person; 

    - When your support doesn't help, tell a teacher what's happening. 

Encourage the Victim

Be a friend to the victim.  This lets a bully know the victim is not alone.  Invite the person to spend time with you and your friends.  If you reached out to help someone in need, you can be sure they will be there when you need help.

Here are some helpful links 

https://childmind.org/article/help-kids-deal-cyberbullying/

https://childmind.org/article/how-to-know-if-your-child-is-being-bullied/