Middle School Anti-Bullying Presentation

1 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 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 l Direct bullying l Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting l Taunting, teasing, racial slurs, verbal harassment l Threatening, obscene gestures Examples 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)

2 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.

3 bullying l Relationship among parties l Facial expressions and general atmosphere l Balance of power l Intention Students who are 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?

4 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?

5 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 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 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.

6 L Ready to Learn l Know how to report bullying l l In person with a trusted adult l Know who you can trust, identify them and seek them out for advice If you witness 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