Imagine a classroom where everyone feels safe, is focused and ready to learn. This may sound too good to be true but, good news! It is possible to create this positive learning environment by fostering a culture of high expectations, developing positive relationships, facilitating development of social emotional competencies, and addressing barriers such as bullying.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness of bullying and the impact it has on everyone involved. According to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Bullying in U.S. Schools Status Report, about 17 percent of students admit to being involved in bullying; 14 percent report being bullied, 5 percent report bullying others, and about 3 percent report both being bullied and bullying others.

There are many reasons why it’s critical to address school bullying. Perhaps most importantly, it is good for kids! Bullying contributes to youth violence, causes psychological and social problems, and is an obstacle to learning. It can also negatively affect school climate depriving children of the right to be educated in an environment that is both physically and emotionally safe.

Now is the time! Learn about bullying, share the information with others, and be a champion of bullying prevention.

Bullying Defined

Dan Olweus defines bullying as when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself. Bullying is characterized by three key components:

• It is a form of aggression.
• There is an imbalance of power or strength between the child who is bullying and the child who is being bullied.
• It is generally repeated behavior—although adults often are not aware of patterns until a serious event occurs. So, do NOT wait for a pattern before responding! Address all negative behavior immediately!

Bullying may occur in person or through electronic means. It can be direct in the form of verbal or physical bullying; it can also be indirect behavior such as spreading rumors or excluding someone from a group.

1. Verbal bullying includes taunting, teasing, name-calling, extortion, and threats.
2. Physical bullying is harm to a person or property.
3. Relational aggression is harm to someone’s self-esteem or group acceptance.
4. Cyberbullying involves the use of technology to harass or intimidate another person.

Bullying, Conflict, or Teasing: What is the Difference?

Not everything that happens on a school campus is bullying.It is often confused with conflict or teasing but in actuality is quite different. Unlike bullying, conflict is a normal part of life. It is generally not a repeated behavior and there is a relatively equal balance of power between those involved.

Teasing, also a normal part of growing up, is when everyone involved is having fun and there is an equal balance of power. Rough and tumble play, teasing, kids being kids, innocent play – whatever it is called – differs from bullying with regard to:

• The relationship between those involved – usually friends and like each other
• The expressions on everyone’ faces – happy, laughing, and having fun
• The general atmosphere surrounding the situation –positive attitudes and a positive feel

It may look like two or more students who hit, push, threaten, chase, or try to wrestle but do it in a friendly, non-hostile, playful manner.

What Harm Does Bullying Cause?

Bullying behavior has consequences for the person who is bullying, the person being bullied, and the bystanders who see it or know it is happening. These effects can even last into adulthood. Bullying often leads to depression, anxiety, unexplained illnesses, difficulties in school, and academic problems.

Student who is bullied

Bullying may seriously affect psychosocial functioning, academic work, and the health of children who are targeted.Research shows these children experience lower self-esteem and higher rates of health problems, depression, loneliness, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. They can experience withdrawal, aggression, and feelings of rejection. Students who are bullied may experience somatic disturbances, like sleep problems, gastrointestinal concerns and headaches. They are more likely to report wanting to avoid school, dislike school, have higher rates of absenteeism, and receive lower grades.

 

Student who bullies others

There is also reason to be concerned about children who bully others. Theyare at a higher risk for alcoholism, substance abuse, antisocial personality disorders, and externalizing problems such as violence and delinquency. Students who bully are more likely to:

• Get into fights and be injured
• Be truant and drop out of school
• Have difficulty with academics

Bullying may also be a collection of gateway behaviors that if not stopped, could become illegal anti-social behaviors in adulthood.

Bystanders

Bullying also has an effect on students that witness bullying, the largest proportion of students in a school. Bystanders who observe bullying behavior without intervention may develop a decreased sense of individual responsibility or experience fear of retaliation if they get involved. They may have a heighted sense of anger, helplessness, and guilt for not taking action. Children who observe bullying going on around them may feel powerless and have less empathy for other students. This reduced empathy can result in bystanders joining in and siding with the student who bullies, rather than intervening to help or support students who are bullied.

Dispelling Myths

Despite increased attention and convincing research about the harm caused, there are still many misconceptions surrounding bullying. Now is the time to shatter some of these myths!

Myth:Bullying is just part of growing up.

Fact: Bullying is not just kids being kids. It is not a childhood rite of passage. It does not build character. It is not just a normal part of growing up. Bullying is peer abuse and it has negative consequences for all students who are involved.

Myth:Students are more likely to be bullied in high school than in elementary or middle school.

Fact: More students report being bullied in elementary school than in middle or high school, while the percentage of students who report bullying others stays pretty stable from elementary through high school.

Myth: Children who bully are loners and have low self-esteem.

Fact: Bullying is about power and control, not popularity and self-esteem. Children who bully have average or somewhat below average popularity among peers. They also have average or above average self-esteem.

Myth: Cyberbullying has become one of the most common forms of bullying among students.

Fact:National surveys show that trends in cyberbullying are not rapidly increasing. Comparing prevalence rates of cyberbullying to other forms of bullying, we see a relatively small percentage of students indicating that they had been cyberbullied. The most common form of bullying is still verbal bullying, followed by rumor-spreading and social exclusion.

Myth: Most students who observe bullying don’t think they should get involved.

Fact: When asked how they feel when they see a student their age bullied at school, the vast majority of students say they feel sorry for them or they feel sorry and want to help. However, without the knowledge and skills to intervene, this empathy does not always translate into action.

Bullying and Mindfulness

Not everyone fares the same when exposed to bullying. Some youth are more susceptible for bullying to have a negative impact while others can more easily brush it off. A chronically activated stress system is one factor that contributes to how a person responds to bullying. Research has also found a significant relationship between stress, anger, fighting, and bullying behaviors.

Mindfulness based interventions help reduce stress and empower students to become more aware of their thoughts and emotions. Self-regulation improves so students are better able to react in a socially acceptable manner and more resilient when facing an adverse situation. Mindfulness activities teach students how to identify escalating feelings before acting on them and provides them with tools to process their emotions in a constructive way. These skills can all lead to a reduction in bullying behavior and lessen the impact if it does occur.

An intentional focus on bullying prevention along with practicing a few minutes of mindfulness each day can create that classroom where students feel safe and are calm, focused, ready and able to learn.

It is a fundamental human right for all children to be educated in a safe and humane school community.Knowing the negative outcomes bullying can have on students, ignoring or dismissing bullying behavior as something that kids just have to deal with at school is no longer an option.

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

~ Maya Angelou

You can make a difference during National Bullying Prevention Month and all year long! Visit the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program website to learn more about bullying and what you can do to prevent it.

Author

Jan Urbanski, Ed.D.

Director, Safe & Humane Schools, Clemson University

Like this article? Share the love!