Anti-Bullying 101

Gail WattsCalifornia Teachers Association

Human Rights Departmentgwatts@cta.org

What Is Bullying?

When was a definition of “bullying” added to the California Education Code?

Can a student in K-12 system be suspended for bullying another student?

Can a student be suspended for a bullying act that doesn’t take place at school?

If a student creates a derogatory facebook page about a teacher, is that free speech or bullying?

What Is Bullying?

+ Intent to hurt + Power to hurt + Hurtful action + Repetition (most of the time)

+ Secrecy (most of the time)

= B U L L Y I N G

Is There A Difference Between Bullying and Teasing?

VS

Bullying Facts And Statistics

• Almost 30% of youth in the United States are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a victim or bully

• 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one adult criminal conviction by age 24 and 3 arrests by age 30

Source: National Violence Prevention Center

Bullying Facts And Statistics

• More than 43% of middle school and high school students avoid using school bathrooms for fear of being harassed or assaulted

(Mothering)

• One in fifteen students said they avoided certain places at school because they feared of being attacked

(Harvard School of Public Health)

• Only 25% of students reported that teachers intervene in bullying situations, while 71% of teachers believe they always intervene

(Source: www.bullybeware.com)

• When asked, students uniformly expressed the desire that teachers intervene rather than ignore teasing and bullying

(Source: Maine Project Against Bullying)

Bullying Facts And Statistics

College Students:• 15% report being bullied.• 22% report being cyberbullied• 38% of college students knew someone who had been cyberbullied• 9% report they had cyberbullied someone else• 15% had seen a professor bully a student

(US News & World Report, Nov 3, 2011)

Workplace: 37% of workers (54 million people) reported they had been bullied at

work.

(Psychology Today, Feb 2, 2010, Cutting-Edge Leadership)

Bullying Facts And Statistics

“I was at school every day and had no idea of the horror

that was brewing.”

- Columbine Principal

Types of Bullying

Verbal Physical Social / Relational Cyber Reactive

Verbal Bullying

Using language to gain power over peers.

Most common form of bullying.

Difficult to identify. May leave lasting

psychological impact on victims.

Source:http://www.stopbullying.gov About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions

Examples: Name-calling Insults Jokes Threats

Physical Bullying

Examples: Hitting Kicking Groping Spitting Shoving Damaging

belongings Stealing

Use overt bodily acts to gain power over peers.

Generally more obvious.

Physical bullying is rarely the first form of bullying that a target will experience. Source:

http://www.stopbullying.gov About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions

Social / Relational Bullying

Intent to harm reputation or social standing.

Often happens among friends.

2 main methods: make someone feel unwelcome or gain someone’s trust and then break it.

Examples: Telling secrets told in

confidence Spreading

rumors/gossip Exclusion Breaking up

friendships Encouraging others

to ignore or chastise Ranking or rating

others

Source:http://www.stopbullying.gov About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions

Cyber Bullying

Harassment that occurs using technology.

Happens 24/7/365 Students more tech

savvy. Unsupervised. Can be shared with

wide audience. Anonymous but

traceable. Exacerbates effects on

victim when used with other forms of bullying.

Examples: Social media

(facebook, twitter, etc)

Text, instant message, email, chat room posts

Fake websites or social media profiles

Videos, photoshttp://www.stopbullying.gov About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm Norfolk County Council, http://www.schools.norfolk.gov.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=1096&p=1263,page&id=548Respect, http://www.respect2all.org/students/bullying-definitions

Reactive Bullying

Examples: Taunting a peer

until the peer reacts. Then claims to be a victim.

Causes conflict AND is attacked by peers.

Reactive bullies may target those that have also acted as a bully.

Source:http://www.stopbullying.gov About.com, http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/physicalemotionalgrowth/tp/Types-of-Bullying.htm

Bullying: Who’s Affected?

Bully Victim or Target Bystander / witness – passively watch Assistant – take part in ridicule or

intimidation Reinforcer – encourage by showing signs of

approval Defender – intervene, distract, discourage

Bullying: A Module for Teachers, Sandra Graham, http://www.apa.org/education/k12/bullying.aspx

Bullying: Who’s Affected?

The VICTIM or TARGET tends to: Have low self-esteem Be less popular Have few or no friends Social minorities Be passive Socially withdrawn Depressed, anxious and lonely May blame themselves for predicamentBullying: A Module for Teachers, Sandra Graham, http://www.apa.org/education/k12/bullying.aspxhttp://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/risk_factors/index.html

Bullying: Who’s Affected?

The BULLY tends to: Be well connected Have social power Have lots of friends Have high self-esteem May be overly concerned about their

popularity. May tend to dominate / be in charge of

others. May have inflated self-views

Video – What’s Going On

True or False?

Based on reported incidences, males bully more than females.

True

True or False?

Because of its prevalence, many accept bullying as part of growing up.

True

True or False?

The United States is the leading country on programs to address bullying.

False

True or False?

Bullies are loners, low academic achievers, insecure and usually have few friends.

False

True or False?

Those who bullied or were bullied as students are likely to become bullies as adults.

True

True or False?

Fighting back or standing up to a bully will stop the behavior.

False

Anti-bullying Super Heroes

Immediate Intervention Strategies:1. Separate those who are engaged as

bullies and victims. Talk to them separately.

2. Create a safe place for those targeted.3. Delve into behavior of why students are

bullying.4. Hold bystanders accountable.

1. Assess the extent of the bullying problem.

2. Ensure that the class understands the definition of bullying

3. Confront students engaged in bullying in a firm and fair manner.

4. Provide appropriate and consistent consequences for bullying.

Intervention: Turning Around Bullying

Behavior

Preventing Classroom Bullying: What Teachers Can Do, Jim Wright, www.interventioncentral.org

Resources

California Department of Education (www.cde.ca.gov)• Learning Support/Safe Schools• Sample Bullying Prevention Policy• Sample Policy for Conflict Resolution• How Does A Caring Adult Talk To A Bully?

Resources

Classroom Activities• Chalk Talk www.schoolsafety.us • Bully Busters www.stopbullyingnow.net • Take Action Now www.education.com/bullying • NEA www.nea.org/ToolsandIdeas • Teaching Tolerance www.tolerance.org