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